Maui Food & Dining

Kaina Makua, a cultural practitioner, community leader and educator, from Waimea, Kauaʻi, will serve as the keynote speaker for the Toastmasters District 49 Annual Conference and International Speech Contest. The event is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village South Pacific Ballroom.

There will be two public aerial fireworks displays in Maui County this year — one from the Grand Wailea Resort in South Maui, and the other from the Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi at Mānele Bay. Both shows begin at approximately 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2025.

As 2025 comes to a close, the nonprofit newsroom — Hawaiʻi Journalism Initiative — that provides this content to MauiNow.com is launching a critical fundraising campaign to sustain its operations into the new year.

Māla Ocean Tavern invites party-goers to step into the future this New Year’s Eve at Neon Dreams: Futuristic New Year’s Eve Celebration, happening Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. The iconic oceanfront destination will transform into a glowing neon playground where luminous color, high-energy beats, and unforgettable midnight moments collide to welcome 2026 in electric style.

US Sen. Mazie Hirono and US Rep. Derek Tran introduced a bicameral resolution to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian refugee resettlement in the United States. US Sen. Brian Schatz joined Hirono as a co-sponsor of the resolution.

Imua Family Services is launching a new inclusive event for Maui youth with special needs titled Dream Prom 2026. The celebration is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 2 at the King Kamehameha Golf Club in Waikapū.

Two in-person workshops to provide information on the upcoming Agricultural Micro Grant Program 6.0, which offers up to $25,000 to small farms and ranches in Maui County, will be held in early January 2026.

Akakū Maui Community Media will continue its new Maui Business Tuesdays salon series with a January event highlighting locally made small farm products from across Maui Nui.

Giant clam populations in American Sāmoa are far more stable and abundant than previously thought thanks to the help of local villages, according to a new study led by researchers at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology ToBo Lab. The research found that marine areas managed by local villages consistently supported higher clam densities […]

Often spotted by onlookers in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, or even by YouTube livestream viewers, the long, ashy gray or brown, ropy cloud-like structures tend to appear near or downwind of active lava fountains. But what is it that we’re actually seeing? Twisters? Tornadoes? Whirlwinds? Lava-nadoes? Vol-nadoes? Tephra-nadoes?

A Kīhei fifth grader is turning recyclable cans and bottles into learning opportunities and joy for students on a remote island 3,000 miles away. 

In an AI-driven era, Hawaiʻi’s 2025 Word of the Year contrasts human-centered “analogue” thinking with concerns over AI-generated “slop.”

Any unused Hawaiʻi Emergency Food Assistance Program balance cannot be carried over or reissued in 2026 and will be expunged at the end of the year.

A new political action committee aimed at expanding representation and advancing civil rights in Hawaiʻi was formally launched today, coinciding with the third anniversary of the federal Respect for Marriage Act.

Over a century ago, three malihini (newcomers) organized a gift giveaway for thousands of Oʻahu’s underprivileged children that would, for seven years, become a beloved island tradition. It was called The Malihini Christmas Tree and three visitors staying at the Young Hotel in 1908 started it. This program ran for seven years. 

In the wake of the tragic Cristmas Eve accident, Hawaiʻi lost an esteemed emergency physician, Dr. Judy Fitzgerald, who left an indelible mark on patients and colleagues across the island.

Theresa Chang completed an incredible journey from addiction to academic success, accepting her bachelor of arts degree in communication from University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo during the Dec. 20 fall commencement ceremony.

Hawaiʻi will begin drawing down federal infrastructure funds to ensure universal broadband access through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, following official approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Hawaiʻi’s Green Fee will go into full effect on Jan. 1, 2026, after a majority of legal claims challenging Act 96 were dismissed, the state Department of the Attorney General announced.

The new number brings multiple DCCA divisions onto a unified call center platform, improving call routing, case tracking, and consumer support. This effort is part of the department’s broader modernization initiative to streamline how the public interacts with state services.