An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 attendees are expected to pack the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall this weekend as OnoFest & Fall Expo returns with a lineup of debut food creations priced at $6 or less, imported Japanese goods, and family-friendly fall programming spread across two days of vendor booths. The event runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., giving attendees a full weekend to sample new menu items before organizers and vendors decide which ones are worth keeping around.
According to Hawaii News Now, the expo showcases local businesses alongside international products new to the Hawaii market, turning the exhibition hall into a testing ground for both homegrown food creators and overseas brands. Among the latter is MG World, a Japan-based company represented at the expo by Ken Kurokawa and Umeno Honda. Kurokawa said MG World is bringing Japanese products to the expo, with offerings that include lightweight gardening clippers, knives, under-eye cosmetic products, and Shogun matcha.
The show is produced by Pacific Expos, which bills itself as Hawaii's largest producer of consumer trade shows and expositions. The company runs several annual island consumer fairs, including holiday gift shows and pop-culture conventions, and projected OnoFest would draw 12,000 to 15,000 visitors across the weekend with more than 200 vendor booths, 100 of them dedicated to food.
How the $6 Taste Tests Work
Organizers describe OnoFest as a two-day celebration of food creators, emerging brands, and family-friendly fall activities, built around a new food and drink menu that lets vendors test-market debut creations at the expo. Participating vendors price those new menu items at $6 or less, and attendees can sample multiple offerings while providing real-time feedback that helps vendors decide whether a new creation should become a permanent menu fixture.
Under the First Bite program, attendees can provide feedback on debut items priced at $6 or less, helping vendors decide whether a creation should become a permanent menu fixture.
Among the local businesses testing products is Alohamade Bites, set up at Booth 409 with small-batch Hawaiian macadamia nut pie bites and tarts. The company has formulated the treats with a shelf life of one week at room temperature, two weeks refrigerated, and one month frozen, giving the products enough staying power for pre-holiday orders if they prove popular with the crowd.
Beyond the Food Booths
Food isn't the only draw. OnoFest includes a Candy Crawl trick-or-treating activity for keiki, Kendama Showdown competitions running both days, and a Collector's Alley aimed at hobbyists and enthusiasts.
General admission costs $6.50, while military members and seniors 60 or older pay $4.50. Children 12 and under get in free with a paid adult. Local outlet Aloha State Daily served as an official stage sponsor for the 2026 expo, running prize games and a newsletter ticket giveaway in the lead-up to the weekend.
A Vendor Testing Ground Rooted in State Rules
Food-safety requirements vary by vendor. Under Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 11 Chapter 50, some food and beverage vendors at temporary events like OnoFest need a Special Event Food Establishment Permit from the Hawaii State Department of Health; applications and fees should be submitted 10 working days before the event. Certain non-potentially hazardous prepackaged foods and homemade food products sold by direct sale may not require a permit or fee. Food preparation must be completed at an approved support kitchen; overhead coverage is one site-facility option, and handwashing-sink requirements are conditional.
OnoFest was formerly the Food & New Product Show and centers on interactive, low-cost consumer testing. For small food businesses and culinary startups across Oahu, the event offers a setting to test menu concepts and gather real-time customer feedback.
The broader Blaisdell Center complex opened on September 12, 1964, as the Honolulu International Center before being renamed for former Honolulu Mayor Neal S. Blaisdell.
The 22.4-acre Blaisdell Center campus is the subject of a city master plan for renovations and improved access near a planned rail station. This weekend's food tastings and Kendama battles are unfolding on a 60-plus-year-old municipal campus near the planned station. Hoodline has previously covered a 250-vendor market at the same exhibition hall.
