Arizona Aloha Festivals

From a foodie perspective, this is one of my favorite cultural festivals in AZ! The aloha festival puts on such a fun festival with SO MANY yummy food vendors We went on a Saturday and the lines were very long but the food was actually delicious and worth the price! Some of the things we ordered were malasadas, short ribs and garlic shrimp, macadamia nut waffle with coconut chicken, and pulled pork Mac and cheese! There were a ton more food options but some of the lines were just too long to wait in. I would suggest getting their earlier to have more time to visit the booths! There was also plenty of dancers and Polynesian entertainment on the main stage. Overall, I'm sad this is only once a year but glad I got to go this year!

"You don't have to live in Hawaii - or even be Hawaiian - to embrace the Aloha Spirit." - Mark EllmanThis is a nice way to spend an hour or two. The vibe is welcoming and friendly. A great chance to learn about different cultures, try unique foods and drinks, and get out in Tempe's gorgeous mid-March weather.The Aloha Festival has been free admission for over 25 years. The non-profit organization behind this works closely with sponsors to keep it that way. For the 2022 edition of the festival (the first in two years as we enter the post-pandemic phase), Hawaiian Airlines and Hawaiian Experience Spa were the main sponsors. Wanna keep things free? Buy something, including simple bottles of water.There are different stages with live performances. Honestly, I expected a much smaller event but this was huge. The number of people and organizations in the region bringing this lifestyle to Arizona was welcome. The dances were especially good. When you arrive, you can get a program that lists the schedule of performances. There is a $5 raffle that includes a trip for $20 to Maui. Festival T-shirts are also available for $20.Besides the vendors selling everything under the sun, a number of food stalls are there. A wonderful chance to sample many different restaurants at once. ATM's are available throughout the site as are restrooms. There is some seating but they are snapped up pretty fast.Yelp reviews from previous years mention long lines at the food and beverage stalls. My best advice? Arrive early. I arrived at 9:30 which was perfect. Even by 11am, things had gotten much busier. There is something for everyone here. From shopping to eating to watching performances, it is a wonderful way to pass a few hours. Having discovered so many new vendors, I look forward to checking out their businesses in the coming weeks.

Even though the Aloha festival isn't a festival that I get super excited to attend in Phoenix but I had a good time this year! It happened to be celebrating its 25th anniversary-the handout said.I was reminded by the Arizona Aloha Festival Inc website (a non-profit/support charities group) that there is no admittance fee but if you purchased a raffle ticket or water, it would help with their costs of operation. Rental of the park, fire, security, rental of tents, tables and clean up are all costs that add up that many of us overlook. There was three entertainment stages, ukulele corner, take home kids activities, paper lei making, 88 merchants and 31 food court vendors. I did spot some familiar food and product vendors that were at the Matsuri festival last month in Heritage square. :)It was a nice few hours spent, learning about South Pacific Islander culture, shopping, eating and stretching those legs!

So glad I got to experience this event while I'm here away from home. Entertainment was entertaining and so beautiful from the outfit, jewelry, dance from the young and older dancers. A wonderful learning about customs in Hawaii. Everything was outstanding! The food options was on point and well spread out so it won't get too congested. Coming early was a great idea since there was not a huge line for food and drinks. Don't forget to drink plenty of water and wear sunscreen! There are plenty of atm machines located around the festival. Everything was great untill I left to the garage to leave and realized I just almost got scammed by the garage attendant at the Hayden Ferry Parking. If anyone parking at the Hayden Ferry Parking, please do not pay cash if the guy at the garage tells you his cc machine is not working to swipe. He was swiping people card ahead of me and when it's my turn, he claims the cc machine is down and asked if I have $10 cash. I reply I only had card so he gave me the ticket from the machine and told me to pay when I leave. Well when I left the garage after the festival, I was charged $15 instead of $10! That garage attended was going to pocket my $10 cash if I was to pay in cash!

