There are two big local events I like at the Neal Blaisdell: the Made in Hawaii Festival and the Season's Best Craft and Gift Fair. Why you ask? Well, 1) I like to stay local. As I mentioned in my Made in Hawaii Festival review (http://www.yelp.com/biz/made-in-hawaii-festival-honolulu-2?hrid=4jV_sFJK3SZRAAY7tq88GA), there is no place on Earth like Hawaii. The crafts (like the jewelry, soaps, shirts, etc.) and the food (like the cookies, sauces, snacks, etc.) are out of this world. But the other reason I REALLY like the Season's Best Fair: 2) I can start and finish my Christmas shopping in one spot. Literally.
Just like the Made in Hawaii Festival, the Season's Best showcases the amazing talent of crafters we have here in Hawaii. For me, the discovery of amazing new boutiques or local jewelry makers is literally worth the measily three dollars for admission. This past weekend at the Fair, I discovered Jana of Blue Bird Jewelry Hawaii. She includes a lot of gems in her collection and she does on-the-spot requests. That, my friends, is not something that cannot be done for you at mainland-run big brand jewelry companies. Jana's jewelry is made with TLC.
Looking for gifts or omiyage for family on the mainland for the holidays? There is no better spot than at Season's Best. Since the craft fair is in October, there isn't a better time to get your holiday booty in the swing of things. Probably not a good idea to get food omiyage (afterall, October is still a couple of months from Xmas), but you can go cray cray on gifts like jewelry (there were crazy sales and discounts), clothing & accessories, or knick knacks (like island-made soaps and candles).
I could go on and on about the array of local vendors that we can choose from at Season's Best, but, frankly, you just have to hit up the craft fair on your own. So it's worth a visit during the month of October - your wallet and our fab local vendors will thank you. read more