The 13th Annual Wiliwili Festival will be held on Saturday at the  Waikoloa Dry Forest Preserve. Wiliwili are keystone species in the lowland dry forest and this year’s festival will give you the opportunity to see these beautiful trees in their natural environment! The Wiliwili Festival will feature exhibitors presenting activities and educational materials at booths set up along the preserve access road.

At Hale Hana Hou, within the preserve, there will be a native plant giveaway, and opportunities to ask the experts about plant propagation, growing, and care. Food and beverages will be available for purchase as well as Waikoloa Dry Forest merchandise including t-shirts featuring this year’s beautiful artwork.

Guided tours of the forest will be offered by our friends at Hawai’i Forest & Trail every hour. HFT’s knowledgeable guides have become ambassadors of our forest and helped collect millions of native seeds through their weekly giveback tour that visits the Waikoloa Dry Forest Preserve. Hiking, exploration, and self-guided tours are always an option!

Throughout the day we’ll have several free workshops including a presentation two Native Planting workshops presented by the Big island Invasive Species Committee and Forestry and Wildlife. Registration for two workshops is required, all others are open to all.

9:30am: Waikoloa Dry Forest Update with WDFI staff
10:00am: Native Planting Workshop REGISTER HERE
11:00am: Seed Germination Tutorial
12:00pm: Ti Leaf Lei Making
1:00pm: Native Planting Workshop REGISTER HERE

About the site: The Wiliwili Festival is held within a natural area with few improvements. Participants will be outside and walking along a gravel road and uneven terrain on hiking trails. Please come prepared with a refillable water bottle, sun protection, and solid footwear. We will have golf-cart shuttles between the parking area and the preserve’s front gate throughout the day. Quarry Road Turnoff Location. Map of Parking Area.

About the artwork: Created by WDFI’s Education Coordinator Keisha Colon, this year’s artwork pays homage to one of our most beloved trees: Hi‘ialo. Hi‘ialo is an elder tree in the preserve that partially collapsed just days before the 2023 Wiliwili Festival. Since then, we’ve providing extra care for the tree and it still persists at the entrance of the preserve. Pele holds the branch of the wiliwili in hi‘ialo, meaning “to carry on the front, such as a child”

Date: Saturday, February 10, 2024

Time: 9am-3pm

Location: Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative - Quarry Rd, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738

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