Waikiki Spam Jam Festival

Living in Hawaii my whole life, this was my first time going to Waikiki Spam Jam. Of course we Kalakaua being blocked off, there was heavy traffic and it took us over an hour to get there when we left at 4:00pm. Spam Jam was pretty crowded. It was lively and most of the vendors have long lines. The line goes by pretty quickly since most prepared the foods beforehand. Adobo hapa sliders: The sliders were from Eating House 1849. The sliders were pretty good but it was hard to take a bite out it since it was thickly stacked. The sauce was tasty and with the melted cheese it helps add moisture to the burger. It was pretty messy to eat.Spam nachos: The spam nachos were from Lapina Cantina. We didn't enjoy the nachos. The queso cheese was flavorless and it was pretty lumpy. The bean sauce and the green sauce were also flavorless, barely any seasoning to them. We couldn't finish this. Spam Bao: The spam bao was from Moani. The spam bao was overly sauced and salty. From the picture you can see that the spam was drenched dark with their teriyaki sauce. Compared this to the photos in their IG, the bao we got was not ideal. It was inedible because it was just too salty. Hula pie with candies spam: The hula pie was from Dukes. The hula pie was very good. I love the ice cream and the gooey chocolate sauce. It helps wash away the saltiness from the spam bao. The macadamia nuts were fresh and crunchy. We weren't fan of the candied spam so we just picked them off. Pancit with lechon and spam: The pancit was from Dicks Lechon. The pancit has a good texture but a little under seasoned. The vinegar and the lechon sauce helps add more flavors. The lechon was excellent. The skin was crispy and the meat was juicy with a good amount of fat. Overall, it was a fun experience. Some of the foods were a hit and a miss. We did enjoy the different live entertainment. We were pretty full so we couldn't try the other vendors but there were many that look interesting and unique.

We really had a great time at the Waikiki Spam Jam 2024! The vendors really brought their A-game with Spam-infused treats and ono creations that could make even a hangry volcano smile.We were also so delighted to see Anuhea's performance, the Spam Musubi song was very timely and her new song Lotus has a great message. Go check it out!Mahalo nui loa to the organizers for putting on such a Spam-tacular event!

This was my first time attending the Spam Jam!! I was really excited because it usually happens when I'm on the mainland! But one of friends was out here and she said let's go, and I dragged another friend who lives here that said,"Hell no...not going!" But after a couple of cocktails, and before you could say Spam musubi, we were in the car singing 80s tunes and heading over.The traffic was insane! Not sure where everyone parked! Luckily I had a spot at my hotel. We walked down the whole thing! Lines for days for food! When we finally made our way back after watching a couple shows, the lines were shorter. We had spam nachos and spam mac n cheese, oh and a ice cream pie with crispy spam. I can't remember which booth...LOL!The highlight was catching Anuhea perform! What an amazing voice and sweet soul! A friend of mine couldn't come out this week, so getting Anuhea to sign a hat for her, made her day! I especially loved the Spam musubi song! It was a great way to end our day!Definitely worth coming to at least once. My only regret was not getting a Spam bag.Mahalo Spam Jam!

Hey there, fellow Spam lovers! I'm excited to share my experience at the Spam Jam, an annual festival celebrating our beloved Spam. This is my second time attending this event, and let me tell you it's a true delight.First off, let's talk about the food. I had the chance to try some unique dishes, including Spam tacos, Spam monte cristo sandwiches, Spam corndogs, and even Spam cream cheese bread. The creativity in incorporating Spam into these dishes is really impressive.The event itself is a lot of fun, and I highly recommend checking it out when it's back. However, be mindful of the road closures, as it can take a while to get in and out of Waikiki.

