Kona Coffee Cultural Festival 2026: Mauka Days After Lala

"Three or four years before you can get any coffee at all … and probably five years before you get a good harvest off that tree." Bruce Corker, who owns Rancho Aloha coffee farm on the slopes of Hualālai in Hōlualoa, told Hawaiʻi Public Radio how long a replacement tree takes to bear coffee. He was describing the work ahead after Hurricane Lala uprooted about a dozen of his trees in August.

Less than three months later, the 55th Kona Coffee Cultural Festival opens on November 6 and runs through November 15. Most of the calendar happens in town, at Hale Halawai, the Outrigger, The Theatery and Aloha Theatre. The part of the festival tied to what Lala did sits up the hill, in the same mauka Hōlualoa area where the damage landed. This year, those days explain the coffee in your cup better than anything on the ten-day schedule.

What Lala Did on the Hōlualoa Slopes

Most of Lala's coffee damage was in Kaʻū and the southern districts. Kona took hits too. "In the Hōlualoa area, particularly on the mauka side, some farmers are reporting the loss of 20% or more of their coffee trees, mostly caused by larger downed trees," Hawaiʻi Coffee Association executive director Abigail Munoz told HPR.

Corker explained to HPR why the windbreaks did the damage. "There are a lot of coffee farms in Hōlualoa, and most of the properties like mine have trees along the border, some of which are tall and a lot of which were blown over." He estimated winds of 75 mph or higher.

That timeline matters most here. Apply Corker's estimate to a tree replanted this fall, and it wouldn't produce any coffee until roughly 2029 or 2030, with a good harvest closer to 2031. A farm that lost a fifth of its trees will feel it across several festivals, not just this one.

The size of the losses is still being counted. As of August 24, nearly 70 farmers and ranchers statewide had self-reported more than $3.2 million in Lala losses across about 320 acres through the Hawaiʻi Agriculture Disaster Response dashboard. The Kona Coffee Farmers Association's October newsletter cites those figures and notes they were expected to grow as more people reached their farms. HPR reported that the HCA was still assessing the full impact. No one has published a 2026 Kona harvest total yet, and any number you hear at a booth should be taken as one farm's experience.

The Harvest Didn't Stop

The KCFA newsletter describes October as the opposite of a pause. "Here in Kona, we've traded stormwatching for the busy rhythm of picking season," association president Mark Petersen wrote. "Orchards are full of activity, crews are moving fast." He also wrote that Kona was spared the worst of Hurricane Nolo, which brought heavy rain and cleanup to Kaʻū instead.

So the festival falls at its usual point in the year, with cherry coming off the trees and drying decks filling up. Farms are picking and hosting visitors in the same weeks, some of them on land that lost trees in August.

November 7 in Hōlualoa Village

The Holualoa Coffee and Art Stroll runs Saturday, November 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Historic Holualoa Village. The festival's event page says up to 25 farms will pour samples. It recommends carpooling, and shuttles run from Holualoa Elementary and the Imin Center.

Two smaller events fill in the morning around it:

• The Holualoa School Legacy Project, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Holualoa Elementary School cafeteria
• KCCF Cultural Activities and Demos at the Donkey Mill Art Center, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This is the one day the festival brings the farms to the village where many of them grow. A sample poured on Hōlualoa's main road is this season's cherry, from the slope the HCA pointed to in August.

The Farm Tours Are Free With the Button

Anyone who wants to see the trees up close can take a farm tour instead. Most of them run on weekdays in the middle of the festival, when town events are lighter. Here are the tours on the 2026 schedule:

Greenwell Farms in Kealakekua offers Seed-to-Cup tours at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., free with a festival button. Hala Tree Coffee in Captain Cook runs hourly tours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., also free with the $10 button. Each tour is capped at 12 guests, so a weekday slot is easier to get than the Saturday crowds.

None of the festival pages say whether any of these farms took Lala damage. A guide standing among the trees is still the best person to ask what August looked like on their land.

