Tickets still available for events during annual Big Island Chocolate Festival

The 11th Big Island Chocolate Festival continues this weekend, culminating with the “Mystical Chocolate Masquerade” gala on Saturday at the Waikōloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

A few tickets are remaining. Click here for more information.

Those interested in attending the gala are promised walkabout booths for savory and sweet chocolate-inspired culinary creations. Guests will also enjoy specialty beers by Kona Brewing Company and Ola Brew, unlimited wine, plus a chocolate fountain.

Kona Dance and Performing Arts presents an edgy Vangelis and Pink Floyd mashup and a hip-hop “Vivaldi Remix.”

Guests will also be treated to Polynesian fire dancing and live music. Interactive fun includes People’s Choice voting, a pop-up photo booth, face/mask painting and a silent auction. In addition, attendees can enter to win VIP tickets for 2025 by posting photos of themselves wearing decorative masks on social media.

Gala VIP tickets cost $169 and general admission is $99.

An all-day pass on Saturday costs $159.

This year’s event started Thursday where guests went on a “Cacao & Chocolate Tasting” tour with the owner of the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory in Kona. Today, local experts held seminars about the history and culture of chocolate.

Ethan Swift, founder of Hawai‘i Island’s Chocolate Sommelier School, shared the history and culture of chocolate, the science behind its production and the art of tasting and evaluating chocolate.

Maddy Smith, of Hawai‘i Island craft chocolate company Cocoa Rose Hawaii, and founder of chocolate eco-tourism company Barefoot Chocolatini, also held a seminar on unlocking the secret of cacao fermentation from small farms to large-scale success.

On Saturday, the festival will treat guests to culinary demonstrations from a number of chefs.

Executive Pastry Chef Helen Hong with Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort will teach how to make bonbons. Executive Chef Yoshikazu Kizu with The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka‘anapali, will do a demonstration on chocolate-infused savory dishes.

World pastry champion Chef Stéphane Tréand, MOF Pâtissier Chocolatier and co-owner of Francium Chocolate will create an artistic chocolate showpiece for onlookers, which will be on display during the gala later that evening.