Maui Matsuri children’s festival set for Saturday, Japanese Festival on May 25
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KAHULUI, Hawaii-- The 22nd annual Maui Matsuri will be hosting its Children's Festival eventthis Saturday, May 18, at Queen Ka'ahumanu Center followed by the Japanese Festival on May 25 at UH Maui College.
Children's Festival
The Children's Festival event presented by Hawaii State Federal Credit Union is from 10 a.m. to
1 p.m. and will include free multi-cultural entertainment, kid's crafts, hands-on activities, scholarship and STEM competition recognition. Pacific Ocean's Giant Traveling Map, STEMworks activities and robotics playground encourages families to learn together.
Art contest winners will be announced and their entries will be exhibited in the Ben Franklin storefront. All other entries will be displayed in the first floor storefront adjacent to Macy's Mens starting today and through May 27.
The Children's Festival ends with a dance practice to prepare for the Japanese Festival Obon Dance the following week. The first 100 children who dress in traditional cultural attire and participate in the parade will receive a special gift and a chance to win grand prizes!
Japanese Festival
The Japanese Festival event is from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will include free entertainment, kids crafts, food booths and trucks, crafters, exhibits, hands-on activities, passport activity, and much more! This year, a luminary service will be led by the Maui Interfaith Alliance to remember our loved ones who were lost in the Lahaina wildfires. Join the lighting of 101 candles and honor their memory by dancing in the festival ending Obon dance. Admission to the Japanese festival is free and parking is $5 per vehicle.
"We were shocked by the amount of people who came to last year's Japanese Festival in our return to UH Maui College post-Covid," said Kay Fukumoto, co-chair of Maui Matsuri. "The passion and interest in Japanese culture is very much alive on Maui and we are excited to welcome families and visitors at both our events over the next couple weekends."
The Maui Matsuri events continue to showcase a vibrant and diverse Maui community, while providing a venue to gather and celebrate a wide array of Japanese cultural arts and traditions.
Maui Matsuri is produced by a team of volunteers led by co-chairs Kay Fukumoto, Brian Nagami and Jennifer Sumida. The festival is presented by the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui, and supported in part by the County of Maui and the Office of Economic Development. Other major sponsors are Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Island Honda, IBEW Local 1186, UH Maui College, Queen Ka'ahumanu Center and Maui Taiko.
For more information, visit the festival website at mauimatsuri.com, follow @mauimatsuri on social media or call (808) 283-9999.