The old nostalgia 50th state fair........the place I loved as a child as it was the only cool rides…read moreI could get on (didn't get to go to real theme parks until college haha). How it's the same but NOT the same lol. Like every one else you have power cards and gone are the scrips. My favorite ride I still the zipper. Now coming from a father perspective.....aka wallet.....WOOF lol. $9 parking, rides and games are few bucks or more per person. Food is a whooping $15-20+ per meal lol. A Hundo $$ don't last very long......and I only have my wife and son. We had the gyro and waffle fries, forget the spots name....but that was delicious. . Greet job to all you parents with more kids, haha. However being able to see the utter joy, excitement, and fun my son had on that evening makes it all worth it..........BUT not again until next year haha.

I haven't been to the 50th State fair like almost 25 years omgeee.. Things have have changed a lot…read morefor one thing everything is now on a pre-paid card lol. So it's 200 points for $20 and 1500 points for $100. All rides average 30points and that's only because Sunday 12n-6pm is at a discount. It could be more in the evening. Compared to long time ago there's less rides and game booths. The pre-paid cards is also good for games and food booths . They do not except any cash at the game booths anymore. It was a new experience for me but I guess it's easier that way plus more efficient. It was very hot on a Sunday afternoon but my grand nephew had fun that's the main thing . We also had pizza and cotton candy to bring home . I guess due to Covid19 it's hard to maintain workers so EK Fernandez have to go on a smaller scale carnival. It was smaller than I could remember way back when . Support local so they can still be in business

You will not believe that last night 2/6/2026 was my first time here! VIRGIN LOL!…read more Located in the Waikele Shopping Center (lot where the old K Mart was). Parking was so easy to find, we got there a little after 5 pm. First place we stop at was Mama Mercy's but they didn't have her famous empanadas, so then we headed to Joja's for their smash burgers and truffle fries. We were happy we got in line because shortly after, they were sold out. We ordered two smash burgers and truffle fries and the wait was a little over an hour but I must say, it was the best burger I ever had!!! The fries were perfectly fried and so damn tasty!!! While waiting we ordered food from a Himalayan food vendor and my goodness, soooooo good (we wanted to try foods that we normally don't eat). We also got drinks, Sunrise from Dragon Teagirls was the best, the Smashed Lemons lemonade was a little too sweet for me but it was still yummy (I gave the rest to my boyfriend who was at home lol). The strawberry shortcake parfait from Ruby's ended our food and it was perfectly delicious! It started pouring rain pretty heavy and we retreated to Grandma's Pasteles where the owner gave us a free pastele empanada that was so delicious and we bought 12 Pasteles (11 frozen and 1 fresh). There was alot of people and the best part is that it's pet friendly! Lots of room to walk (I hate super crowded places) around and check out all the vendors there. I will definitely head back there whenever I can, BEST FIRST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!

What the Truck is always a good choice for our family because we live very close and everyone gets…read moresomething they want. Barbecue, lechon, corndogs, mochi, churro sundaes, naan, teas, coffee, vaifala, & pork hash. I usually go for something barbecued or grilled just because it seems like they are making a lot of effort to be there and it smells so good.

Inaugural event. So definitely room for improvement. They definitely need more space for people to…read moresit and a bigger dance area. Also maybe open up the event earlier so that there is not a sudden rush for the food booths/trucks that there are long lines the whole night. Other than it was a great event with lots of live and recorded music.

*Disclaimer: This review is from the viewpoint of a volunteer…read more The Inagural Megabon Festival was a large community project hosted by Jaycee chapter JCI Honolulu. Most local chapters were there providing volunteer support, especially my chapter the Hawaii Kai Jaycees. Before the day of the event volunteers such as myself picked up their volunteer packets, which included detailed information of the roles and responsibilities we were assigned to and our volunteer shirt. Upon checking in our group was directed to our game tent. We were in charge of the yo-yo sukui game. We were feed somen noodles (thank you!). Key take aways and room of improvement: 1. First of all, I congratulate JCI Honolulu on hosting this successful event! Looking forward in this being an annual event in the years to come. 2. I hope the space gets expanded next year, there was a point where I felt it got over-crowded. 3. Some of our volunteers in our group were augmented away and we felt short-handed at our game station. We did receive assistance later on that evening but my hope is that more volunteers will be recruited to cover. Again, great community event!

