2022 Kauai Brewers Festival
Great news friends! After a two-year Covid-hiatus, the Kauai Brewers Festival—arguably the hippest and certainly the hoppiest community event on the island—is back this spring! Come see and be seen at the Poipu Beach Athletic Club on Saturday, April 9, from 2-6pm.
Craft breweries from Hawaii and the mainland will be pouring dozens of brews, delicious food bites by various Kauai restaurants will be served, and music from Kauai Kollab and Cruz Control will fill the air and get your body movin’ and groovin’. Sign up and compete in yard games such as Portuguese horseshoes and cornhole for a chance to win a trip for four on our signature Holo Holo Charters Napali-Niihau Super Tour!
Tickets to the festival are $75 each, or $100 for VIP, and all proceeds this year will benefit Kauai’s Kamāwaelualani Corporation.
Kamāwaelualani Corporation was established during the Covid-19 pandemic by a hui (group) of young Kauai-born and raised professionals and business leaders. Kamāwaelualani was the original placename of Kauai and translates to “the middle of the circle in the sky.” The Kamāwaelualani hui believes that Kauai is at the center of all that we do and that now is the time to look to our kānaka ʻōiwi (native Hawaiian) ancestral knowledge, values, and practices so that we may retain what makes Kauai unique and special in our increasingly globalized and colonized world—before it’s too late.
This year’s Kauai Brewers Festival will specifically benefit Kamāwaelualani’s Mo’olelo Murals Project. Mo‘oleo are the stories of Kaua‘i’s places and people, and those narratives live on through several colorful and educational murals across the island. Perhaps you’ve seen their work!
The Waimakaohi’iaka Mural at Salt Pond Beach Park is a beautiful painting that tells the origin story of pa‘akai, Hawaiian salt. The story goes that long ago, an akua (goddess) named Hi‘iaka was fishing on Kauai’s west side. She caught so many fish that she couldn’t possibly eat it all or give it all away. Saddened, she cried. As she cried, her sister, akua Pele, appeared and told Hi‘iaka to dig a hole and put the fish inside. Hi‘iaka did that, and Pele put Hi‘iaka’s tears into the hole. As the sun-dried the tears, all that was left was the salt from the tears, and this salt preserved the fish for many to enjoy. Waimakaohi‘iaka is the ancestral name of Salt Pond and means “the tears of Hi‘iaka.” To this day, ‘ohana (families) that are lineal descendants to this wahi pana (storied/ traditional place) steward and harvest pa‘akai using the traditional methods of their ancestors. Pa‘akai is of the highest quality, and can only be gifted—it’s kapu (taboo) to buy or sell.
The mural is colorful, interesting, and a huge improvement over what used to be just another boring cement-block public bathroom. We’re all for it!
Another great project of Mo’olele Murals you may have noticed is their Endemic Species Project which has been beautifying Kauai’s boring electrical boxes with images of Kauai’s endemic and endangered species such as Koa, Naupaka, Lehua Makanoe, and the I’iwi bird. All of these species have their own mo‘oleo which are now perpetuated in our public spaces. Round of applause!
Our company is proud to support the Kamāwaelualani Corporation’s efforts to beautify Kauai and perpetuate our island’s identity by sponsoring this year’s Brewers Festival. We are stoked for the yard games hero that will be able to take three friends on our epic, 60-mile ocean adventure up the Napali Coast, to Lehua Crater, Niihau Island and back!