Local News

Made in Maui County Festival draws more than 7,500 attendees

More than 7,500 people attended the 13th annual Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival on Nov. 6-7 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, bringing together local businesses, wholesale buyers and shoppers for the two-day event.

Presented by the Maui Chamber of Commerce with support from the Maui County Office of Economic Development, the festival featured more than 140 vendors and food trucks from Maui, Molokai and Lanai, offering locally made foods, art, jewelry, clothing, home goods and other products.

According to the Maui Chamber of Commerce, attendance was comparable to last year.

The festival opened Nov. 6 with a Buyers Preview and Exclusive Shopping Day, giving wholesale buyers, retailers and distributors opportunities to meet local entrepreneurs, explore products and establish potential business relationships.

The day also featured an opening ceremony and the annual booth-decorating contest.

Despite early morning rain slowing the start of Saturday’s festivities, crowds grew as the weather improved, with shoppers visiting vendor booths and sampling food from 12 food trucks.

The festival featured live entertainment by Braddah Joe, Jordan Soon and Arlie Asiu, along with Meet the Makers presentations highlighting local entrepreneurs and their businesses.

A fashion showcase featured Maui County designers Catalina, JM Associations and Nā Lima Collective.

"We couldn’t be more pleased with the success of this year’s Festival and the tremendous spirit of aloha shared throughout the weekend," said Pamela Tumpap, president of the Maui Chamber of Commerce. "Even with Saturday’s rainy start, our community came out to celebrate and support our Maui County makers."

Tumpap said the festival provides economic opportunities that extend beyond the two-day event, particularly through connections between local businesses and wholesale buyers.

"Friday creates important opportunities to build wholesale relationships that can open new markets and generate sales throughout the year. Saturday brings our community together to support these entrepreneurs directly," she said.

Now in its 13th year, the festival is intended to help Maui County entrepreneurs reach new customers, establish business relationships and expand their markets beyond the islands.

For more information about the festival and participating businesses, visit MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com.