If you’ve been to the Made in Hawaii Festival in recent years, you know just how insane this event can be—with lines wrapping down the street and crowds packed so tight it’s hard to breathe. But big changes are coming this year, aimed at creating a more pleasant experience for shoppers. This year there will be preview nights, timed entry, and priority passes, so let me break down everything you need to know for the Made in Hawaii Festival 2026.
VIP Access Night – At $25 per ticket, you’ll get first access to the vendors before the general public. There’s also a limited number of tickets for Thursday to ensure a more pleasant shopping experience.
Preview Night – At $20 per ticket, you’ll get access to vendors before the general public. Also, like Thursday, they are limiting the number of tickets available to ensure a more pleasant shopping experience.
Only $8 per ticket and each will have a suggested time entry. When purchasing, you’ll pick which hour you plan to attend, and although it’s not a strict appointment, they suggest you try to arrive at that time as they will be limiting the number of guest entries per hour.
Parking at the convention center has been a mess in the past and looks to be extremely limited again in 2026. The festival site itself, is suggesting to park elsewhere as parking will only be open during published festival hours. No early entry will be allowed. Instead, I would try one of these options for a better experience:
Self park at Alamoana Shopping Center or the surrounding area and walk over. This should only add about 10-15 minutes to your commute
This is only available for those attending on Saturday/Sunday by adding a priority pass. (See Below) Pass holders will get a roundtrip shuttle trip from one of the 2 parking lots:
This year Saturday and Sunday ticket holders will have the option to add on a priority pass to their ticket for an additional $6. The priority pass will include a round trip shuttle ride (by Robert’s Hawaii) to and from one of the lots mentioned above. It will also give you access to a designated priority pass entrance door. This is the first time that the festival has ever coordinated off-site parking but know that the $6 does not include the parking lot fee, so you will still have to pay the $10/$6 to the parking facility upon arrival.
This year the event will take place on both the ground floor and the 3rd floor, making it the biggest in festival history. With over 800 vendors this year, organizers stated that splitting the event between 2 floors will allow for a more spacious environment and less congestion between booths.
This year the general admission line will form along the Ala Wai Canal Promenade rather than following the configuration down Atkinson that it has in the last few years. This change was made to help keep lines more organized and sidewalks clear.
Yes, for guests who have difficulty standing for extended periods of time, seniors over 75, or anyone using canes/walkers/mobility devices, you can use the priority pass entrance. Each of these qualifying guests can also be accompanied by one support person.
From the official made in hawaii festival website, here.
July 1 – Huaka’i by Hawaiian Member Presale
July 24 – Central Pacific Bank (Sponsor) customers
August 1 – General Public ticket sales
(Note: Thursday and Friday tickets are limited and may sell out before the general public sale begins on August 1st)
You are technically allowed to bring strollers in as long as you don’t block the walkways with them. However, from personal experience, it’s very hard to navigate with a stroller in these crowds. If possible, opt for a carrier if you can. Also, wagons are not allowed.
With all the logistical changes this year, will the 2026 made in hawaii festival prove to be the best yet? Only time will tell!
Let me know in the comments below which day you’ll be attending and which vendors you’re most excited to see!
This post will be updated as the vendor list and vendor map becomes available
Comments
Liana
After seeing last years crowd I was hesitant to attend. Thank you for mapping out all the info! Huge time saver
Aloha Adrian
I went in 2024 and it was so insane that I didn’t go back in 2025. But I’m trying again this year so hopefully it will be better with all the updates!