Basics -5k (3 miles) run, held at Aloha Stadium…read more-Dubbed "The World's Most Colorful 5k Run" -You get powdered dye thrown at you (you also get to throw dye yourself) before, during and after the run. The dye is supposedly non-toxic and safe to eat-although it's not recommended. Participants are highly encouraged to: -Wear white to show off dye colors or come in costume (many females wore bright colored tutus, old wedding gowns, veils, bright colored knee-high socks or leg warmers, etc.) -Pick up packet before the day of the run (lines are REALLY long) -Be safe and have fun! My first Run or Dye experience was awesome. I picked up my packet the day before the run and the line was extremely long but the wait time wasn't as long as expected. They had a quick and efficient way of checking us in and distributing our essentials. We had to bring a signed waiver and they were able to look us up on their iPads to verify payment and registration. We were then given our bibs (the number would be used to identify runners in photos), a t-shirt, backpack and a packet of dye. They also had a store set up to purchase extra items like extra dye packs, shirts, bracelets, headbands, etc. During the wait, they played music and periodically gave away dye packs for free. On the morning of the race, there was ample parking even though we didn't arrive that early. The check-in line for those who didn't pick up their packets early was crazy long and pretty much stayed that way until even after the first wave of runners started. I liked the setup of the event-they had multiple tents and many porta-potties and sinks on the outside. They had the check-in tents, first aid, store, water station, etc. Then of course they had the long starting line and a stage with a pretty good sound system for the after party. At the start of the race (I'm not sure why they call it a race because you're not officially timed and it's a non-competitive run. In fact, many walked and also brought their kids and strollers); they send runners in waves of 500-700. They would send a wave every 5-10 minutes to help spread everyone out. It was pretty cool how they set it up because there was a tower at the beginning of the start line where the host entertained everyone, music was being played and runners were already starting to throw dye at each other and in the air while waiting for the run to start. They had several dye zones throughout the race and for the most part, each dye zone had a designated dye color. So volunteers would continuously throw dye at runners passing through the dye zone. It got pretty crazy and entertaining because some runners rolled on the ground in the dye zone to immerse themselves in color. The course didn't even seem like 3 miles probably because we had so much fun. We were pre-occupied with the dye and people watching (many runners wore creative outfits/costumes) along the course. After the run, we attended the after party or "Dye Festival" at the stage where we danced and dyed the sky. Basically, when they told us to throw our dye in the air, we did it simultaneously and there were huge clouds of dye in the air. I wish we could upload videos to Yelp so I can show you! Pros -Tons of fun if you're willing to get colored -They partnered with Aloha United Way so by running, you help support local charities -Dye easily came off of skin and hair (with a lot of scrubbing) -Entertaining (like I mentioned, many people showed up in costumes, they played music and the host was entertaining as well) Cons -Probably not suitable for people with asthma. On a couple occasions, my friends got dye in their mouth as they were screaming and/or laughing in the dye zones. There was dye flying all over the place so it's probably best to keep your mouth shut and hold your breath in the dye zones. -Long lines for check in. I recommend going early and hopefully they have two check in days for the next time. Lines were long the day before the run and from what I heard and saw being posted, the line was continuously long throughout the entire day. Would I do it again? Over and over! I highly recommend this run to anyone who hasn't tried it and doesn't mind getting a little dirty. Okay, A LOT dirty! Like they say, "You haven't lived dyed running!"

