Maui College Hosts First Street Market

The Maui Food Technology Center (MFTC) holds their usual Maui Sunday Market in the Kahului Shopping Center parking lot every week.

“At our weekly Maui Sunday Market in the Kahului Shopping Center parking lot, we combine local food trucks, product vendors, talented entertainers, and tons of aloha to create unforgettable events,” MFTC president Luana Mahi said. “The result is a loyal following of residents and visitors whom we fondly call our Maui Sunday Market `ohana.”

But last Thursday, MFTC hosted their first Maui Street Market at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College.  “We thought the Maui Street Market was great and we were delighted to sponsor this event held on our campus,” UH Maui College Chancellor Lui Hokoana said. “It provided an activity for our students at night and it also encouraged our community to come out and visit our campus.”

According to event organizers, the event gave faculty and staff the opportunity to showcase everything the college has to offer.

“There are so many benefits for students, including the small class sizes, affordable tuition, and the best professors,” college counselor Kulamanu Ishihawa said.

Event organizers called the event a success and are considering hosting more events at the college in the future.

“There’s a lot of love that goes into our events, but they all start with one important ingredient – and that’s community,” said Kaui Kahaiali‘i, event coordinator for both the Maui Sunday Market and Maui Street Market.  “Whether it’s showcasing the vendors who participate, sharing information on what’s happening in our community, or just welcoming people into our ‘home’ and reminding them that we’re all one big ‘ohana – we feel very privileged to be able to do what we do.”

This month, the Maui Sunday Market will feature various holiday festivities. On Dec. 9, 16, and 23, the market will offer a Santa’s Workshop with keiki arts and crafts and a food drive to benefit the Maui Food Bank. MFTC is encouraging the public to donate canned goods, packaged food products, or make a monetary donation to the Maui Food Bank to help feed the hungry in Maui County.

On Dec. 23, MFTC is welcoming the public to meet a special “someone” from the North Pole at 6 pm. “But we can’t mention who,” Kahaiali‘i said.

The weekly Maui Sunday Market is held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Sunday in the Kahului Shopping Center parking lot adjacent to Kaʻahumanu Avenue, between Burger King and Maui Style Market. Admission and parking for the event is free.

Anyone interested in becoming a vendor or sponsor can find more information online, by [email protected], or by calling 888-948-638.