The sixth annual Kohala ‘Aina Festival, presented by the Hawai‘i Institute of Pacific Agriculture, will be from 3-9 p.m. Saturday on the makai lands of the historic Halawa ahupuaa in Kapaau, North Kohala, at Inhabit Farms.
The sixth annual Kohala ‘Aina Festival, presented by the Hawai‘i Institute of Pacific Agriculture, will be from 3-9 p.m. Saturday on the makai lands of the historic Halawa ahupuaa in Kapaau, North Kohala, at Inhabit Farms.
The festival honors the Hawaiian tradition of makahiki season and rich agricultural heritage of Kohala. With a celebration of local harvest, farmers and the growing movement for islandwide food sovereignty, this is an educational event designed to inspire more involvement in Hawaii’s blossoming local food system and the aloha aina movement.
Kohala ‘Aina Festival is a part of HIP Agriculture’s annual fundraising campaign for supporting residential farmer training and youth education programs in Hawaii. Kohala ‘Aina Festival seeks to rally the Hawaii community around the urgent need for addressing the global food crisis by inspiring communities to take action.
Kohala ‘Aina Festival also celebrates the connection to the land, agriculture traditions and indigenous ways of living in community, and working to inspire a vision for the restoration of the ahupuaa village system of land management.
There will be live music, food vendors, educational workshops and keynote presentations.
Music entertainment headliners are Nahko and Medicine for the People and Hawaii’s own Mike Love. Guest musical performers include Chris Berry, Tubby Love, Hawane Rios, Kaahele and others.
There also will be hula dancing from Halau Kukui Aloha o Kohala, African drumming and dance and circus performances from some of the Big Island’s most talented artists.
Gates open at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the gate. Children 12 and younger are free. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at kohalaainafestival2015.bpt.me or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006. Paper ticket locations are listed at www.hipagriculture.org.