The 45th Kapalua Wine & Food Festival took place June 25–28, 2026, centered at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. This page is now a historical record, not a live schedule or ticket guide. The organizer currently asks visitors to check back for 2027 dates on the official festival site. Do not reuse the 2026 dates, venues, guests, or ticket terms for a future trip unless the organizer republishes them.
What happened in 2026
The anniversary weekend brought together winemaker dinners, tasting seminars, chef demonstrations, a grand tasting, and a mixology program. The confirmed guest roster included Maneet Chauhan, Antonia Lofaso, and Bryan and Michael Voltaggio. The festival also honored Jean-Charles Boisset with its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The organizer’s 2026 results name Chef Edgar Ortiz of Taverna as the judges’ Best of the Fest winner for ahi katsu and Chef Justin Purpura as the fan favorite for Kahuku sweet corn agnolotti. Those results are useful archival facts; they are not a forecast of a future lineup.
How to plan a future festival trip
Wait for the official site to publish the next dates before buying a nonrefundable flight or lodging stay. When sales open, compare each event separately: venue, start time, food format, alcohol service, dress, accessibility, age restrictions, refund terms, and what the ticket actually includes. A tasting, seated dinner, and demonstration are not interchangeable experiences.
Kapalua lodging can reduce late-night driving, but it may cost more than a flexible stay elsewhere in West Maui. Price the complete plan—including transportation after wine service—before choosing the hotel. If anyone in the party will drink, designate the return plan before the first event.
Build a Maui trip that survives a schedule change
Treat the festival as an anchor, not the whole vacation. Keep at least one unscheduled meal and one flexible day so a venue or event change does not collapse the itinerary. Use our West Maui guide for nearby trip structure and Hawaii travel alerts for current access conditions.
This archive will remain useful for understanding the festival’s scale and format. The organizer remains authoritative for the next dates, guests, tickets, and venues.
