The 13th annual Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival returns to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Nov. 6 and 7. Friday, Nov. 6 runs 1:30 to 6 p.m. and costs $36. Saturday, Nov. 7 runs 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and costs $9, and keiki 12 and under get in free. The festival's own pages describe the two days as two different events at the same address.
Friday is officially the "Buyer's Preview & Exclusive Shopping Day." Qualified wholesale buyers and distributors get in free, and anyone else can buy a ticket. Saturday is the retail festival, with the food trucks, the music and the shuttle buses. Pick the day by which of those two rooms you want to be in.
Friday is set up for people who buy by the case
The festival's wholesale registration page is clear about who the Friday preview is really for. Free admission goes to businesses "actively establishing wholesale accounts and purchasing larger quantities on a consistent basis." The page also says the preview is "not intended for individuals purchasing in bulk a few times a year for VIPs, donors, or one-time events." Buyers have to register by Friday, Oct. 30, and the registration is vetted.
That changes what a $36 Friday ticket buys you. You're shopping at the same hours a café owner might be lining up a standing order of jam or a gift shop is opening an account for candles. The festival pitches Friday to retail shoppers as "a more leisurely shopping experience with fewer crowds, first pick of one-of-a-kind Maui-made products," and a free tote bag. Friday tickets are also limited. The MACC event listing adds that the opening ceremony happens only on Friday, and food is limited to two trucks that close at 5:30 p.m. The opening ceremony starts at 5 p.m.
Here is how the two days compare side by side.
| Friday, Nov. 6 | Saturday, Nov. 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Buyer's Preview & Exclusive Shopping Day | Big Festival Day |
| Hours | 1:30 to 6 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Admission | $36, limited tickets; free for registered wholesale buyers | $9; keiki 12 and under free |
| Food | Two food trucks until 5:30 p.m. | 12 food trucks |
| Extras | Opening ceremony, free tote | Live entertainment, fashion shows, prize drawings, vendor demonstrations, tote for the first 2,000 |
| Parking | MACC and UH Maui College lots | Off-site lots in Kahului and Wailuku with free shuttles |
Both prices include all taxes and fees, and tickets have been on sale online since Oct. 1.
What the trade side has added up to
The festival's numbers show why that Friday room matters. In its Oct. 13 announcement, Maui Now reported that the festival welcomed 4,308 wholesale buyers and 109,044 retail shoppers over its first twelve years. That works out to roughly 25 retail shoppers for every wholesale buyer. On the festival's sponsor page, the organizers count more than $6.1 million in retail sales, 8,757 wholesale leads and 1,924 new wholesale accounts over the same twelve years.
The retail dollars come from the crowd. The accounts come from the much smaller group of buyers, and an account means repeat orders long after the tents come down. The most recent single-year breakdown is from 2024. Before the 2025 festival, Maui Now reported that the 2024 event produced $730,420 in retail sales, drew more than 400 wholesale buyers and distributors, and led to 80 new leads and 24 new wholesale accounts. The festival's 2026 sponsorship packet says more than 7,500 visitors and residents attended in 2025.
Pamela Tumpap, president of the Maui Chamber of Commerce, put it this way to Maui Now:
"As we mark our 13th year, we're proud to see this event grow into one of the most meaningful platforms for connecting Maui County's businesses with new customers and opportunities."
The Chamber presents the festival, the County of Maui Office of Economic Development supports it, and Hawaiian Airlines is the title sponsor. County economic development support fits an event whose Friday is built around wholesale accounts.
Who gets a booth
Because the festival works as a trade show, getting in as a vendor is competitive. When applications opened in May, Maui Now reported that participating businesses must be based in Maui County and are chosen through a competitive review. The festival's About page adds that products must meet a minimum 51% Hawaiʻi value-added threshold, and a selection committee weighs product mix, quality and creativity. This year's group is more than 140 vendors and food trucks from Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.
The published vendor list groups roughly into the shelves you'd stock as a shop owner:
- Pantry and sweets: Haleakala Creamery, Lunetta Bakery, Hula Cookies, KOOKIES Maui, Cochrane's Chocolate / WowWee Maui Candy Bars, Galleon Chocolate Trade Company, HI Spice, Maui Bone Broth, Maui Chili Chili Oil
- Home and gifts: Haleakala Candle Co., Aloha Tropicandles, ARK Ceramics, Matsumoto Studio, Bamboo Creations Maui, 808 Laser Creations
- Wear and adornment: Luchia Fine Jewelry, Makakulima Lauhala & Pearls, Kama Lei Design, Kilei Bikinis, Aloha Ke Akua Clothing Co.
- Hula and culture: Kaila Hula Supply, Malia's Hula Angels
If you own a store, café or gift counter in Kahului or anywhere else in the county, the Oct. 30 registration deadline is the date to watch. Questions go to [email protected] or 808-244-0081.
Saturday is the day for the whole family
For everyone shopping for themselves, Saturday is the fuller day for less money. You get live music, fashion shows, prize drawings, vendor demonstrations and a tote bag for the first 2,000 people through the gate. The festival counts 12 food trucks. Maui Now's list names Area 50 One, DeRay's Poi Mochi, Fiyah Foods, LIKE POKE?, Maui Frozen, Nonoy da Poi Cascaroon, Pastele House Maui, Pupus On da go, SUMO DOGS MAUI, Taste of Aloha 808 and Unreal boba.
Parking works differently on Saturday. You'll park at off-site lots in Kahului and Wailuku and ride a free shuttle bus to the MACC. The festival says more parking and shuttle details are coming soon, so check madeinmauicountyfestival.com for exact pickup points before you leave home. The MACC's general rules for outdoor events don't allow re-entry, backpacks or large bags, and the venue tells guests to check each event's description for its own details. Pack light and plan to use the tote.
If you're comparing the two days on cost, $9 for a full day with keiki free is the better deal for a family. $36 makes sense if you're after one specific maker's limited run and want the first pick the festival advertises for Friday.
Kahului's maker calendar runs past festival weekend
The MACC festival is the biggest of these dates, but it's one of several in Kahului this November. Maui Mall Village at 70 East Kaʻahumanu Ave. is hosting Makaliʻi ʻElua's Maui Merchant Showcase on three dates:
- Sunday, Nov. 1, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the first Merchant Showcase
- Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7, the Made in Maui County Festival at the MACC, One Cameron Way
- Friday, Nov. 13, 4 to 8 p.m., the second Merchant Showcase at Maui Mall Village
- Saturday, Nov. 28, Small Business Saturday, with a third Merchant Showcase; the mall hasn't posted hours for that date yet
If August's walkable Wailuku calendar showed how much Central Maui packs into a few blocks, November does the same thing in Kahului, along Kaʻahumanu Avenue and down at the MACC. The festival's own count of 1,924 new wholesale accounts over twelve years suggests that some of what you see at a booth on Nov. 6 or 7 may later turn up on a shelf closer to home. For more on Kahului and Wailuku, see our Central Maui neighborhood guide.
Maui & Co. is based in Kahului, and we like seeing local makers find new customers as much as anyone. If festival season has you thinking about your own spot in Central Maui, staying put or making a move, schedule a private consultation and we'll walk through it with you over coffee.
