Celebration Celebrates Region’s Unique History and Culture
It is Coffee Festival time again on the Big Island of Hawaii! [Complete 2009 Schedule]
The 39th Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival will be held from November 1-15 with events at various Kailua-Kona locations.
See below for a complete Schedule of Events for the 2009 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.
As the only coffee festival in the United States, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is also Hawaii’s oldest food festival, and one of the most successful due to its great tradition and careful year-long planning.
Aside from all of the gourmet Kona Coffee to be found at the Kona Coffee Festival you will be able to experience lots of great food and music. The work of local artisans will also be featured at various venues, including the Holualoa Village Coffee Tasting & Art Stroll featuring art reflecting the Kona lifestyle.
The week-long coffee celebration is a wonderful celebration of the Kona Coffee farmers and their craft of growing the world-famous crop of Kona coffee.
The Festival also commemorates the unique cultural heritage of this prime coffee-growing region known as the Kona Coffee Belt.
Located along the lower slopes of Hualalai Volcano, the Kona Coffee Belt ranges in elevation from about 500 to 2,500 feet. At these elevations along the volcano’s lower slopes the sun, soil, rainfall, and temperature are just right to produce the world-renown premium gourmet Kona Coffee.
Also celebrated at the Kona Coffee signature celebration is the history of Kona Coffee farming. Many of today’s Kona Coffee farmers are descendants - some fifth generation - of the original Kona Coffee farming pioneers.
TheCultural Festival is one way that today’s Kona Cofee farmers pay homage to their forebears.
The Kona Coffee celebration is a ten-day extravaganza of wonderful local-style events. This is truly one of the most charming annual festivals in the Hawaiian Islands. It is well-worth planning your vacation around this festival if you are coming to the Hawaii, even if you aren’t a coffee drinker.
With so many events to choose from at the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, you may wish to just select the ones most appealing to you. You may have a difficult time choosing, however, because there are so many fun events being held.
The Festival opens with a lovely International Lantern Parade on Friday, and then ends a week later with the Kamehameha Schools Kona Coffee Grand Parade and Kona Coffee Concert in the Park.
In between these events are nearly 50 fun events including farm tours, art exhibits, colorful dances, music, a scholarship pageant, coffee tastings, and cultural foods.
Other highlights include the Kona Coffee Picking Contest - see the very best at this subtle art that is so crucial to ensuring a great cup of Kona coffee because only the perfectly ripe coffee cherry are picked - farmers pick each coffee tree up to eight times per year.
Also at this unique coffee gathering are arts and crafts, a cupping workshop, Kona Coffee symposium, and much more - even a Kona Coffee Recipe Contest with apprentice and professional chefs participating.
Novice coffee connoisseurs can learn how the experts judge coffees at the Cupping Competition and also get tips on critiquing their own favorite premium gourmet coffees.
History of the Kona Coffee Festival
Kona Coffee has a rich, 175-year heritage, and the whole Kona region celebrates this rich heritage with the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival. The traditional celebration began in 1970 when the very first celebration was held. The event was chaired by Takeshi Kudo, who was the manager of a South Kona farmer’s cooperative.
The following year the Festival was chaired by Julie Honda who had ties to the tourism industry - and her husband Fred Honda who managed the Keauhou Beach Hotel. Julie expanded the Festival to include multiple events over several days.
Since then the celebration has continued to grow, with more events and more people attending. The name was changed to the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, which is very appropriate because all of the cultures are celebrated at this unique event, from the pioneering Japanese coffee farmers to the deep Hawaiian cultural connections of the region.
There is something to satisfy every taste at this wonderful Kailua-Kona event. For some people the highlight is just being able to sample all of the wonderful local foods. Others are very interested in the farm tours, mill tours, and seeing how the coffee is grown and harvested.
Coffee aficianados attending the Festival will appreciate the chance to sample Kona coffee from all of the best Kona estates. This is also a great chance to try new roast types and talk with other coffee connisseurs, debating the merits of the various coffees from their favorite Kona coffee farms.
Attending a Kona Coffee Workshop will broaden your horizons as you learn about how Kona coffee is grown and processed through the fermenting, drying, and milling as well as roasting.
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