Hawaii’s signature food festival centered on Hawaii’s favorite protein is here — the annual Waikiki SPAM JAM® will take over Kalakaua Avenue with all your favorite flavors and tons of fun, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. April 26.
Named as one of USA Today’s Top Ten Best Cultural Festivals for the third year in a row, this uniquely Hawaii event is all about the salty, savory and simply satisfying SPAM®.
Whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, Spam is the favorite go-to staple. At SPAM JAM®, a full lineup of vendors will have a selection of SPAM®-focused dishes, as well as other ʻono fare for purchase. A sampling of vendors includes Buho Cocina Y Cantina, Maui Brewing Company, Kuhio Avenue Food Hall, Stripsteak, Duke’s Waikiki, Hula Grill, Sun Noodle, Kirin Restaurant, Yakiniku Sizzle, Da Ultimate Grinds, Gen Korean BBQ, plus many others.
Attendees can also enjoy homegrown entertainment on three stages beginning at 4:30 p.m. — Outrigger Resorts stage in front of the Outrigger Waikiki, Southwest Airlines stage fronting the Royal Hawaiian Center, and Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement stage in front of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort. Visit the event website for a full schedule of performances.
A highlight of this year’s event is its first-ever drone show at 9 p.m. in front of the Duke Kahanamoku statue. One of the best views will be from the entertainment stage fronting the Hyatt Regency Waikiki.
Along Kalakaua, also find local businesses selling unique items, as well as Spam Shops in front of the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani selling only found-here event merchandise.
The public can also join in the community effort to make a financial or canned goods donation to Hawaii Foodbank at either of the two tents set up at the festival. Waikiki SPAM JAM® also donates to the Waikiki Community Center and Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii.
Although Hawaii is known for its love of SPAM®, a museum dedicated to it is located in Austin, Minnesota, which opened in 1991 and has welcomed roughly 500,000 visitors since that time. There are 11 varieties of SPAM® available, the newest being SPAM® Maple Flavored that was introduced in 2023. Sold in over 48 countries and served in more than 750 American restaurants, SPAM® is recognized around the world.
Kalakaua Avenue will close to all vehicle traffic at 12:30 p.m. for event set up and all traffic lanes and sidewalk areas will close along Kalakaua from Seaside Avenue to Liliuokalani Avenue at 1:30 p.m. Roads will reopen at roughly midnight.
Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.
