Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2026: What to Expect, Who's Cooking and How to Get Tickets

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival is Hawaiʻi's premier culinary event of the year. Spanning Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Oʻahu, this 3-weekend festival brings together chefs, mixologists, sommeliers and winemakers from Hawaiʻi and around the country for a variety of events aimed to support Hawaiʻi's local agriculture and culinary industries and position Hawaiʻi as a world-class culinary destination.

Now in its 16th year, Hawaii Food & Wine Festival was co-founded by James Beard Award-winning chefs Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong — two of the founders of Hawaiʻi Regional Cuisine. Proceeds help to fund culinary scholarships, agricultural education, sustainability initiatives, workforce development programs and the hospitality industry. Last week, The Hawai‘i Ag & Culinary Alliance – the parent organization of HFWF – announced it has raised $5.2 million since the festival's inception in 2011.

Need to Know

• Festival is spread over three weekends from October 16 to November 8

• Events held across three islands: Hawai‘i Island, Maui and O‘ahu

• Guests must be 21 years or older to attend. There are no children of any age permitted.

• Purchase tickets at hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com

Schedule of Events

The theme of the festival this year is Traditions & Heritage. Dishes will reflect the cultural roots of Hawai‘i’s culinary and agricultural communities. As always, chefs are required to incorporate locally grown, raised or caught ingredients into their dishes.

Hawai‘i Island

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2025 at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaiʻi Island. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

Second Annual Cuisines of the Sun® Golf Classic

This event, hosted by chef Alan Wong and presented by HPM Design Centers, sells out every year. If you are interested in hitting the links with Wong and several other celebrity chefs, purchase your ticket early. The morning starts with a breakfast bento, continued with chef and libation stations set up between fairways, so you can sip and snack along the golf course. A full dinner is served at the end of the day by Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.

• Chefs: Peter Abarcar, Jr. (Mauna Kea Beach Hotel), James Aung (Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar), Jayson Kanekoa (Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa), Justine Ma (Bougie Farmer), Keith Pajinag (Patina), Chad Yamamoto (The Walua Social Club)

• Friday, October 16 | All Day

• Mauna Kea Golf Course

• Sponsorships from $1500/person

Grilling station set up at last year's Hawaii Food & Wine Festival at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaiʻi Island. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

Smoked, Shucked & Cured

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel was the first luxury resort built on Hawaiʻi Island, opening in 1965. HFWF is held here each year outside on the lawn with sunset views of Kaunaʻoa Bay, along the West Side's Kohala Coast.

• Outdoor walk-around bites, cocktails and wine

• Chefs: Esther Choi (Mökbar), John Finger (Hog Island Oyster Co.), Katsuya Fukushima (Daikaya Group), Fanny Gersen (Fan-Fan Doughnuts), Patrick Heymann (Ouli Farms), Chris Kajioka (Miro Kaimuki), Stephen Kina (406 BBQ), Danny Lee (Anju), Nini Nguyen (Author: Đặc Biệt), Mark Pittman (Meat Church), Mark Pomaski (Moon and Turtle), Miguel Soto (Mauna Kea Beach Hotel) and Philip Tessier (PRESS Restaurant)

• Saturday, October 17 | 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection

• Tickets from $300/person

Maui

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2024 at Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

28th Annual Roy Yamaguchi Golf Classic

Like the Sun® Golf Classic, this event sells out quickly each year. Yamaguchi hosts his golf tournament, presented by First Hawaiian Bank, on Maui along the coast of Kāʻanapali. After 18 holes with bites and drinks on the way, the day culminates with dinner at Roy’s Kaʻanapali.

• Chefs: Alfonso Acevedo (Duke's Beach House Maui), James Domingo (Hula Grill Kaanapali), David Flegel (Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa), Zach Seto (Havens Harborside Fish & Chophouse) and Roy Yamaguchi (Roy's Restaurants)

• Friday, October 23 | All Day

• Kāʻanapali Golf Course

• Sponsorship from $1500/person

Chef Ki Chung from Bar Maze at Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2025 at Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

Caviar, Pearls & Aphrodisiacs

This evening grazing event is held each year on the ocean front lawn of Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaʻanapali. It's the biggest of all the HFWF events on Maui and ends with a drone show lighting up the night.

• Outdoor bites, cocktails and wine

• Chefs: Francis Ang (ABACÁ), Timon Balloo (The Katherine Restaurant), Leah Cohen (Pig and Khao), Mitchell Cooper (Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa), Josh Feathers (Blackberry Farm), Brady Ishiwata Williams (TOMO), Robynne Maiʻi (Fête & Mille Fête), Spike Mendelsohn (Santa Rosa Taqueria), Michael Mina (STRIPSTEAK), Melissa Miranda (Musang), Shota Nakajima (Shota Nakajima LLC), Jayse Sato (Umi Sushi) and Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto)

• Saturday, October 24 | 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

• Tickets from $300/per person

Chef Chris Cosentino at Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2024 on Maui. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

No EGGScuses, Let’s Brunch!

This afternoon event is hosted on the ocean front lawn of Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows between the pool and beach, giving it a casual and relaxed atmosphere.

• Outdoor walk-around brunch bites and cocktails

• Chefs: Nyesha Arrington (Native by Nyesha), Jayson Asuncion (Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows), Ravi Kapur (Liholiho Yacht Club), Susar Lee (LEE Restaurant) and Claudette Zepeda (Chispa Hospitality).

