Maui Arts & Entertainment

“Paper Chase,” a documentary film that delves into the history of Japanese-American news media, will be screened at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center. The screening is free of charge. Doors open at 1 p.m. This event was scheduled for screening last year, but it was postponed because of the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

Uncle Bully’s Surf Skool, from Inflatable Film, is about local Maui surf instructor Robert “Bully” Kotter and his mentorship of underserved youth during the pandemic. This powerful story about one person’s quest to shape a hopeful future for the next generation is one of the last stories filmed in Lahaina before the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires.

Advancing mentorship opportunities for emerging Native Hawaiian filmmakers currently living in Hawai‘i, the Sundance Institute’s 2024 Indigenous Program this month wrapped its short film-focused intensive earlier in Honolulu—the Sundance Indigenous Intensive x Hawai‘i.

Now in its third year, the c Carmen Hulu Lindsey Leo Ha’iha’i Falsetto Contest will be held on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Doors to the Ballroom open at 5:30 p.m., and the contest will commence at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

The 2024 Emma Farden Sharpe Hula Festival Legacy Award was presented to Carolee “Doll” Aricayos on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, at the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center. Aunty Doll, as she is affectionately known, was recognized for her lifelong dedication to hula and culture.

Kū Mai Ka Hula (“Hula Appears”) returns to the Castle Theater for its 17th annual event Sept. 14 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC) as Maui’s premier annual competition – and Maui’s only adult hula competition. A related presentation and discussion, The Uluwehi Project, will take place Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the MACC’s McCoy Studio Theater. Tickets for both events are on sale now online only at MauiArts.org.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center has announced “Forest Flutters: A Bird-Day Party,” a free-to-the-public event in collaboration with the Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY) geared to families and their children between two and seven years old.

Maui Public Art Corps recently announced a call for artist proposals to create visual, performance, or experiential public art installations inspired by a collection of audio-recorded stories of Lahaina.

The first-ever “Maui Music & Food Experience” at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center is bringing together a stellar cast of performers curated by legendary Chicago musician and Experience Music Director Nicholas Tremulis from Thursday, Sept. 5 though Sunday, Sept. 7.

Lahaina Galleries at The Shops at Wailea are poised to hold a special public event to celebrate their 48th anniversary this weekend.

Due to the threat of a Tropical Storm Hone this weekend, as well as anticipated high winds, the Aug. 23 Kihei 4th Friday Town Party has been canceled.

Student artwork that had adorned 1,000 lineal feet of mesh barrier fencing in Lahaina was removed last week to make way for a sewerline project supporting interim housing units and 29 homes on Fleming Road, the County of Maui announced. The artwork has been placed in storage for future use, including an installation at the Lahaina Civic Center later this year.

The Keiki Hula Festival is returning to the Lahaina Cannery from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature keiki hula performances and lessons, live music by Kamalei Kawa’a, cultural crafts, shopping and more.

After five years away due to the pandemic and Maui wildfires, Montessori School of Maui is thrilled to announce the return of their tuition assistance fundraiser, Taste of Upcountry. This celebration of the bounty of Upcountry Maui will take place Saturday, Sept. 14, 6-10 p.m. The outdoor event, held under a glowing tent on the central lawn at the heart of the school’s Makawao campus, supports Montessori School of Maui’s Tuition Assistance Initiatives in an effort to make a Montessori Education more accessible, welcoming, and inclusive for our community.

The next Hawaiian Music Series of 2024 will take place on Thursday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m., at the Lahaina Civic Center Amphitheater. This is the first Hawaiian music series in Lahaina after the fire. This free event will feature well-known local musician Joshua Kahula.

Kū Mai Ka Hula (“Hula Appears”), Maui’s only adult hula competition, returns to the Castle Theater for its 17th annual event Saturday, Sept. 14.

Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents Altered Earth in Schaefer International Gallery, an invitational exhibition featuring ten contemporary artists whose work explores the medium of clay and earth-derived materials through a diverse breadth of processes. The invited artists are Clayton Amemiya, Jake Boggs, Jisoo Boggs, Rachelle Dang, Roberta Griffith, Codie M. King, David Kuraoka, Jenna Macy, Sarah Metz, and Brad Evan Taylor. The exhibition runs from Aug. 27 through Oct. 19. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

As part of the company’s annual ArtsWave campaign, Hawaiian Telcom and its employees statewide have donated $52,000 to three local non-profit organizations dedicated to the arts in Hawai‘i.

Hawai’i’s top-selling female vocalist of all time, Amy Hānaialiʻi, returns to her roots in musical theatre to perform with professional actor Richard Cray in MAPA’s production of the iconic musical “Man of La Mancha,” opening Friday, Aug. 16. With a cast of 20 and a 16-piece live orchestra, Man of La Mancha runs Aug. 16-25 at Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater.

The iconic Lā ‘Ulu Festival returns to Central Maui on Sept. 7, celebrating the significance of breadfruit and Hawaiian culture through food, games, crafts and demonstrations.