Okinawan Festival

Celebrating the culture...No one does it like the Okinawan Festival as this year they've done it again and what an amazing event. Keeping at the Hawaii Convention Center is a real struggle to get to though the cool air conditioned venue with lots of seating provided to watch the entertainment and to enjoy your foodie feast does make it a fun and festive place to celebrate it all.In the past it has been outdoors at Kapiolani Park which in my opinion was much more difficult to enjoy it all so this is a refreshing chance of scenery and this year it's all in one level so you don't need to find the various rooms upstairs to shop for the merchandise and view the historic background of it all. The countless volunteers and groups made it a fun for all ages as we actually wanted to play some of the children's games shows how fun it truly was.I did get to peek in the Awamori Garden which was lovely oasis to get an adult sip along with some exclusive snacks found only in that area though with countless areas to browse including the craft section it was a great experience and can't wait for 2025.Thank you!

Celebrating Okinawan culture in Honolulu, Hawaii...This year, the 42nd Annual Okinawan Festival was held at the Hawaii Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, August 31, and September 1, 2024.Admission fee was $10 for adults; $5 for seniors (age 65+); and free for children age 12 and belowWe parked for free at Ala Moana Center and walked over.I really didn't want to go. I used to work at the Festival when I was a member of the Hawaii United Okinawan Association (HUOA) because I played in their volleyball league. Our volleyball league ran the Children's Game Booths at Kapiolani Park. We had to get there early to set up and stay late to clean up. It was labor intensive! I have stress just remembering those times...My former co-worker really wanted to go to the Festival. She had purchased A LOT of script from her neighbor who was part of the Live Entertainment. My friend texted me several times and called me to discuss where to meet. She bribed me to go by telling me she was going to give me some script and pay for my Admission Fee... LOL!So... I went...It wasn't as bad as I remembered!The air conditioning, convenient restrooms, and excellent organization made it pleasant!Maybe the challenge was the line for script. There seemed to be only one place to buy script, and it was far away from the food booths. My friend had so much script that she sold some to strangers on our table - she overheard their conversation!As a visitor to the Festival (not as a worker), I was able to wander through the Craft Area, walk past the plants for sale and the Children's Games, stand in line for food, browse through the Country Store, and enjoy the Live Entertainment! It was nice that there were tables and chairs for customers to sit and dine-in!We didn't sign up for the special art demonstration where you can make traditional art... maybe we can do that next year!

Attended the 2023 Okinowan festival at the Convention Center.First impressions are that there are a lot of people here. Venue seems pretty organized at first . The food lines were separated, so that if you wanted multiple items, you had to stand and cue in a separate line for each item. That was probably my biggest gripe. Food was OK, nothing special, and not something that I would classify as special given the quality of food on the island. Entertainment was on point. Got to see Jake Shimabakuro and several other musical acts. In addition there was the Bon Dance which was a treat to watch. Glad I attended, but the lines to the food were unbearable.

My wife and I attend this event every year that it was available and the best part of it being at the Convention Centers is that the whole venue is air conditioned. We parked at Ala Moana and walked the short distance to the HCC. It was Sunday and I believe that most people came on the Saturday because the crowd wasn't bad. As we entered, we went straight for the shopping and exhibits first. There are script booths only on the food side of the venue so if you want to shop at the store you need to buy script to purchase goods. My wife purchased a few items from the craft booths and had to walk to the cashier to pay for the goods and then go back to each booth to receive the items. This festival makes it hard on the customers to make purchases. We are not big eaters and had no idea of how much script tom purchase so instead of checking out the food, the crowded lines and the prices we just visited the exhibits and then we left. The plant sale had some really nice stuff and the prices were decent. In all, I am glad we went on Sunday and avoided the Saturday rush, bu this event is not high on our priority list to attend.

Went during a Saturday. Parking was very limited... Located in the convention center from 8/31-9/01/19. It is pretty crowded and hot. There are shuttles that cost $3 that are go to and from the civic center and McKinley high school.In order to purchase a lot of the things, scripts need to be purchase before. There is a lot of history and very knowledgeable people that are friendly and willing to educate. There is also a website of the information of all the performances and what the Okinawa Festival is all about.