April 27, 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the Waikiki Spam Jam. The last time I attended one event in Waikiki was back in 2016. Before reaching the Waikiki block party I had met up with my brother and his family at Ala Moana Center. I started my travels leaving the Waianae coast by The Bus. I got off the bus in Kapolei so I can take a ride on the Skyline train to Halawa. Then I went back on The Bus to Ala Moana Center.My sister-in-law was driving the vehicle as we left Ala Moana Center and slowly make our way to Waikiki. A lot of vehicles on the road. Reached Waikiki and it was time to find a parking spot. Went into the International Marketplace and all I see was stalls filled with vehicles. There's hope...someone is leaving and we finally got a spot to park the vehicle.As a family we walked towards the elevators and went to the ground floor. We walked towards Kalākaua Avenue for the block party.Once I heard the live Hawaiian music...I went straight to the stage and kneeled down on the ground to start filming a video. I received a text from my sister-in-law asking me if I wanted anything from Yakiniku Sizzle.I later joined my family members near one of the food booths. My sister-in-law handed me a bowl of garlic spam fried rice. My oldest niece received a bowl as well. My other two nieces ate spam musubi from the ABC store.As my niece and I were eating our garlic spam fried rice we spotted a lot of people walking around with a pineapple in their hand. My niece says "I wonder where they got that pineapple from." I looked up the list of participating restaurants on my phone to find out which restaurant had the pineapple and it was Blue Water Shrimp and Seafood. I told my niece they have fried noodles with spam served in pineapple...she's like "we should have gotten that."As a family we then proceeded to walk around some more until I spotted the Restaurant 604 booth. I asked one of the workers if I could video them and he said it was ok. I started filming the local sister who was cooking the spam fries then moved on over to uncle who was watching over the spam risotto that was being deep fried. Going back to the sister who puts in a new batch of spam fries in the wok with hot oil. I so wanted to get some of these but the line was too darn long.As I was at the Restaurant 604 booth I received a text from my sister-in-law saying that the girls and I are at the pineapple booth. I walked towards their location. The Blue Water Shrimp and Seafood booth not only had the fried noodles in pineapple but also the pineapple smoothie. My sister-in-law got four pineapple smoothie drinks. It was a little after 6:20pm when I mentioned to my brother and family members that Anuhea will perform at 6:30pm. He says okay let's go. We started walking as a family towards the stage where the performance will take place. Somehow I managed to walk too fast and I spotted the bushman scaring the person in front of me. I then took his picture and sent a message to my sister-in-law to watch out he may scare someone. As the rest of the family members got near the stage where Anuhea will perform my sister-in-law told one of the girls to look at the pretty bush. The bushman scared one of my nieces...the middle girl.The family enjoyed watching Anuhea perform. One of the best way to watch a performance for free. Watching the other Spam Jam attendees enjoying the music and dancing to her music.After Anuhea's performance then as a family we continued to walk around the block party. I spotted a booth that had plenty ukulele up for display and for sale. I started to remember of the many times my grandma would play the ukulele for family and friends from when she was alive and before her stroke.Going back to the Spam Jam...we continued to walk until we hit the Red Bull booth. We hit the end of the block party. It was the first time for my brother and his family to enjoy the Waikiki Spam Jam. Walking along the block party and seeing a lot of people willing to stand in the long lines to support their favorite restaurants, or even getting in lines at the food booths with the shortest lines. Enjoying the live local music for free.It was an enjoyable night to spend it with family and yet it felt like I went solo since I was the one who got lost in the crowd majority of the times.

Fun fun event. Very unique to Hawaii I believe. Loved trying the different spam variations from different restaurants.

Just 4 pm and there is a mega line at Dick's Lechón! Get your merchandise (bags and shirts etc) at Outrigger Waikiki. Ate vanilla ice cream with spam at Small Bite 808. No haupia though.In line at Dick's for Banana lumpia and pancit. Yum! Lechón was excellent.

Waikiki was so crowded last night and there was so many people. Looking for parking was a nightmare. The lots at International Marketplace and Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center were all full. At least at the International Marketplace they had a sign informing people that the lot was full. At the Royal Hawaiian they kept letting cars in even though the lot was full. People went all the way up to the 7th floor and had to come back down. It took almost a whole hour being stuck in that lot. We would appreciate you letting us know when the lot is full, Royal Hawaiian. Everyone stuck in that mess was pissed off. As for the event itself, there was live music being played. There was a variety of different Spam dishes being offered by multiple restaurants. The lines were long and I didn't really see anything that I had to try. I did end up at the merchandise tent and picked up a medium shopping tote. It was a collab between Spam Jam and Eden in Love. I got there just in time. I heard the cashier say that it was the last of the mediums.

Spam Jam was so much fun. There was a ton of food, drink, and merch options. The music was great as also, it felt like once you got far from one stage you were about to walk up to another. Over all it was a fun lil festival to attend.

Fantastic Street fair. Super cool vibes and plenty of spam options.