The Cupping Competition Changed Its Format

The festival's quietest event is also the one most closely tied to this year's crop. For 2026, the cupping competition splits entries into two divisions, Kona Heritage and Kona Creative. Entries are capped at 70, and each costs $150. The KCFA newsletter flags that the rules changed and lists the drop-off point as the UCC kiosk at 75-5568 Mamalahoa Highway in Holualoa, with entries accepted September 27 through October 16.

So the entries are being turned in right now, from farms that spent August clearing debris and September picking. The results come out at the Cupping Competition Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 15, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Buddha's Cup Sanctuary Event Space. The ceremony includes coffee samples, light refreshments, games and prizes, and a $10 button is required for anyone 12 and older.

The Town Side, Day by Day

The rest of the festival brings the harvest into town. Here are the dated events on the official schedule:

1. Fri., Nov. 6. Made in Hawaiʻi Artisan Market, 2 to 9 p.m., at Hale Halawai County Pavilion. The Lantern Parade runs from Kailua Pier to Hale Halawai, 6 to 7 p.m., followed by the Multicultural Showcase, 7 to 9 p.m.
2. Sat., Nov. 7. UCC Miss Kona Coffee Scholarship Competition, 6 p.m., Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa. The ticket price is still listed as TBA, and parking is complimentary with validation.
3. Sun., Nov. 8. 2nd Annual Pickle & Pour Pickleball Tournament, 9 a.m., at Holua Racquet & Paddle. The $50 entry includes a festival button. The KTA Coffee Recipe Contest and Big Island Showcase runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Little Miss pageant has doors at 4:30 p.m., both at the Outrigger.
4. Mon., Nov. 9. Kona Coffee Barista Training, 5 to 9 p.m., at Kona Coffee & Tea. The 5-Course Coffee-Flavored Supper Club runs 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Theatery.
5. Tue., Nov. 10. Old Time Kona Stories, Volume 1, 6 p.m., Aloha Theatre.
6. Wed., Nov. 11. Nani Keao Mele Mele Concert and Okonomiyaki at the Kona Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Social Hall. The Kona Espresso Martini and Coffee Cocktail Competition is at Hale Cocoa.
7. Thu., Nov. 12. Latte Art Throw Down at Kona Coffee & Tea, and Chamber Music Night at Mokuaikaua Church.
8. Fri., Nov. 13. Kona's Got Talent at Keauhou Shopping Center.
9. Sat., Nov. 14. 100% Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon, 6 a.m., from Coconut Grove Marketplace. The Hoʻolauleʻa runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Makaeʻo Pavilion at the Old Airport, and the Grand Finale is 6 to 9 p.m. at The Theatery.
10. Sun., Nov. 15. Cupping Awards, 1 to 3 p.m., at Buddha's Cup. The Chamber Orchestra of Kona plays 3 to 5 p.m. at the Kona Elks Lodge.

The Hoʻolauleʻa on November 14 is where you'll find the widest range of growers in one place. It includes coffee sampling, an artisan market, a lei contest, performances, a food court, exhibits and demonstrations, and admission is the $10 button.

What's Different From 2025

A few changes show up when you compare the 2026 schedule with the 2025 festival magazine:

• Grand Finale venue. It moves to The Theatery in 2026. The 2025 magazine listed the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa.
• Pickle & Pour. The tournament is back for a second year. It started in 2025.
• Cupping format. There are now two divisions, a 70-entry cap and a $150 entry fee.
• Free admission age. The general 2026 page says children 5 and under get in free. The 2025 magazine said 12 and under.

The age rule isn't settled yet. Several individual 2026 event pages, including the Miss Kona Coffee and cupping awards pages, still say a button is required for attendees 12 and older. Families with kids between 6 and 11 may want to confirm with festival organizers before buying buttons. The Ka Hoʻolaʻa ceremony doesn't appear on the published 2026 schedule.

You can buy the button at any festival event or at the locations listed on the festival's schedule page. One $10 button covers all ten days.

Corker's account of tall border trees falling across a coffee farm is a reminder for any mauka property on Hualālai's slopes, not just farms. If Lala left you looking at the big trees along your own property line, or wondering how your roof, catchment or outbuildings held up, Kekoa Akana spent nearly a decade as a certified home inspector on Hawaiʻi Island and is glad to walk the property with you. Schedule a Private Consultation.