'Aha Niu: Maui Nui Coconut Celebration Festival 9am-3pm June 13

Short: Join us for 'Aha Niu: Maui Nui Coconut Celebration Festival at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens on June 13th, 2026 from 9am-3pm.

This free community gathering at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens offers your 'ohana a day to reconnect with and celebrate niu. Expect a day full of sprouted coconut tree giveaways, family-friendly and hands-on cultural workshops, presentations, talk story and mo'olelo, food processing workshops and cooking demonstrations, food and crafts for sale, and more!

Registration required: https://bit.ly/ahaniu2026

Volunteer sign-up: https://swettehawaii.ivolunteer.com/ahaniu2026

Long: On Saturday, June 13th, the Maui community is invited to gather at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens for a day dedicated to honoring and revitalizing niu (coconut) as a multi-use, culturally significant Hawaiian canoe plant and staple crop.

At ‘Aha Niu, cultural practitioners, farmers, educators, chefs, and families will come together for hands-on workshops, mo?olelo, and coconut-centered food and crafts. Through workshops, the whole ?ohana will have the opportunity to learn how to weave p?pale lau niu, make cordage from the husk (kaula niu), prepare ?apu ?awa, and plant and sprout niu (kanu niu), along with food processing and cooking demonstrations. Cultural practitioners and niu farmers will hold space for mo?olelo and conversations about stewardship and the future of niu in Hawai?i. Educational and non-profit booths will share information and resources, including how to identify, report, and mitigate the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB). Food and craft vendors will demonstrate niu’s versatility, highlighting traditional and contemporary uses of this staple crop.

The hope is that this festival reconnects Maui Nui with niu as a living resource that nourishes, shelters, and sustains. A free niu sprout giveaway (while supplies last) will help families bring that commitment into their backyards and kitchens.

Space is limited, register today! https://bit.ly/3QtP3JS

Volunteering is a great way to connect with the niu community, sign up here: https://swettehawaii.ivolunteer.com/ahaniu2026

Date: Saturday, June 13th, 2026

Time: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Cost: Free

Categories: Volunteer Opportunity, Sustainability Event, Non-Profit Community Event, FREE, Food & Beverage, Environmental Event, Educational, Cultural / Ethnic

Maui Nui Botanical Gardens located at 150 Kanaloa Ave, Wailuku, HI 96793   in Central Maui

Phone: 808-249-2798   Email: mnbg@maui.net   Website: https://www.mnbg.org/

Hours of operation: Mon-Sat 8am-4pm

The mission of the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens is to foster an appreciation and understanding of the living Hawaiian islands of today, emphasizing the plants of Maui Nui (Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe), and providing a center for environmental education, Hawaiian cultural expression, conservation, biological study, and recreation.

Location Specifics: Free parking across the street at the War Memorial Stadium

Contact: Katie Crowe   Phone: 8084266767

Email:   Website: https://globalfutures.asu.edu/food/aha-niu-2026/