Crowds line up for first day of Made in Hawaii Festival
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The first day of the Made in Hawaii Festival kicked off Friday with thousands of attendees eager to get their hands on local products.
The annual event at the Hawaii Convention Center features more than 700 local artisans, makers and entrepreneurs showcasing their wares, including nearly 100 new products launching exclusively at the festival.
The line to enter stretched down Atkinson Drive and onto Ala Moana Boulevard.
Thousands wait in line for Made in Hawaii Festival 2025
Once inside, some attendees waited even longer to shop their favorite vendors.
The line for retailer Fighting Eel stretched across the convention hall, forcing event security to split the queue to avoid blocking the fire exit.
Hundreds stand in line for Fighting Eel store at Made in Hawaii Festival 2025
Some told Hawaii News Now they had been waiting for more than two hours.
“We’ve been in line since 8:30 a.m. and we got to the front of the line around 11 a.m.,” said customer Leilani Reeves. “The line isn’t bad if you have friends to talk to, but we were not expecting this line at all. Last year, when we stood in line, it wasn’t this long.”
Reeves said the wait was worth it, because she planned to buy clothes and accessories as Christmas gifts.
Edward Sugimoto, who owns the T-shirt store Aloha Revolution, welcomed the crowds.
“We love it. We plan all year for this,” he said. “We release a bunch of new items just for the show, and we probably have maybe 10 or 15 new things today.”
Sugimoto has been a vendor at the festival for nearly a decade and looks forward to connecting with local-oriented shoppers and vendors every year.
“The customers are hungry for products that are made in Hawaii specifically,” he said. “In order to qualify as a vendor here, you have to have products that are made in Hawaii. So, we really like that aspect as well.”
The Made in Hawaii Festival runs through 8 p.m. Friday, then Saturday, Aug. 16, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets cost $8 for all-day access.
