The 12th Annual Wiliwili Festival will be held on Saturday, February 11th from 9am-3pm at the Waikōloa 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 Waikōloa Dry Forest merchandise. Guided tours of the forest will be offered throughout the day and a self-guided hike s always an option! Arrive later in the day for a chance to win a special prize!
Throughout the day we’ll have several free workshops including a presentation by Birds, Not Mosquitos to discuss the Incompatible Insect Technique to help save our native forest birds. Plant Pono specialist Molly Murphy and NARs Specialist Ande Buskirk will lead participants through the steps of planting ʻōhiʻa – from mixing media to best care practices. Each participant will take home their newly potted ohi’a with an instruction card for future care. Space for the planting workshops is limited so please register for the time slots below:
10:00am : Plant Pono Native Planting Workshop Register
12:00pm : Birds, Not Mosquitos Presentation (Open to All)
1:00pm : Plant PonoNative Planting Workshop Register
This event is located in a natural area with few improvements. Parking will be nearby and guests will walk, or catch a ride, to the preserve’s front gates. Trails are rocky and uneven, and the primary walking access is a gravel road. We will have shuttles between the parking area and the preserve’s front gate throughout the day. Quarry Road Turnoff Location. Map of Parking Area.
At the Waikōloa Dry Forest Preserve
- The preserve will be open to the public from 9am-3pm, please don’t arrive early as all of our presenters will be setting up!
- We will allow self-guided hikes and offer small group hikes led by staff and volunteers throughout the day.
- Keiki scavenger hunts can be picked up at the front gate and redeemed for a chance to win prizes at Hale Hana Hou.
- Our native plant giveaway will begin at 9am at our nursery in the preserve. First come, first serve!
- Please follow signs, and park with courtesy for others.
- Directions can be found here.
- Wiliwili Great Photo Contest – Can you capture a wiliwili great photo in the dry forest? This is your chance to get your creative juices flowing and show us what you’ve got! Share your best photo from the forest on Instagram using the hashtag #WiliwiliGreatPhoto. Make sure to tag us @WaikoloaDryForest. The winner will score some awesome WDFI Merch! Photo submissions will be shared on our Instagram story during the festival. If your instagram account is private, we will not be able to see your photo. You can submit your photo to us by private messaging our @WaikoloaDryForest account. All photos must be taken in the Waikōloa Dry Forest during the Festival on February 11th. The winner will be announced via Instagram. Only one photo submission is allowed per person.
- Our silent auction will be online this year, and will open on February 1st! Check out the auction