KONA, Hawai‘i Island — Returning to the pre-pandemic format, the 28th annual Kona Brewers Festival took place on Saturday at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel Lu‘au Grounds.
KONA, Hawai‘i Island — Returning to the pre-pandemic format, the 28th annual Kona Brewers Festival took place on Saturday at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel Lu‘au Grounds.
The sold out festival featured brews from 17 breweries with pupu selections from 16 chefs and restaurants.
The zero waste event also featured live music and the signature Trash Fashion Show.
The show is the epitome of upcycling and creative reuse. Models walked the catwalk wearing elaborate gowns and outfits made entirely out of discarded and recycled materials.
The event was made possible thanks to the efforts of 400 volunteers, who did everything from pour beer to oversee operations to ensure zero waste.
As part of a zero waste commitment, more than 90 percent of festival waste created by the 1,200 attendees was diverted from landfills by converting waste into composted soil for local school gardens.
Over the past 27 years, the Kona Brewers Festival has become one of Kailua-Kona’s premier events and raised $1.5 million for nonprofit organizations.
This year, 10 nonprofit beneficiaries will share in proceeds from the event, estimated to be $50,000.
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Laura Ruminski can be reached at lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com.
