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Hawaii Island’s Kona Brewers Festival

Kona Brewer's FestivalBeer drinkers and foodies on vacation in Hawaii won’t want to miss the annual Kona Brewers Festival! Now in its 19th year, the Brewers Festival draws thousands of visitors and has quickly become one of Hawaii’s most popular events.

Each year, the area along the Kamakahonu Bay is transformed in to a lively gathering place that brings together some Hawaii’s best food, music, and of course – beer.   The festival is a big draw for the locals and several people travel in from the other islands in the chain just to enjoy the best of craft brewing.

In addition to the ale, the festival hosts a Brewers Pa’ina, or gathering.  This is a dinner that takes place ocean-side beneath the stars with live entertainment and a silent art auction. Delectable cuisine made from local ingredients is paired with Kona beer selections and many of the dishes have been made with the festival’s main attraction!

One of the highlights of the Kona Brewers Festival is the home brewers contest. Judges from across the country sample beers and ciders from hundreds of entries and select the finest from 28 different categories.  The festival’s “Run for the Hops” sees participants walking or running 5K or 10K, with proceeds from this and the Pa’ina’s silent auction benefitting local non-profit organizations that support children and the environment.

Because environmental conservation is so important to the festival organizers, they’ve taken great care to ensure that the event is as environmentally-friendly as possible.  Everything from the food service ware to the garbage bags is made of plant-based biodegradable materials. In fact 85% of the festival’s waste is reused as compost, animal feed or recycled in some fashion.

New to the festival this year is a five hour snorkelling cruise which sails along the southwest coast of the big island stopping at two separate locations. In addition to snorkelling, the cruise includes breakfast, lunch, stand-up paddle boarding, and you guessed it…beer!

This year’s events run from March 5th – 8th. You can learn more about the Kona Brewers Festival by visiting their website at: http://konabrewersfestival.com