'Ulu Festival
The ʻUlu Festival is a public, community-rooted celebration of ʻulu (breadfruit) as a foundational Native Hawaiian food, cultural kinolau, and climate-resilient agroforestry crop. Hosted at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Kona, the festival is designed to elevate ʻike kūpuna, strengthen connection to ʻāina, and inspire restoration of traditional food systems through hands-on learning, cultural demonstration, and community gathering.
By centering ʻulu as both ancestral staple and contemporary food security solution, the festival advances community well-being through the revitalization of traditional food systems and strengthened relationships between people and place.
This free, public event will feature Chef Demonstrations, Grower & Agroforestry Education, Cultural & Ethnobotanical Exhibitors, Keiki Programming, and an ‘Ulu Mākeke (marketplace) featuring value-added producers, artisans, and makers. A breadfruit tree sale will include new varieties not previously available in Hawai‘i!
The 'Ulu Festival is the kickoff event for the 2026 ‘Ulu Ho‘olaule‘a or Breadfruit Celebration - an international week-long series of events honoring breadfruit ('ulu), one of Oceania's most important ancestral crops and an increasingly recognized solution for climate resilience, regenerative agriculture, and community food security. Other Ho‘olaule‘a events include an ‘Aha ‘Ulu September 20-21, the Global Breadfruit Summit on September 22-24 and an ‘Ulu Culinary Showcase on September 23.
Hosted in the historic Kaluʻulu breadfruit belt of South Kona, where nearly 18 contiguous square miles of breadfruit agroforestry once produced an estimated 35 million pounds of ʻulu annually, the celebration brings together farmers, researchers, Indigenous knowledge holders, educators, chefs, food entrepreneurs, policymakers, students, and community leaders from across Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and beyond.
Together, we'll explore how traditional knowledge and modern innovation can strengthen food systems for generations to come.