Hawaii Performing Arts Festival launches summer season at Kahilu Theatre
HPAF will bring Carousel, Spelling Bee and new opera to Kahilu Theatre, with mainstage tickets at $40 to $60 and dates spread across July 1-19.
Kahilu Theatre in Waimea will anchor the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival's 2026 Season of Dreams during a July 1-19 run built around musical theater, opera and concerts. Mainstage tickets are listed at $40, $50 and $60, putting the biggest shows within reach for island families choosing where to spend summer nights.
The marquee productions will bookend the month. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel is scheduled for July 11 at 3 p.m. with the HPAF Orchestra, and the festival also has a behind-the-scenes talk planned for July 12. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows on July 18 and 19 at 3 p.m. at Kahilu Theatre, with the HPAF Pep Band and audience volunteers.
HPAF is also using the summer to push newer work. A.E. Reverie and Rise are set for July 3 and July 5, with composer-in-residence Kamala Sankaram leading pre-show Behind the Curtain talks on both dates. The double bill places A.E. Reverie on the night Amelia Earhart lands in Chautauqua in 1929 and pairs it with Rise, which explores legacy, equality and representation through a mix of history and magical realism.
The schedule widens beyond the headliners with smaller events. Dueling Divas is set for July 9 and features fiery arias and virtuosic showpieces, with general admission at $35. Other offerings include I Love a Piano, Great Performances, Broadway Bound and a Christmas in July event on July 2 featuring the Developing Singers and Encrantz Fellows.
The festival is in its 22nd season and has presented more than 300 performances across Hawai‘i Island. High School Singer participants will appear in the chorus of Carousel.
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