• Sunday, October 25, 2026 | 11:00 a.m.– 1:00 p.m.

• Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows

• Tickets $150/person

O‘ahu

Rick Bayless at Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2024 on Oʻahu.

FEAST Summit

FEAST is an acronym for Food, Education, Agriculture, Sustainability and Tourism. This professional development conference is a platform for global thought leadership and consists of several panel discussions with speakers from all over the country in culinary, hospitality, agriculture and visitor industries; cooking demonstrations; grand tasting and local food vendors.

• 50 speakers + Nonna Knows Best Presented by HMAA — walk-around bites and drinks

• Thursday, November 5 | 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

• Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort

• Speakers & Session Topics Announced in June

• Tickets $250/person

Poi pounding demonstration at Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2024 on Oʻahu. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

Culture in AgriCULTURE

Presented by Kamehameha Schools, this event will get guests on to the farm and into the mud to volunteer in a working kalo lo'i, or wetland taro field. This is Hawaiʻi's oldest and most important form of agriculture. One that sustained Native Hawaiians for centuries before Western contact.

• Kalo lo'i workday + lunch

• Chefs: Pyet DeSpain (Pyet's Plate), Kealoha Domingo (Nui Kealoha) and Sherry Pocknett (Sly Fox Den)

• Friday, November 6 | 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi

• Tickets $175/person

Oʻahu mixologists at Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival 2025 at ʻAlohilani Resort Waikiki Beach. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

24K Magic

An evening cocktail party with chef tasting, hosted on the 5th floor pool deck of the ‘Alohilani Resort overlooking Waikīkī Beach. One of the biggest HFWF events on Oʻahu.

• Outdoors bites and cocktails

• Chefs: Josiah Citrin (Mélisse, Citrin, Charcoal Venice), Lillian Cumic (Author - Hawaii: A Vegan Paradise), Tyler Florence (Miller & Lux), Michelle Karr-Ueoka (MW & Artizen by MW), Vijay Kumar (Semma), David LeFevre (Fishing with Dynomite), Buddha Lo (Huso), Raphael Lunetta (Lunetta), Gaby Maeda, Lenny Messina (Hudson Valley Farms), Steve and Dina Samson (Rossoblu) and Jordan Swiler (ʻAlohilani Resort Waikiki Beach)

• Friday, November 6 | 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach

• Tickets from $300/person

Domaine Tempier at Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2024 on Oʻahu. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

The Greatest Hits

Presented by Hawaiian Airlines, this is the second largest HFWF event on Oʻahu, highlighting exceptional wines from around the world. Usually held at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, the event moves to Kapiʻolani Community College this year. The Convention Center is undergoing a 2-year renovation project and will reopen in 2028.

• Outdoor walk-around bites and wine

• Chefs: Burt Bakman (Trudy's Underground Barbecue), Kim Canteenwalla (Honey Salt & Crown Block), Maneet Chauhan (Chauhan Ale & Masala House), Ki Chung (MĀZE), Celestino Drago (Drago Centro), Vikram Garg (UMI by Vikram Garg), Troy Guard (TAG Restaurant Group), Daisuke Hamamoto (Arancino Ristorante Italiano), Keaka Lee (Kapa Hale), Belinda Leong (b. Patisserie), Joey Macadangdang (Joey's Kitchen Kahului at Balai Pata), Brian Malarkey (Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge), Sheldon Simeon (Tiffany's Restaurant & Bar), Bao Tran (Giovedì), Ming Tsai (BaBa at the Yellowstone Club), Dell Valdez (Vein at Kakaako), Marcel Vigneron (Modern California Cuisine), Michael Voltaggio (Wye Oak, Voltaggio Brothers Steak House, Vulcania), Roy Yamaguchi (Royʻs Restaurants), Yuya Yamanaka (Paris Hawaii)

• Saturday, November 7 | 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

• Kapi‘olani Community College Great Lawn

• Tickets from $300

Pastries by Mille Fete at Hawaii Food & Wine Festival 2025 at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa. Photo by Sarah Burchard.

The Breakfast Club

This event is located in the Hyatt banquet room across the street from Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spaʻs main buildings. It's a bit tucked away, but worth searching for.

• Indoor walk-around brunch bites and cocktails

• Chefs: Harley Chow (The Local General Store), Chris Cosentino (Koast Maui), Ed Kenney (Mud Hen Water), Jeff Szombaty (Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa), Lee Anne Wong (Koko Head Cafe) and Sherry Yard (Bakery by the Yard)

• Sunday, November 8 | 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

• Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa

• Tickets from $150
  

Beyond the Seoul

The grand finale of the festival ends with a sit-down tasting menu experience with premium wine pairing at Oʻahu's luxurious Halekulani Hotel in Waikīkī. This high-price tag event draws serious donors and wine enthusiasts.

• Cocktail reception + five-course wine-paired dinner

• Chefs: Junsoo Bae (SSAL), Gwang-sik Jeon (Bicena), Alex Kim (Five Sails Restaurant), Eunji Lee (Lysée), Christian Testa (Halekulani) and Jungsik Yim (Jungsik)

• Sunday, November 8 | 5:00 – 9:00 p.m

• Halekulani

• Tickets from $1,500/person

This reporter attended this event courtesy of Hawaii Food & Wine Festival.