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Arizona Aloha Festivals
- Hours:
Sat-Sun 10 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
8 reviews for Arizona Aloha Festivals
8 reviews in English
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Review from Judy F.
3/10/2012 1 photo
This is my 1st year attending this event. I LOVE IT! TON of stages, activities, entertainment, food, drinks, products, and love the people.
So glad we were there early (10am), it was getting super crowded around 12:45pm when we were leaving. I miss Hawaii!!! -
Review from Michelle L.
Scottsdale, AZ
4/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
I had a great time at the Aloha festival. It was a lot bigger than I expected it to be. I went on the 2nd day. I went on a trip to Maui a year ago and have been missing the islands ever since, and this was a fun way to bring that experience back home. I shared some delicious teryaki chicken and rice with my friend, had a shaved ice, and walked around looking at all of the booths. Saw a lot of orchids, coconut candles, ukuleles, and shell necklaces. There was different music and entertainment on different stages. I liked it a lot.
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Review from Alison B.
3/13/2011 4 photos
This is one of the better festivals I have been to here in AZ. The selection for food is HUGE! So much to choose from. I went with full intentions to satisfy my plate lunch craving and that's what I got. Delicious chicken teriyaki with rice & mac salad. Besides that there was every kind of meat imaginable, kahlua pig, shrimp, lomi lomi salmon, banana egg rolls, malasadas, kona coffee, the list goes on.
There are lots of booths with interesting crafts. I loved the Hawaiian snacks tents where you could find every kind of dried fruit and lots of authentic Hawaiian and Asian inspired candies. The entertainment was great too - there were dance acts, bands, and more on stages throughout the festival. And on a hot day what's better than a real shave ice? So refreshing and love the little ice cream surprise on the bottom. -
Review from Nicole P.
Phoenix, AZ
11/4/2011
I really enjoy the Aloha Festival: a variety of vendors, heaping plates of food (chicken katsu, manapua, Portuguese sausage, lomi lomi, shaved iced, etc.), great music and entertainment... and entrance is free! Unlike some other festivals, there's plenty of open space to throw down a blanket and enjoy the atmosphere. It's definitely grown over the years and the move from Heritage Square to Tempe Beach Park was a smart one.
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Review from Elle T.
Phoenix, AZ
3/24/2008
I've been to at least a half dozen and overall, I think it's the best of the "cultural" festivals AZ has to offer. Usually in March, the Aloha Festival is jam-packed with heaps of food booths (plate lunches, yakisoba, ramen, Chinese, Huli-huli style chicken, malasadas, shave ice), souvenir stands (jewelry, art, automotive accessories, clothes, mu'us, pareos, crack seed), activities (stuff for the kids, martial arts demonstrations), and entertainment (Taiko, Hula, Tahitian dancing).
There's alot. And alot of people. It's one of the better-attended festivals. And feels like home. As close as you can get in AZ I guess. So many locals fly up here specifically for the festival - whether to man a booth or perform. It's a great mix of old-timers and new-comers; the offerings never get old.
Unfortunately you have to wait a year if you haven't been yet, but mark your calendar and grab some friends when the time comes. It's very worth it.Listed in: Super Star Fabulousness
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Review from Logie Z.
Tempe, AZ
3/16/2011
I absolutely enjoy this festival. It reminds me so much of Hawaii's outdoor marketplace sans the beach. Clearly, Tempe Beach Park is just a name.
We head on to Island Noodles right when we got there. "I just want noodles and vegetables. No chicken!", my son exclaimed. It's a little on the salty side. As long as its not greasy, it's all good.
Then, hubby wanted a plate lunch. Okay, I don't get why Aloha Kitchen can't get efficiency down with their service at this festival. Love their food, but the line is outrageous! Off we try this new Paradise Hawaiian who's got two fast line going. He ordered the BBQ chicken and Mandoo (pot sticker) plate.
For something sweet, my cutie pie wanted some malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) covered with cinnamon sugar as well as my son being covered after eating them. It doesn't have the custardy flavor I expected.