I love going to the Aloha Festival. I have only lived in AZ for 4 years, and this 2-day festival has grown exponentially since my first visit in 2013. Opening time was 10am, and by 11am on Saturday the crowds were already massive. It was shoulder-to-shoulder walking in some areas, and the lines for food were insane! I returned at 10am on Sunday and it was easy breezy for walking around and for the getting food. I particularly enjoyed the vegan Soba noodles and veggies from Island Noodles. Another vendor sold pineapple coconut smoothies, and they were very refreshing. Some vendors were selling water, but please buy water (they sold sodas as well) from the festival organizer's booths; it's only $1 and the proceeds go straight toward assisting with the expenses for this FREE festival.There were lots of different vendors. Lots of people selling assorted flowers and leis, jewelry, clothing, bags, oils and lotions, etc. Prices were reasonable at most vendors. I really love how some of the Hawaiian female vendors referred to me as "sister." They would say, "Hello, sister," or "Thank you, sister." It felt very welcoming.A free festival held during beautiful weather, experiencing beautiful cultures and beautiful people. (If you're a fan of man-buns (as am I) they are in abundance at this festival!) I am looking forward to next year.

This is my 1st year attending this event. I LOVE IT! TON of stages, activities, entertainment, food, drinks, products, and love the people. So glad we were there early (10am), it was getting super crowded around 12:45pm when we were leaving. I miss Hawaii!!!

I've been coming to the Aloha Festival with my wife for the past six years and we've loved every one! Each stage has its share of Pacific Island dances and cultural experiences. Representing countries/cultures include Hawai'i, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Philippines, Guam, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Cook Islands. There are vendors selling all different kinds of island goodies (candles in a coconut, clothing, jewelry, and home decor). But the main event of this festival is the food. I mean cmon, who doesn't love some island eats!? I always go for the kalua pork plate lunch with a side of poi. Nothing beats watching amazing cultural dance performances while munching on some delicious food.Be warned: the weekend they usually hold this festival (mid-March) is usually the weekend on which the temps begin to soar, so stay hydrated and leave the pets at home! If you don't remember to bring water, bottles are sold at the festival for $1.Also: parking can be a hassle and costly. We always park at ASU and walk along Mill to the park.

What a great way to spend the day! We were looking for something to do Saturday and read about the Aloha Festival on the Yelp website.Got there Saturday around 11am. Lots of people already, but not super crowded. A large stage featured music and dancers. There were booths with jewelry and other merchandise. Hawaiian food available. Lots of open areas for walking around. A great view of Tempe town lake.We shared one of the plate specials available. It came with chicken, pork, rice, macaroni salad and coleslaw for $10. We sat on the grass and ate while we watched the performers on the main stage. After that, we walked around checking out the booths. Next up, time to sample more food. This time we had the Spam Musubi. It looked like a sushi roll, but was a slice of spam surrounded by rice and wrapped in a sheet of seaweed. It was delicious! Okay, so by now the crowd is bigger and it's getting pretty warm. Almost time to go. We walked around some more then headed for the booth with shaved ice. These were huge with many flavors to choose from! What a great way to cool off and end our day!Definitely going back next year!

Some Aloha on a cold, wet March afternoonVery much enjoyed the festival. Lots of vendors to sate the yearn for island food-- manapua, lau lau, katsu, lomi lomi salmon, POG, haupia, kalua pork, huli huli chicken, and all the staples were available. Also had some interesting new items like mac + white chocolate cookie ice cream sandwiches with coconut ice cream and a teriyaki/katsu chicken stick. (Spell check is going to make me go through all of that, isn't it?)Dancers are a mix of very good to average, but still very fun. Our daughter was enthralled. And the spirit was there to make it a warm event despite the weather. Make you miss home if you're from Hawai'i.Location is also family friendly. Downtown Tempe is a great location for walking, eating, and spending time with each other.We will be back!

Don't get me wrong - the food and drink, entertainment, the vibe - it's great! the problem? The attendee to booth/space ratio is way out of whack! We attended a couple of years ago - and had a fantastic time. I think folks have found out about this great gem of a festival, and the hoards of people attending took the charm out this year. The lines at each one of the food/drink booths were legendary. One friend said it took her 45 minutes just to order. One booth had bags of dried tropical fruit - we were planning to buy three - but when we saw the cashier line snake around the inside of the booth out to the walkway outside... we just set our bags down and walked away. I don't know what other than a bigger venue and more vendors they can do. I love it, but not sure I'll go back.