If you love to run or power walk, get dirty, throw some colored scented chalk on some people and…read morebring your kids, this 5k is the place to be! As a first timer, I brought my 5yr old and left the infant at home since the aloha stadium is hot and I did not want chalk on my baby or have the need to clean the stroller after. The entire race was done around the stadium in the hot sun...some people cheated by cutting across to get to the dye stations quickly. The race itself was great, I felt like a powdered doughnut afterwards, and I enjoyed the dye throw at the end. The downfall, sign ins took forever!!! I suggest that they do the packet pick ups the day before so that everyone has their correct shirt size instead of sticking with an xL. Also, they did not have individual chalk packets as stated as part of our packages. Super bummed! They should have had paper cups filled with certain colors to pass out instead of selling the oops bull bags. I even saw some hopeful souls rolling on the ground due to the absence...smh. Lastly, when I got home, the green dye color and blue proved to be the hardest colors to extract from the body. I tried using the infamous Japanese scrubbing cloth twice....it just wouldn't come off...so now I'm walking around ala moana looking like a cross between the sister of hulk and an Andy Warhol painting...but at least I had a good run experience!

We've hired Balloon Monsoon on multiple occasions and they've always done a good job - no…read morecomplaints. But, this last hiring we did on Easter really just impressed us. My son requested a Buzz and Woody balloon and man did the guy deliver!! This time it was a younger guy who worked our party, we've had different guys. We are just so impressed. Although it was a longer balloon to put together, he took care and did it!

I hired Balloon Monsoon for my grandniece's 5th Birthday party after seeing them work at a friend's…read moreparty. It was a surprise attraction at the party for the kids as well as the adults. The birthday girl requested for the my melody character (which was the theme for her party). She was so thrilled that all her little friends requested for the same. Soon kids were requesting for Keroppi frog, Spiderman, Hello Kitty, list goes on and on. The balloon twisting of any balloon characters are amazing! My grandniece jumped for joy and said this was the best party ever! Balloon Monsoon was the highlight of the party!

This actually breaks my heart because I was so excited about this. My friend suggested we go and…read moregot a Groupon for tickets - $15 a piece - and so we all went on Saturday. Coming from Washington, I was thinking a Bumbershoot-esq festival with what the name suggests - music, art, and food. But what we got Bumbershoot's sad cousin who no one talks to because they're kinda obnoxious. Considering this is not Seattle, I thought of what Bumbershoot in Hawaii would look like: Eat The Street meets Night Market meets Art + Flea. Sadly, that's not what I got. We got to the stadium a few hours after the festival had already started on Saturday and had to pay for parking - this was annoying enough after already paying for the event, something that doesn't happen often at a lot of big, festival-esq events here. But we got parked and walked in to find... not much. Nobody seemed to be there in the middle of the day on a Saturday - plus one for not being crowded, but also you kind of expect crowds at these events, right? I'll give it to them, there WAS music, art, and food. But the music was isolated to one "main stage" all by itself off to the side, the food was a bunch of random places I've never heard of alongside a Jack In The Box, Papa Johns, and Jamba Juice tents, and the art was technically local artists, but only maybe two or three tents fill with what I expect when you say the words "arts festival." All the tents were awkwardly spread out and located so there was no real flow. There was a beer garden located waaaay across the parking lot by itself and a few rickety rides that looked like the rejects from Punahou Carnival. AND you needed scripts to do anything. After paying to get in, paying for parking, laying everything out all wonky, they make you exchange all your money for scripts to make it that much more difficult. It makes no sense to me. We lasted maybe an hour there before we gave up and headed home. I believe this is the first time this festival has ever been, so I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and say that it may get better. I have high hopes as I'd love these types of events and want to see them do well. But if you're charging somewhere around $30 for regular priced tickets and then only offer what I saw... I'm gonna go out to eat a restaurant with a live band and then go shopping later and call it good. Step up your game!