I picked up an undercooked rice spam musubi. Yuck! We all shared the food as we sat on a retaining wall with no shade.
We browsed around the different vendors of shirts, jewelry, pottery, Hawaiian art and artifacts, to island cookies.
Saturday-elaborate entertainment with the biggest crowd.
Sunday-less entertainment with less crowd.
Pick your day and you'll enjoy this free festival. Aloha! -
Review from Amy L.
5/21/2010 4 photos
This my 2nd year attending the aloha festival w/ the kiddies @ the Tempe Town Lake. This is a free event & the place gets packed with people, food vendors, Hawaiian products & entertainments. This time we decided to park across the lake & ride over with our bikes. There's plenty of parking for this festival but we just wanted to get some exercise in. Our favorite (and a must have) is the huli-huli chicken & smoked turkey leg from the Hawaiian Vilovilo Chicken booth. The line is long but it's worth it!!! There's not really an eating area so everyone just sits in the grass area & relax.
The good:
- large array of food vendors (prices are reasonable)
- kids activities (lei making, Hawaiian name label, etc)
- they keep the park public restroom open so it's a alternative to the potty johns
- 2 different areas for endless stage performances
The bad:
- malasadas are really oily
- if it's a hot weekend it gets muggy out here (luckily, Hawaiian shave ice booths are not too far away. -
Review from Tiffany M.
Mesa, AZ
4/26/2011
I found the Aloha Festival to be a great free event. 2011 was my first year attending and I must say I can't wait to take my family and hopefully some friends in 2012. I found there to be great entertainment, food, prices, and more. To start we had the option to ride the light rail right to the park but because one of the ladies we were with was handicap we were able to park in the parking garage for free. It looked like there was a lot of easy access parking all around. We only had a short walk right across the street to the festival. From the parking lot I could hear all of the calming Hawaiian music.
As we walked in we were greeted by some of the festival volunteers who by the way were all so nice. The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming smell of some amazing foods and also the stages with entertainers all around. Watching the dancing in itself was such an amazing part of my experience at the festival. Most of the dancers told stories about the queen and the traditions in Hawaii. Not only were they all so amazing and talented but their colorful costumes, interesting hair, and fast moves were just incredible. Some dancers wore cloth skirts and cloths around their chest. The Tahitian dancers wore big helmets and danced to the extremely fast music. It almost looked as though there hips weren't even connected to their bodies. Other dancers were wearing their hair in a Pele style after the queen. I learned that they will braid their hair the night before and take it out the day of to show their long beautiful curls. I've only seen the hula dancing, and flame dances on TV so to see all of this in person was really just a great experience in itself. BUT there is so much more to look forward to!
My friend brought me on this little adventure so she had all of the food recommendations. There are so many food vendors to choose from everything from American food, to traditional Hawaiian and Tahitian food. Everyone in our group kept talking about a place called the Aloha kitchen so we had planned to eat there. Walking up to their booth I was blown away by the long lines and amount of people starting to arrive as the minutes passed. I could smell so many different foods so I couldn't help but get a little impatient while waiting in line. Thankfully the line went rather quickly and it was our turn to order. The people working were so nice and just happy to assist us even though we had a large group to feed. I ordered the Kalbi Short Ribs they were incredible. I can't even put in to words how good the food was! The overall pricing wasn't bad either. My Kalbi ribs came with rice and something they call potato mac all for under $10. The crowd was growing but there were still lots of nice places to sit and enjoy the entertainment.
If you are looking for authentic Hawaiian items this is the place to go. I was told that when organizing this event they are only looking for authentic merchandise. You can find anything from real flower leis, ear flowers, hats, Hawaiian pieces of art, music, and so much more all for such a great deal. I myself have never had the pleasure of going to Hawaii but my family and friends that have always talk about how expensive it is. So I found that it was a great taste of Hawaiian culture without the 6 hour flight and everything else that comes along with being a tourist on vacation. I can't wait to go in 2012 with my family and I hope to bring others along because the entire event was such a great experience for me.