Being half Okinawan, I was of course jovial about attending this free, 2-day event with some of my immediate family members for the first time. While I can't say whether or not being outdoors or in was better, I will always prefer to be outside.TIMELINE:The festival started in 1982 and has grown ever since, relocating four times to accommodate the increasing numbers along with other factors. 1982 Ala Moana Beach Park1985 Thomas Square Park1990 Kapiolani Park2018 Hawaii Convention CenterTHE EVENT:It's jam-packed with films, performances, dancing, crafts, food, fashion, grocery, plants and exhibits. There used to be an andagi cooking competition between Okinawan clubs which allowed patrons to eat fresh, hot andagi. But because the venue was indoors, they were cooked offsite and brought in. Bummer.The majority of the event took place on the first level of the convention center in the gargantuan Kamehameha Exhibit Hall which spans just over 204,000 sf. An obon dance floor took centerstage with surrounding chairs, entertainment stage with more seats, food booths, beer stand, and several exhibit vendors were in this one room. I enjoyed my all-time favorite pig's feet soup, served piping hot with mustard cabbage, togan, daikon and konbu. So delish!The third level of the convention center features a theater where a film about tofu was shown. Smaller meeting rooms housed vendors selling groceries, crafts and clothing. I picked up a very cool t-shirt and some Okinawan instant soba. The rooms were packed with people but flowed smoothly.SCRIPS:The majority of payments were done by scrip only, though a few places would also accept cash and cards. One scrip is equal to 50-cents, sold at booths throughout the event.PARKING:On top of $10 convention center parking, a pay-for shuttle ran between the center and McKinley High School. Luckily we were staying at the Ala Moana Hotel so we walked over.PROHIBITED ITEMS:Animals (sans for service ones), hard shell coolers, lawn chairs.OVERALL:We went on Saturday morning for a few hours, just enough time to eat, purchase items and browse the vendors. Other hardcore family members stayed longer and went on Sunday too. Food like the pig's feet soup, andagi and andadog constantly ran out and lines were long. I luckily got my soup without issue but didn't get to try any andagi or andadog as they were sold out during my time there. Most of my family concluded that being indoors was best as it was cool and clean. Also, pushing someone in a wheelchair was easier on concrete and carpet than off-roading on grass and dirt in Kapiolani Park.I don't need to go again but glad I got to experience it.

Parking $10 in the Convention Center. Better to go far left from the ticket machine bc the front row stalls fill up fast and better chance of getting a stall close to the walkway. Mind the reserved parking signs. (Gov Ige, Mrs. Ige, both have stalls) Pay for your parking right when you walk out of the garage, to the right. The booth closes, but I don't know if you can get out with an unpaid parking ticket. Scrip booths are located on the third floor, in the lobby on the ground floor AND inside the first floor exhibition. No need to stand in the ridiculously long line, just because it's there! We are such lemmings!! See a line, stand in it.Everything for sale is scrips only, except for the craft fair room. Cash, Credit Card and Scrips accepted as forms of payment. Restrooms are all over the place. Inside the exhibition on the ground floor, the main stage, food booths, plants, kids games, geological society, and general store, and lots of places to sit and eat. Up on the third floor is a craft fair room, Japan food products for sale, historical exhibits, and restrooms! Scrips are $.50One sheet is $10Anda dog $2.50Bottle Water $2.009 scrips

The Okinawan Festival organizers aren't afraid of no ghosts. Wind and rain however, are another story. Let's just say that there's been a change in venue to the Hawaii Convention Center for 2018. The bon dance and hot food are located in the main exhibition hall, with the third floor hosting a number of demonstrations, dry good market, exhibitors, crafts, and so on and so forth. There's a movie theater showing various Okinawan movies at a nominal fee. It's still scripted based, but some craft fair does take cash and credit. The main floor also hosts a kiddie center with rides and games as well as large stage for performances. There's also a plant sale for those lucky enough to have a green thumb.Food is extensive with andagi, andagi dogs, champuru (Japanese stir fry), deluxe bento, chicken plate, yakitori chicken, chili and rice, Okinawan soba, Okinawan sweet potato, pigs feet soup, Yaiksoba, maki sushi, and various beverages. Food lines, particularly the andagi line can be epic and food does start to run out around 5 PM. I went on Saturday with a friend at 3:45 and Yakisoba and pigs feet were out. Yakitori Chicken soon followed. So go early, or risk fewer choices. I had the Okinawan soba with came in a hot soup with braised meat and pickled raddish. Noodles were perfectly cooked, the meat was tasty and tender, and the broth was flavorful. I also got the Maki Sushi, but instead of cutting it into 8 pieces, someone got lazy and left it at four. The dance itself is not based around a Yagura, but around a large flag. There are plenty of chairs provided, but if you can't snag one of those, the floor is concrete so at least your butt doesn't get muddy or dirty watching the dance. One issue with being on concrete is that it is harder on one's feet. Another issue of indoors is that the sound reverberates. Parking is $10 at the Convention Center or $3 if you park at Mckinley High School with a round trip by shuttle, but a huge number of people can be seen parking at Ala Moana and just walking over. Note, I'm not telling you to abuse that, but merely providing an objective observation of Festival attendee behavior. Wink, smile, wink, smile.

covid definitely created some waves for the okifest, BUT the organizers really came through and did an okinawan FEASTival!good part was that, by doing it this way it opened up the event to a lot of different restaurants. instead of being limited to whats available at the event, they were doing week long food at a ton of different spots, so you could have your pick and your fill for the whole week!i didnt go to all the places, but i did get the anda(spam) dog from hanks haute dog on tuesday, thick cuts of spam in a thin layer of andagi. held up well, but the andagi layer was too thin for my liking.saturday we picked up our preorder from pagoda. they did a collab with kc waffle dog, so we got a waffle dog and the rafute dog. the pork did not fit well in the hotdog mold, so it was more like eating a sandwich as the thing completely fell apart.sunday was the last day. i picked up my preorder of okidog WITH fries from gochi grill, and my mini andadog and mini andagis from aloha pokestop.way less crowded than the actual event, which was another plus. but you definitely miss out on all the other activities and goodies that you can pick up from the regular festival.

Great festival. Especially for families with young kids! I've been attending for many years already.