Ka‘ū Coffee Festival Starts Friday, April 26

The 11th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Festival kicks off Friday, April 26, 2019, with a full lineup of events before culiminating with a weekend of free activities May 4–5, at the Pahala Community Center.

Ka‘u Coffee Festival Photo from 2018. Courtesy photo.

Free fun starts Friday, April 26, with a Pa‘ina and Open House. Tickets are $10 at the door for the Miss Kaʻū Coffee Pageant Saturday, April 27 at the Kaʻu District Gym.

Upcoming festival activities includes a variety of ticketed events that illustrate what makes Kaʻū so special and offer interactive fun at different venues: Kaʻū Mountain Water Systems Hike, Kaʻū Valley Farms Tour, Kaʻū Coffee & Cattle Day and Kaʻū Star Gazing. Reserve your spot for these unique opportunites online.

The free May 4th ho‘olaule‘a, stages a full lineup of live performing artists, including hula hālau from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Pahala Community Center grounds. Attendees can browse among broke ‘da mouth local food, coffee, crafts, product and community booths.

During the free and indoors Kaʻū Coffee Experience, enjoy barista-led samplings of different Kaʻū coffee brands prepared a variety of ways: pour over, clever, french press, espresso and cold brew. Guided coffee farm tours—which visit a coffee orchard and processing mill—are $20 with van transport.

On Sunday, May 5, at 9 a.m., the Kaʻū Coffee College features local and visiting coffee industry experts offering seminars focused on enhancing coffee quality and best farm management techniques. Donations are welcome.

Enter the “Buy Local” contest by visiting festival sponsors and redeeming purchase receipts, product labels and business cards at the ho‘olaule‘a for chances to earn cash and prizes.

All activities are open to the public; for details on ticketed events and full festival information, go online.

Founded in coffee traditions dating to the 1800s—Kaʻū coffee burst onto the specialty coffee scene by winning numerous coffee quality awards. These accolades highlight the unique combination of people and place that makes Kaʻū coffee a favorite across the globe. The festival’s mission is to raise awareness of Kaʻū as a world-class, coffee-growing origin.

Kaʻū Coffee Festival vendor and sponsorship opportunities are available. Support is provided by Hawai‘i Tourism through the Community Enrichment Program.

For more information and festival updates call (808) 929-9550, [email protected] and follow Ka‘u Coffee Festival on Facebook and @kaucoffeefest on Twitter and Instagram.