Celebrate Lahaina’s heritage during its Plantation Days festival.
Lahaina’s history is more enchanting than anywhere else in Hawaii. After all, this town was once the ancient capital of the original Kingdom of Hawaii, and a place where missionaries battled with whalers for Hawaiians’ attention and souls. Whaling eventually gave way to sugar for 125 years — which is an era now remembered today at the Plantation Days festival.
Beginning in 2009, Plantation Days has celebrated the culture, history, tradition and heritage of Lahaina’s original sugar camps. When plantation managers were in need of laborers to work the dozens of fields, they imported workers from Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Portugal and China. In addition to their impressive, back-breaking work ethic, these immigrants brought with them cultures and traditions that blended together on Maui. Meals were swapped over lunch in the fields and languages fused in the mill, and the end result was the multi-ethnic community we see today.
Over the course of this popular, two-day event, which is held at the Pioneer Mill Co. Smokestack, visitors to Lahaina can feast on a wide array of traditional ethnic cuisine and listen to some of the island’s best Hawaiian musical acts. Wander through tents packed with displays of historic letters and photos, and see for yourself what life was like for families raised in the fields. Add in some Maui Brewing Company beer and Ka’anapali coffee, and you have an event that easily tops the list of things to do in Maui in October. Though dates changes each year, Plantation Days is an event you won’t want to miss if in town.
– Contributed by Kyle Ellison
Guide to the Plantation Days Festival in Lahaina from Hawaii Things to Do