Guide to Rice Fest 2017 (Frolic Hawaii)

Original article from: http://www.frolichawaii.com/stories/guide-to-saturdays-rice-fest-2017//

BY GRANT SHINDO

Rice Fest, the huge block party honoring our starch of choice, is back for its eighth year of serving up ricey dishes from around the world. This year packs in three eating competitions, tons of food booths, and entertainment onto Auahi Street like a bento between Ward Centre and Pier 1 Imports.

The lineup of live performances is set to include Honoka & Azita, Ukulele Hale Jammers and a taiko set by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii. The crowd-favorite “ricepie” cooking competition is also on the docket and the stakes are high.

This year’s nonprofit beneficiary is Lanakila Meals on Wheels, who will be available to accept monetary and brown rice donations at the festival.

Free and valet parking will be available in surrounding Ward Village lots and structures.

Entertainment

3:00 p.m. – 94.7 KUMU’s Bruddah Bryan kicks off Rice Fest
3:15 p.m. – Taiko drumming performance by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii
4:00 p.m. – Ukulele performances by Ukulele Hale Jammers
5:00 p.m. – Celebrity & chef “Riceipe” cooking competition
6:00 p.m. – Lanakila Pacific
6:10 p.m. – Cooking demo by Frank Chun (Lanakila Pacific)
6:30 p.m. – Paina Cafe poke bowl eating competition
7:00 p.m. – Ukulele performance by Karlie Goya
7:30 p.m. – Rainbow Drive-In Loco Moco eating competition, Honoka & Azita meet and greet at VIP booth
8:00 p.m. – Ukulele performance by Honoka & Azita
8:30 p.m. – SPAM musubi eating competition

Ukulele phenoms Azita (left) and Honoka (right) with Ed Sugimoto of Rice Fest.

The food

Be sure to come hungry and eat your way through these curated restaurant pop-ups:

Bake Me Pretty (Tambry and Mochi)

Chocolate dream, ube, and haupia cake parfaits, poi crunch, cookies’n’cream mochi, butter mochi, mochi-covered brownies, mochi-covered cookie dough, and circus cookies

Chamorro Grindz

Red rice loco mocos, chalakeles (Chamorro rice soup) and red rice Spam musubis

Da Ultimate Grindz Hawaii (Da Bolalohan)

Chicken arroz caldo (Filipino chicken rice porridge)

ICE HNL

Rice water teas and horchata

Koolau Burger Company

TBD

La Leyenda

Mexican fried rice and enchiladas

Latinas Kitchen

Arros con gandules, pasteles, pastele stew

Mega Load

Rice lumpia with pork belly adobo and arancini

Rainbow Drive-In

Chili bowls

Sabaii Kitchen

Steamed sticky rice with pork belly, Chinese sausage and peanuts

Shigalicious/Aloha Cones

Shave ice and poke cones

Sweet Creams (4 p.m. start time)

Genmaicha and strawberry mochi flavors

Ulu’s Lemonade

Ricewater lemonade

Uncle Lani’s Poi Mochi

Poi mochi

Up Roll Cafe

Ahi lover, sexy salmon, inari tofu, and teriyaki chicken rolls

Rice Fest
Saturday, September 9, 2017
3:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Auahi Street in front of Ward Centre
ricefest.com