Maui Arts & Entertainment

Festivals of Aloha has announced its 2024 theme, “Ka Laʻi o Hauola – The Calm of Hauola,” honoring the revered Pōhakuohauola (Hauola Stone) of Lahaina, a historic symbol of healing and restoration. As Maui Nui communities continue to recover from the devastating wildfires of Aug. 8, 2023, this year’s theme reflects the collective hope for peace and comfort, echoing the stone’s ancient legacy of health and renewal, organizers said.

“American Idol” finalist Oliver Steele is set to perform at Alaloa Lounge on Wednesday, Sept. 4 and Thursday, Sept. 5 from 6 to 9 p.m. 

The Maui Youth Philharmonic Orchestra is offering classes in classical music this fall at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center in Kahului, upstairs between Central Maui Tax and the Fun Factory.

This month, guests can enjoy performances by talented local artists at The Shops at Wailea every Wednesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. This includes Tarvin Makia (Sept. 4), Nevah Too Late (Sept. 11), Rama Camarillo (Sept. 18) and Mondokane (Sept. 25).

Slightly Stoopid is set to perform at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center with special guests Steel Pulse and Makua Rothman on Sunday, Sept. 15. Gates open at the outdoors Alexander & Baldwin Amphitheater at 5 p.m., and the show begins at 6 p.m.

The Wailuku First Friday street party on Sept. 6, 2024 kick’s-off the two month Hawaiian Showcase “Festivals of Aloha.” The event, from 6 to 9 p.m., features entertainment by Maui Music Mission, Te Ohi Nui and Hālau Keola Aliʻi O Kekai. The Hammah House Band celebrates their release of the single “Like Mehk,” with music on the Market St. Stage.

“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.