The only “official” Merrie Monarch Festival craft fair opens today.
The Merrie Monarch Hawaiian Arts and Crafts Fair will be held from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. today through Friday and 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The massive craft fair — featured in the Celebrate Hula section in Sunday’s Tribune-Herald — will offer more than 150 vendors from across the state and is a must-see attraction for locals and visitors alike.
But several “unofficial” craft fairs also are being held in Hilo this week.
The Hawaii Arts, Crafts and Food Fair will be back at Nani Mau Gardens with a large line-up of artisans and food vendors.
“Since our mission is to promote diverse culture — with an emphasis on arts, crafts, food and people — we have a wonderful line up of crafters that will be selling so many beautiful things,” said committee member Marlene Vashishta. “The customers will not be disappointed with food options, either. There will be foods from around the world, with regional favorites.”
The Hawaii Arts, Crafts and Food Fair will feature many new artisans that started their small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fair gives many of these new businesses a chance to sell their wares with little overhead costs.
“The craft fairs are such an integral part of Merrie Monarch and gives so many artisans the opportunity to show what they have in such a beautiful atmosphere,” Vashishta said. “There is a reflection of the culture in the crafts.”
The Hawaii Arts, Crafts and Food Fair will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at Nani Mau Gardens.
The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel Craft Fair offers entertainment to go along with vendors and food.
The hotel will continue the tradition of featuring halau performances at 1 p.m., with live music to follow.
“Last year, it was more of a partial fair due to COVID-19, so we hope we have more people come out and reconnect with vendors,” organizer Linda Sako said. “Supporting local vendors is essential to local health of community, and ours is geared toward local buyers.”
Many of the arts and crafts featured at the hotel’s craft fair will include clothing, woodworking and jewelry. There also will be pupus.
“It’s a very casual, and there’s a lot of connecting going on,” Sako said. “There is so much sharing in the interactions at the craft fairs, and I’m excited to see it back in full force.”
The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel Craft Fair will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Saturday.
Manono Street Marketplace also weill be hosting its craft fair during this week to give support to the smaller businesses on the Big Island.
“We decided to host a fair for three days, because we had such an influx of people on waitlist,” said organizer Sophia Hara Chin. “We keep our costs as low as possible, so we can support many smaller vendors who are starting their businesses and crafts.”
The stores in Manono Marketplace also will be hosting discounts and sales to go along with the craft fair outside.
This year, all of the craft vendors featured will be Big Island artisans.
“We have some really awesome vendors. I think it’s the best time of year to go to the craft fairs,” said organizer Gina Hara Chung. “We’ll have some fresh lei stand that will be here Thursday, as well as a variety of things that would be great gifts that support local economy.”
The Manono Street Marketplace Craft Fair will be at the shopping center off Manono Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Sangha Hall will be hosting a new craft fair, Kako‘o Hawaii, which will feature 50 vendors selling a variety of products including clothing, art, food and crafts.
Jessica Wong started Kako‘o during the holidays in 2022 to give more small businesses more opportunities to sell their wares and advertise to the community.
“As a small-business owner myself, I wanted to create another opportunity for small businesses to reach the community and bring everyone together,” Wong said. “It’s difficult to get into Merrie Monarch’s official craft fair, and since Sangha Hall wasn’t hosting one this year, this was perfect.”
Kako‘o Hawaii will be free of charge and will feature a 360-degree photo booth, live music and plenty of food vendors. There also will be giveaways from vendors every two hours.”
“We had 120 vendors apply, and it was so hard to narrow it down. But I think we have a great variety for people looking for gifts,” Wong said. “I always say this is Hilo’s favorite time of year. It’s unexplainable to be part of these fairs among so many other small businesses at such a fun time. It’s a joyful experience.”
Kako‘o Hawaii will be at Sangha Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
