ʻAha Niu Festival on Maui celebrates community, culture, and coconut stewardship

The community is invited to ʻAha Niu: Maui Nui Coconut Celebration Festival on June 13, 2026 at the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. The free event celebrates niu (coconut) as a vital cultural resource and quintessential Oceanic staple crop. The day features hands-on workshops, demonstrations, and the giveaway of over 150 coconut sprouts for families to take home and plant. 

Across the Pacific, niu is considered the “tree of life,” providing food, shelter, and materials for everyday life. It is deeply connected to cultural and spiritual practice, playing a vital role in the intergenerational transfer of ‘ike. With high rates of food insecurity and the recent detection of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) on Maui and Moloka‘i, the goal of this coconut celebration festival is to spark a renewed interest in safeguarding and cultivating niu across Maui Nui. 

“The heart of this festival is to really help the Maui community fall in love with niu and leave the event with a rekindled passion to plant, protect, and utilize niu in their everyday lives,” said Tuki Drake, mahi‘ai and Indigenous Food Systems Research Specialist for ASU’s Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. 

Cultural practitioners, producers, educators, chefs, and experts from across the pae ‘āina will lead family-friendly workshops (weaving, cordage, planting, food processing) and demonstrations (cooking, harvesting, climbing). Presentations and talk story sessions will share moʻolelo and guidance on mitigating CRB. Food and craft vendors will feature niu, and educational booths will offer additional learning opportunities and keiki activities. 

Event Details:
What: ‘Aha Niu: Maui Nui Coconut Celebration Festival
When: Saturday, June 13, 2026, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Where: Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, 150 Kanaloa Avenue, Kahului (free parking at the War Memorial Stadium)
Admission: Free with registration
Website/registration: https://bit.ly/ahaniu2026
Volunteer sign-up link: https://swettehawaii.ivolunteer.com/ahaniu2026

This festival is made possible through the support and collaboration of Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, Arizona State University Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Kamehameha Schools Kaiāulu, Maui County Department of Agriculture, HEMO, Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United Mauna Kahālāwai Chapter, Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative, Hawaiʻi Land Trust, University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Pili Nā Moku, University of Hawaiʻi Indigenous Cropping Lab, Maui Coconut Care, University of Hawaiʻi Ke Ō Mau Center for Sustainable Island Food Systems, Grow Some Good, Island Nation, Remathau Community of Hawaiʻi Inc., and the Grow Tree, Grow Community Project.