Return of Maui County Fair delights new generation with fun, food (and screams)

The 98th Maui County Fair returned last week after a six-year hiatus, drawing eager crowds of more than 115,000 people over four days.

From the carousel to the cotton candy, the historic fair brought back familiar traditions that began in 1916. This year, there was a new generation of young fairgoers.

Like many excited keiki, 9-year-old Kairie attended for the first time she can actually remember. She was a toddler at the last fair.

“My legs are shaking,” she said, after getting off Pharaoh’s Fury, a swinging pendulum so thrilling it brought screams from even the bravest riders.

“I was keeping my eyes completely shut,” Kairie said. “My stomach was feeling really tickly.”

The fair experience

Her mom, Tyler Corpuz, has fond memories of coming to the fair herself when she was little.

“I used to come all the time, every year, with my parents,” she said. Over the weekend, she brought her two daughters.

“This being our first year back, I was so excited to be able to bring them and show them the lights and get the experience,” Corpuz said.

Justin Dela Cruz waited in a long line to ride Pharaoh’s Fury. He and his friends were in middle school the last time they attended the fair. He said aside from the long wait times, it was a good time.

“It’s cool seeing all the people coming out to like have fun, all the kids, they look like they’re having fun,” Dela Cruz told HPR.

Catherine Cluett Pactol/HPR

Harley Ganoot said, “I was looking forward to the rides, but not the line.”

How long were they waiting? “Honestly, probably an hour by now,” he said, adding, “It’s nostalgic seeing all this again.”

Family-owned kamaʻāina entertainment company E.K. Fernandez Shows has been bringing fun to Hawaiʻi for more than a century. The Maui fair featured 14 rides for all ages and thrill levels.

Catherine Cluett Pactol/HPR

Another line snaked through the fairgrounds for the popular Wave Swinger. Chains and buckles clanked as the next batch of riders strapped in. The motor revved as the swings rose into the air, bringing shrieks of terror and delight.

“It was terrifyingly fun,” said 7-year-old Landon after he stepped off. “The scary part was when it was going in swirls really fast and the fun part was I got to feel the wind blow in my face.”

Pakalana, age 10, said she was most excited for “just spending time with my family and my friends.”

Catherine Cluett Pactol/HPR

Jahfrey Akina took his 6-year-old son, Logan, to the fair for the first time since he was a baby. While Logan was looking forward to the rides, Akina said, “For me growing up, it was always the games.”

This year, fairgoers had to load a digital card with credits to participate in fair activities, but Akina said the shift to digital wasn’t a positive one for him.

“I feel like it changed a lot for the nuance of it. Coins and tickets was what we looked forward to — now it’s all cards,” he said. “Those coins you only got here. I used to save those coins.”

Opportunity for vendors

In addition to the rides, the event also featured live music, games, contests, a farm animal exhibit, and dozens of local food and product vendors.

Catherine Cluett Pactol/HPR

Tara Diego and her husband own apparel company Unconquered Hawai’i. She grew up coming to the fair and later brought her own kids, but this was her first time as a vendor.

“You can tell by the way people have been tonight that it’s uplifted everyone’s spirits to have the fair back, but definitely as a small business owner, this has been amazing,” she said.

“We’re from Lahaina, so just the past couple years have been so focused on first the fire and everyone that has gone wrong with it, and then recovery, which we’re still going through. And it’s going to be a long road, so some might call it a distraction, but it’s a welcome distraction,” Diego laughed.

“We hope this isn’t a one-time thing and they’re able to continue it,” she added.

For vendor Trent Corpuz, the fair offered a valuable opportunity for their new business, Kekai and Me, which sells beach essentials and phone accessories with locally-inspired designs hand-drawn by his wife.

“Definitely a big exposure for us, this is one of the biggest events we’ve done,” Corpuz said. “We’re stoked to see what it brings afterwards, too.”

Behind the scenes

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Maui County appropriated $1.5 million to bring back the fair this year. After financial troubles, the pandemic and then the wildfires, the now-county-sponsored event was an important opportunity to celebrate resiliency, according to Mayor Richard Bissen.

Fair coordinator Daryl Fujiwara said organizing the massive event at War Memorial Complex brought logistical challenges — from permitting to lighting to barriers to lining up vendors.

“It’s a very, very arduous and crazy journey,” he said. “We’re grateful that the county came in to support this huge lift. It takes a village. It takes a whole island.”

Fujiwara said E.K. Fernandez Shows used to charter a barge and go to all the islands — a cost shared by the counties — but since COVID, other counties are not hosting as many fairs recently, so transporting the rides from Oʻahu is now a bigger deal.

Catherine Cluett Pactol/HPR

With the 50th State Fair on pause due to Aloha Stadium’s redevelopment on Oʻahu, Bissen said Maui was the only county to hold a fair this year in the state.

Ultimately, Bissen said it’s all about bringing the community together.

“This just gives everyone an opportunity to reunite, just to be in an environment that is positive, that is designed to bring joy to from the youngest to the oldest that come out there,” he said. “People look forward to the food, the music, the free entertainment, the exhibits, the rides, the games — but it really is the connecting with one another.”