I was not impressed with the honolulu music art and food festival. Entering aloha stadium there was…read morea parking fee of 5 bucks. As we walked towards the festival it seemed very quiet. It was easy to maneuver through the lot as there was not much cars. There was a tent to check in and a stamp that was given for entry. Well I must say instead of being greeted by a bustle of people, loud music, and drinks there was a huge gap of emptiness. The signage for the festival was almost nonexistent once entering. I saw more of the Spartan banner then anything. There was a tent that sold t shirts for 10 bucks which did not get much attention. The fact that this festival was supposed to raise money for kids I felt more effort should've been given. Especially when people base most of their experiences on their first impression. I did feel sad that not much people were there to listen to the band. As for the art aspect not much was really displayed. I believe more was offered at the aloha swap meet on Wednesdays. There was not an abundance of food variety as I had envisioned at a festival. It was ok, but they did not accept cash. You needed to trade it in for tickets at the script tent. I bought a crazy corn from one of the tents which was delicious. The seasonings on the fresh grilled corn makes me want to buy a grill lol. Onto the kid section, I would've thought the petting zoo be more spacious. We ended up speaking to a mom with kids that felt everything was overpriced and not worth the admission price. Maybe an arts and craft table should have been implemented as one of their activities. There was a performance going on to entertain the kids. Oh and there was a bulldog dog show going on as well. I did enjoy that one very much. I'm only reviewing my overall experience perhaps someone else felt differently. :) I may attend next year if they can just tighten upthe loose ends. The proceeds raised may then be better for the kids:)

This was my first time at Village Market and I'll give it a 4/5! We got there around 5:30pm,…read moreshortly after it opened and there was still plenty of parking. Initially, our main goal was to get Taho from One Three HI, however they were not there so we didn't get to have any Taho. HOWEVER, we did one lap around and ate some other food: TAKO4U: It was the first time I had Tako4U and we had the Yakisoba and the Most Valuable Chicken (aka MVC, which was Karaage Chicken) with the Honey Mustard mayo. I didn't get to try the Yakisoba, but the Karaage Chicken was really yummy. The mayo and karaage flavor didn't over power one another too much, so it was a nice balance that also maintained the crunchiness of the chicken. Additionally, I followed them on instagram and we got five free Takoyaki balls with the Yakisoba! The Takoyaki was definitely a bit bland, but still delightful nevertheless. ISLAND MANAPUA FACTORY: This vendor was also a first time for me, and I would say it was okay! I'm a HUGE fan of bao buns AND char siu, so I was really looking forward to trying their Char Siu bao buns, but it was alright! The bao bun itself was really good--quite fluffy and the perfect texture, but the char siu slices were unfortunately a bit too thick and it was cold and hard to chew. Next time, I'll try the chicken and duck, but I do think that the char siu slices should be a bit thinner! I will say that if you are wanting to try different bao buns, you are able to mix and match if you want, which I didn't know until after I ordered! THE AGUA BABE: Also another first for me, and it definitely was my favorite vendor of the three we tried today! We had the Lava Cloud, Lilikoi Dream, and Ube Paradise and ALL THREE were absolutely AMAZING! The drinks were light and such a perfect pair with any dinner/dish at the night market and their flavors were SO on point. The Lava Cloud was very coconut heavy while the Ube Paradise was mostly horchata, but with the perfect amount of Ube Poi drizzle to add a fun twist. I WILL be coming back to try all the other different flavors for sure! The vibe of the entire night market was so precious! The live music was awesome and the singers were pretty interactive with the crowd, and the family friendly vibe was awesome (there were a ton of kids having fun today which was such a fun sight to see). Even though it was my first time at the Village Market, I WILL BE BACK and will definitely be trying all the other vendors! :)

Not the biggest nor the most popular but one of the best for foodies…read more Huh? One, the market schedule is consistent. Every Saturday 17:00-21:00. Pearlridge. Old Sears parking lot. Two, it's not overly crowded, you will always find a seat in the large, covered eating area to enjoy your finds. Booze and live music a plus if you're into that. Three, the vendor list is not booked solid with regulars (ie What the Truck where you will see the same vendors event after event). This means lots of new, first time vendors or those from other parts of the Island who can't get a spot at the sold out, established markets. A reliable IG post of the exact vendors who will be at the Market the morning of allows preplanning; who to visit, what to eat, even if it's worth your time. Additionally, the price to be a vendor must be low meaning generous portions and reasonable prices (if you attend a lot of these events around the Island, you'll quickly learn when the price of participation is high, food quantity drops and prices are several dollars higher). Add a great layout with plenty of space, a handful of family friendly vendors, and onsite local kine friendly security and it's a solid experience. So yeah, not the biggest, nor the most popular but one of the best for foodies.