Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
March 13, 2027
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The Kona Brewers Festival is a landmark craft beer and culinary event on the Big Island of Hawaii, running since 1996 when it was created to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Kona Brewing Company selling its first beers. Now in its 31st year, the festival has become one of Hawaii's most beloved annual gatherings, combining craft beer from breweries across the state, Alaska, and the mainland with unlimited culinary tastings from local restaurants. The 2026 edition takes place on April 4 at the King Kamehameha Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona, postponed from its traditional March date due to an emergency proclamation.
Organized by the Rotary Club of Kona Community Foundation, the festival has a strong charitable mission, having raised over $1.5 million for local nonprofits over its nearly three decades of operation. Each year the event supports 15 to 20 organizations focused on conservation, education, and cultural preservation in the Kona community. The All-Inclusive Festival Pass at $100 includes 10 curated craft beer pours, unlimited restaurant tastings, and live entertainment.
The 2026 festival may be the final edition, as organizers announced that after 30 years the event is likely coming to an end. The festival features live music from acts like Ron Artis II, comedian Tumua, and DJ Hapa Boy, along with unique attractions like the Trash Fashion Show and drone activations with prizes. True to its Hawaiian roots, the festival maintains a zero-waste commitment and celebrates local culture alongside great beer and food.
The Kona Brewers Festival was born in 1996 as a celebration of Kona Brewing Company's one-year anniversary. Kona Brewing itself was a pioneer — founded in 1994 by father-and-son duo Cameron and Spoon Healy, it brought commercial brewing back to Hawaii on Valentine's Day 1995 when the first kegs of Pacific Golden Ale and Fire Rock Pale Ale rolled out of a converted newspaper pressroom in Kailua-Kona. Cameron Healy chaired the nonprofit Ke Kai Ala Foundation, which ran the festival for nearly three decades with a mission rooted in Hawaiian cultural values, sustainable environmental practices, and community uplift. Over those years, the festival raised more than $1.8 million for local nonprofits focused on environment, youth, sustainability, and cultural preservation.
For 30 years, the Kona Brewers Festival was a beloved annual fixture on the Big Island — a beachside gathering at the King Kamehameha Beach Hotel where craft beer, local restaurant fare, live music, and Hawaiian culture came together in a way no mainland festival could replicate. But in February 2025, the Ke Kai Ala Foundation announced that the 30th anniversary edition would be the last, citing the challenge of generational succession. "The core group that organized the festival feels like it has served its time — and we don't have a younger group to pass it on to," they explained. The March 2025 event benefited 17 local nonprofits in what was billed as the end of an era.
Then came an unexpected second act. The Rotary Clubs of West Hawaii stepped in and assumed stewardship of the festival, launching the 31st annual Kona Brewers Festival in 2026. Under new leadership but with the same community-first philosophy, the festival continues its zero-waste commitment, its Trash Fashion Show, and its tradition of connecting Hawaii's brewers with mainland and Alaska counterparts. Whether the Rotary era proves to be a brief encore or a lasting revival, the Kona Brewers Festival remains one of the most distinctive and meaningful beer festivals in the United States — a place where aloha spirit and craft beer have been inseparable from the start.
Founded
1996
Organizer
Rotary Club of Kona Community Foundation
Breweries
19
Beers
Not available
Attendance
2,400 (ticketed) / 3,000 (total including volunteers and sponsors)
Tier
Major
March 13, 2027
Status: confirmed
1 day
King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel
75-5660 Palani Road, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
📍
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
19 breweries
Not available beers to try
Want the Loudest Burp and Longest Burp championships at Kona Brewers Festival? Sign up and we'll tell you when Burp Fest is coming.
Kona Brewers Festival 2027 takes place March 13, 2027 at King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Road, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740.
Kona Brewers Festival is held at King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Road, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740.
Ticket pricing for Kona Brewers Festival 2027 has not been announced yet. Check the official website for updates.
Burp Fest is planning to bring its burping contest to Kona Brewers Festival. Sign up to get notified when details are confirmed.
Burp Fest is the world's premier competitive burping organization. We bring our burping contests to beer festivals across America, giving attendees the chance to compete for glory, trophies, and social media fame.
Sign up on our website and we'll let you know as soon as a Burp Fest contest is confirmed at Kona Brewers Festival.
Previous editions of Kona Brewers Festival.
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