Exploring the Past to Shape the Future

July 21-30, 2023

Ten Days of Family Friendly Fun in Koloa and Poipu

Preparations are now underway for this year’s 37th annual Koloa Plantation Days Festival, to be held July 21st-30th throughout Koloa and Poipu. Over 10 days, over 20 events will feature all aspects of plantation life and highlight the natural beauty and community of the Koloa area including a rodeo weekend, “talk stories” on local history and plantation life, live music and culinary events spotlighting our cultural roots, guided historic walks and events for keiki.

Koloa was the site of the state’s first commercial sugar mill in 1835. Koloa Plantation and those who followed brought contract laborers from Asia and Europe to work in the fields and the mills. Where they lived in plantation camps, the workers from each country shared the foods, music, stories, and traditions of their homelands. Koloa Plantation Days commemorates these diverse cultures and how they were shared as a part of plantation life.

The week of events is steeped in area history and brings the community together with “talk stories” on plantation life, guided historical walks through the area, a culinary market, live music events, a plantation era exhibit and keiki events. Most events are inexpensive or free and family friendly – a perfect way to introduce the traditions, games, foods and music of parents and grandparents to youngsters.

The festival opens with the Koloa Plantation Days Rodeo weekend at CJM Stables featuring championship roping, bull riding, po’o wai u and other events reflecting Hawaii’s paniolo heritage. For many rodeo families, this is a whole family affair with riders from 5 years old to 85 years old.

The final weekend spotlights the annual Koloa Plantation Days parade through Koloa town which was the original event that started the festival, on the 175th anniversary of Hawaii’s first sugar mill. This year’s colorful parade on Saturday, July 30th entries will highlight the diverse cultures that came together during the plantation era with floral floats, walking and equestrian units, decorated vehicles, vintage cars, and a marching band. Riding units are always a favorite, as are the many ways the community expresses the themeremembering the plantation heritage of the area. This year’s parade honors the 100th anniversary of Koloa Union Church.

After the parade, guests stroll down to Knudsen (Koloa) Ball Park for an all-day celebration featuring top tier music and entertainment, Kauai’s largest craft fair, keiki rides and activities and ono local foods spotlighting Kauai’s diverse cultures.

The Festival closes with the Family Fun Run on Sunday – a great way to explore the area together.

The founding “mother” of the event, Phyllis Kunimura was a teacher and reminded us how important it is to involve kids in learning about area history. Her favorite part was the parade and sharing the diverse cultures that came together on Kauai through the plantation camps. Since the last sugar plantation on Kauai closed in 2009 and as the generation who lived the sugar era gets older, the festival is an opportunity to share these traditions and experiences with future generations of Kauai kids.

Visit WWW.KOLOAPLANTATIONDAYS.COM for more information and a full schedule of events. Mahalo to the County of Kauai and the local businesses, families, resorts and organizations who make the Festival possible each year.

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Events are subject to change without notice. Always call event first to confirm.