Kauai Poke Fest expands to two days with celebrity chefs, fresh ahi

Kōloa Landing Resort in Poipū will turn into a two-day showcase of Kauai seafood and island cooking when the 6th Annual Kauai Poke Fest returns June 19 and 20. The festival is adding a Friday night Poke Masters’ Table dinner for the first time, a sign of how far the event has grown since its 2019 debut and how central fresh fish has become to the island’s food identity.

The expanded format starts Friday at 6:00 p.m. with the dinner, then rolls into Saturday’s main festival. Organizers say the Grand Ballroom has been expanded to nearly double its previous capacity, with more than 30 teams expected overall, more than $10,000 in prizes and a slate that includes live music, entertainment, a hosted bar and a poke demonstration. The main competition will feature 25 teams preparing more than 1,000 pounds of fresh, Hawaiian line-caught ahi from Kaua‘i Fresh Fish.

The chef lineup brings together James Beard Award-winning Chef Sam Choy, Emeril Lagasse, Sheldon Simeon and Ronnie Rainwater. Their presence gives the festival a cooking-school feel as much as a tasting event, with local seafood preparation on display in public and the island’s best-known cooks sharing the stage with homegrown competitors. For families that rely on Kauai’s fishing culture, the festival’s focus on line-caught ahi keeps the conversation centered on where seafood comes from and how it should be handled, cooked and shared.

Kauai Poke Fest has also become one of the island’s signature food events by scale. It was voted the No. 9 Best Specialty Food Festival in the United States, and the 2025 festival drew more than 800 people, served 1,000-plus pounds of locally sourced ahi and raised more than $20,000 for Kauai nonprofits through the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association’s Charity Walk. The 2024 event drew more than 750 attendees, raised over $62,000 for the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund and featured 22 unique poke recipes.

Organizers describe the festival as charitable, with one event document saying proceeds will support local Kauai nonprofits and the festival homepage saying the money will help fight Alzheimer’s through the Alzheimer’s Association. However the cause is described, the event has become a community draw that links food, fundraising and local seafood traditions well beyond one weekend in Poipū.