Saturday, Oct 5, 2024
The Honoka'a Heritage Center will host the 2024 Hamakua Sugar Days Festival over a two-week period marking the 30th anniversary of the closing of the last local sugar plantation. The festival will celebrate the rich history and lasting legacy of an era and an industry that permanently shaped Honoka‘a and the surrounding Hamakua region, while also exploring newer agricultural initiatives with promise for the future.
-Recognition Event for Former Hamakua Plantation Workers
-Inter-generational Softball Tournament (Camp vs. Camp)
-Parade through Honoka'a featuring plantation camp themes and former workers, and ending at Hamakua/County Park for County Fair/Agriculture Fest
-Hamakua Fair: an old-style County Fair/Agriculture Fest, including historical exhibits, "sugar themed" demos/contests; "plantation village"; sustainable ag expo; student project displays; contests (art, animal, food, ag); pumpkin patch; Festival Concert (multiple stage performances); food vendors; and other keiki activities
-Cultural History Nights (Hawaiian, Japanese, Portuguese, Filipino, Puerto Rican)
-World premiere of new documentary capturing the oral history and experiences of plantation workers
-Charity Golf Tournament (celebrating the history of the hundred-year old course) and much more.