Hawaii Food & Wine Festival^® Returns For Its Sixteenth Year, Celebrating Hawaii As A World-Class Culinary Destination

HONOLULU, HI (May 23, 2026)—The Hawaii Food and Wine Festival^® (HFWF) returns this fall for its Sixteenth Annual Festival, inviting guests to experience the flavors, traditions, and people shaping Hawaii’s evolving food culture. Spanning three weekends from October 16 to November 8, 2026 across three islands—the Island of Hawaii, Kaanapali, Maui, and Oahu—the Festival brings together internationally acclaimed chefs, wine professionals, mixologists, culinary innovators, local farmers, ranchers, and fishers for immersive dining experiences rooted in culture, community, and place.

Now in its sixteenth year, HFWF continues to evolve as the premier epicurean destination event of the Pacific and a driving force behind Hawaii’s culinary and agricultural industries. As Hawaii gains increasing international recognition for its food culture and place-based cuisine, the Festival continues to spotlight the ingredients, traditions, and communities that distinguish the islands on the global stage. Culinary is no longer an amenity of travel—it is a driver of destination identity, economic resilience, and cultural connection.

This year’s theme, Traditions & Heritage, reflects the cultural roots that nourish Hawaii’s culinary and agricultural communities—through the ingredients we grow, the traditions we preserve, and the stories shared around every plate. In its sixteenth year, Hawaii Food & Wine Festival celebrates the farmers, ranchers, fishers, chefs, and students putting the culture back in agriculture—honoring traditional knowledge while advancing Hawai‘i’s food systems for the future.

As a program of the nonprofit organization Hawaii Ag & Culinary Alliance (HACA), HFWF’s impact extends far beyond the plate. Every ticket purchased supports culinary education, workforce development, sustainability initiatives, local agriculture, and industry relief—ensuring long-term economic and cultural vitality for Hawaii. Since 2011, HFWF has raised more than $5.2 million to support culinary and agricultural education, sustainability initiatives, workforce development programs, and hospitality industry resilience efforts across the state.

“What started as a three-day culinary event in Waikiki in 2011 has grown into a statewide movement that celebrates our chefs, supports our farmers, uplifts Hawaii’s food systems, and helps define Hawaii’s culinary identity on the world stage,” said Denise Yamaguchi, Chief Executive Officer of Hawaii Food & Wine Festival and the Hawaii Ag & Culinary Alliance. “Today, food and culinary are a strategic investment opportunity for Hawaii—driving tourism, workforce development, cultural preservation, entrepreneurship, and agriculture.”

Co-founded by James Beard Award-winning chefs Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong in 2011, HFWF has grown into the largest food and wine festival in the state of Hawaii, elevating Hawaii’s agricultural richness and culinary talent to the forefront through experiences that celebrate local ingredients. Every participating chef is required to incorporate locally grown, raised, or caught ingredients, placing Hawaii’s farmers, ranchers, and fishers at the center of the Festival experience while highlighting the diversity and cultural depth of Hawaii’s agricultural bounty.

From Michelin-recognized innovators to chefs redefining modern Asian-American cuisine, this year’s Festival lineup reflects the global influence, creativity, and cultural diversity shaping Hawaii’s culinary landscape today. The 2026 Festival will feature nearly 100 chefs and culinary leaders from across the U.S. and abroad, including talent from Canada and South Korea. This year’s Festival welcomes 18 new chefs, including Junsoo Bae, Harley Chow, Katsuya Fukushima, Fany Gerson, Buddha Lo, Bao Tran, and Jungsik Yim, alongside returning HFWF favorites Maneet Chauhan, Tyler Florence, Ravi Kapur, Andrew Le, Susur Lee, Raphael Lunetta, Robynne Maii, Masaharu Morimoto, Shota Nakajima, Matt Pittman, Sheldon Simeon, Lee Anne Wong, and more. Together with celebrated sommeliers, winemakers, mixologists, and hospitality leaders, the Festival brings more than 200 culinary tastemakers to Hawaii for experiences ranging from intimate brunches and a one-day professional development conference to gala dinners, grand tastings, golf experiences, and immersive culinary events found nowhere else.

Kicking off on the Island of Hawaii, the Festival returns to the Kohala Coast with the Second Annual Cuisines of the Sun^® Golf Classic Hosted by Alan Wong Presented by HPM Design Centers at the iconic Mauna Kea Golf Course, followed by Smoked, Shucked & Cured at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel—an evening celebrating the bold flavors of fire, salt, smoke, and sea through Hawaii’s extraordinary land and ocean bounty. The following weekend on Maui, in partnership with the Kaanapali Beach Resort Association, HFWF returns with an exciting lineup of immersive culinary experiences including Caviar, Pearls & Aphrodisiacs at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa and No EGGScuses, Let’s Brunch! at Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows.

The Festival culminates on Oahu with a dynamic week of events that reflect the evolving future of Hawaii’s culinary landscape while honoring the traditions and cultural foundations that continue to shape it. New this year, Culture in AgriCULTURE Presented by Kamehameha Schools invites guests to Kakoo Oiwi for an immersive experience exploring Indigenous foodways, traditional farming practices, and the enduring connection between culture, land, and food systems. FEAST Summit also returns for its second year as Hawaii’s premier professional development conference and a platform for global thought leadership at the intersection of food, travel, sustainability, and hospitality. At a time when conversations around food security, sustainability, tourism, and cultural preservation are reshaping the hospitality industry worldwide, FEAST positions Hawaii at the center of those discussions—bringing together chefs, educators, agricultural leaders, tourism executives, media, and innovators to help shape the future of the industry. Plus, the Festival’s signature wine-centric grand tasting will also debut in a vibrant new outdoor setting on the Great Lawn at Kapiolani Community College, further strengthening the Festival’s connection to culinary education and the next generation Hawaii’s culinary workforce. This year’s schedule of events include:

Oahu

FEAST Summit
Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 9:00 A.M. – 4:45 P.M.
Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort
Speakers & Session Topics Announced in June

Culture in AgriCULTURE Presented by Kamehameha Schools
Friday, November 6, 2026 | 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Kakoo Oiwi

24K Magic
Friday, November 6, 2026 | 6:00 – 9:00 P.M.
Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach

The Greatest Hits Presented by Hawaiian Airlines
Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 6:00 – 9:00 P.M.
Hawaii Convention Center

The Breakfast Club
Sunday, November 8, 2026 | 11:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa

BTS: Beyond the Seoul
Sunday, November 8, 2026 | 5:00 – 9:00 P.M
Halekulani

Tickets for the Sixteenth Annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival are on sale now at www.HFWF.me. The full Festival lineup, participating chefs, and schedule of events are available online at hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com. Stay connected—follow HFWF on Instagram @HIFoodWineFest using #HFWF26 and Facebook at @HawaiiFoodandWineFestival. Since 2011, HFWF has raised over $5.3 million to advance culinary education, agriculture and sustainability initiatives, as well as providing relief for restaurant and hospitality workers during times of need.