After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Kona Brewers Festival returned Saturday albeit on a smaller-than-normal scale with just a quarter of the attendees, breweries and restaurants.
This year’s festival was “All Hawaii” with 12 breweries from around the state and 10 Big Island restaurants participating in the 27th annual event at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona.
The festival is normally a fundraiser for various nonprofits in the community, however, that was the case this year due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said.
“Kona BrewFest 2022 will not be a fundraiser as we need to conserve our resources so we can come back strong and stable in 2023 and contribute to our community for many more decades,” a statement from festival organizers states, noting the financial hardship caused by the two-plus-year pandemic.
Over the years, nonprofit beneficiaries have received $1.4 million from proceeds generated at the festival, with an additional $140,000 donated since the start of the pandemic.
“The festival was started as a fundraiser to promote recycling on the island. It was the vehicle to start recycling way back when and has continued the tradition of throwing a great community event to fund needed work to support the preservation of Hawaiian culture, sustainability work and youth programming,” said Summer Carrick, festival spokesperson. “We continue the legacy as a zero waste event, and have a team of volunteers looking at every bit of waste to divert it from the landfill.”
One of the very first beneficiaries of the festival was Recycle Hawaii. This program brought recycling to the island for the very first time. Since then, the Kona Brewers Festival has funded dozens of island programs dedicated to the environment, youth and culture.
With ticket prices increased to $200, limited ticket sales and vaccine requirements for attendees, organizers wanted to extend the festival to ensure others could take part, as well.
“We were deeply concerned about the increased ticket cost and the vaccine requirement, so we worked with our local business ohana through some decentralized mini pop up Kona Brew Fests at BREW , called the Paina on Pawai,” said Carrick. “These parties celebrate food, beer, music and the community connection we are all looking for right now, without barriers.”
Paina on Pawai was hosted at various locations, including Umekes, Willies Hot Chicken and Kona Brew Pub.
The popular “Trash Fashion Show,” one of the festival’s highlights was also canceled this year.
“The trash fashionistas meet several times a week year round to put together those pieces and that coordinated performance indoors and at art studios and at Donkey Mill Art Center,” said Carrick. “It is a highly collaborative in-person process that wouldn’t work this year with the COVID-19 outbreaks our island community was experiencing. We couldn’t figure out a way to do it safely.”
Breaking that tradition Hawaii designers, Dezigns by Kamohoalii and Wahine Toa Designs provided a fashion show including their original designs.