WHAAM! fundraiser brings food, art and music to Wainaku

A ticket to WHAAM! at Wainaku is designed to do more than buy a night of food and music. It is meant to help bankroll Hawaii Island Art Alliance’s exhibitions, education programs, artist opportunities and community activation, turning a Bayfront social event into direct support for the island’s arts infrastructure.

The pop art-inspired fundraiser is set for Saturday, May 30, at Ola Ōkolehao Distillery in the historic Wainaku Executive Center overlooking Hilo Bay. VIP entry begins at 5 p.m., general admission starts at 6 p.m., and the event runs until 9 p.m. Hawaii Island Art Alliance is presenting the evening with Ola Brew, and the format is built to feel immersive rather than formal: guests are encouraged to dress creatively and become part of the scene.

The food lineup alone signals how ambitious the event is. Ernie Gray of Poke Market, Brian Hirata of Naau Hilo, Mark Pomaski of Moon & Turtle, Sheldon Simeon of Tin Roof and Tiffany’s, and Jeremy Van Kralingen of Ola Brew are all part of the evening’s culinary mix. Craft beverages and cocktails will be poured alongside the food, making the fundraiser part dinner, part tasting and part performance.

Art and sound are woven into the setting as well. Kristie Fujiyama Kosmides and Daniheux are slated for live art activations, while the Hilo Honeys, DJ Thunder Bunny and Yellow Streetlights will provide the music. The event’s organizers are clearly using the Wainaku property itself as part of the show, transforming the old mill site into a living canvas where food, sound, movement and visual art overlap.

That choice of venue carries its own local weight. The former Hilo Sugar Mill once processed 1,400 tons of sugar a day, and the Wainaku Executive Center later became a prominent event site above Hilo Bay. The 10.9-acre parcel was tied in 2023 to plans for a renovated 12,000-square-foot micro-distillery, restaurant and bar, with the site reportedly purchased in 2022 for $7 million from the Edmund C. Olson Trust. The former sugar-storage building was later expected to open as a distillery for ōkolehao, underscoring how the property has moved from plantation-era industry into contemporary food, drink and cultural redevelopment.

For Hawaii Island Art Alliance, founded in 2015 and described by Wailoa Center as a volunteer-driven nonprofit, WHAAM! fits a broader mission of supporting artists on Hawaii Island and across Hawaii. By tying a high-profile night at Wainaku to artist access and public programming, the fundraiser tests a simple proposition: that creative work, local business and community support can still be built into one room, one stage and one evening in Hilo.