Preview Day: Maui’s Largest Products Show

Maui County’s largest products show, the annual Made in Maui County Festival, will open to the public on November 4 and 5, 2016 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. Over 140 vendors will offer a bevy of Made-In-Maui-County products. Additionally, on Saturday (Nov. 5), 11 of Maui’s popular food trucks will be featured in the event’s Food Court. Courtesy photo: County of Maui

The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Maui Chamber of Commerce host the 3rd Annual Made in Maui County Festival, scheduled to take place today (Friday, Nov. 4, 2016) and tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016) at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului.

Over 140 product vendors will offer a wide variety of foods, produce, art, crafts, jewelry, fashions, gifts, collectibles and more. Of this total, 38 businesses are new to the event, 16 businesses are from Molokaʻi, and one is from Lānaʻi.

This year’s product vendors had to meet certain criteria in order to participate, including having their business based on the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi or Lānaʻi. Products being offered for sale also had to be made in Maui County and meet a minimum 51% of their value added in Hawaiʻi.

The event was created to help grow small businesses on the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi by providing opportunities for participating vendors to meet with prospective wholesalers and connect with new customers.

Since the Festival’s inception in 2014, participating vendors reported a cumulative total of over $716,000 in product sales.

The festival will kick off on Friday, Nov. 4 with a special “Shoppers Preview” from 1:30 to 6 p.m. All attendees will receive a free Festival tote bag. Tickets ($35 per person) are available at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center Box Office, (808) 242-SHOW (7469) or MauiArts.org.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, the “Big Festival Day” will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public admission is $5 at the gate, children 12 and under are free. Saturday’s festivities will include product demonstrations, a fashion show, food trucks, and prize drawings. The first 2,000 attendees will also receive a free Festival tote bag.