From the best places to catch the breadth of independent Hawai'i cinema or nosh on cuisine inspired by Hawai'i-grown and -raised ingredients, to music festivals centered around the artistry of slack-key guitar and 'ukulele, to celebrations of Hawaiian culture and Hawai'i's many ethnicities, here are 10 annual events in the Hawaiian Islands everyone should know about.

 1. Aloha Festivals
O'ahu

A week of aloha? Count us in. Marking its 71st year in 2017, Aloha Festivals is one of Hawai'i's longest-running cultural celebrations. A showcase of Hawaiian culture and the Islands' multicultural mélange of customs and traditions, its big events include a royal court investiture, massive Waikīkī block party ho'olaulea (celebration), and a must-see floral parade.
Visit www.alohafestivals.com

2. Hawai'i Food & Wine Festival
O'ahu, Maui, Island of Hawai'i

A multitude of international chefs and Hawai'i's-own world-renowned chefs doing what they do best. A dozen or so dining events on three islands. And a mission for this premier Hawai'i culinary event of spotlighting the Islands' farmers, fishermen and ranchers, and sustainable food and agricultural traditions. Did we mention you'll also eat … a lot?
Visit www.hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com

3. Hawai'i International Film Festival
O'ahu

The largest annual festival for independent film from Hawai'i, mainland U.S. and international filmmakers is also one of the most focused in the world for tracking down new cinema from the Pacific Rim and Asia. With more than 150 films typically on tap, HIFF offers an amusing only-in-Hawai'i quandary: Giving up time in the great outdoors for great flicks indoors.
Visit www.hiff.org

4. Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival
O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i, Island of Hawai'i

If you can think of little better in life than kicking back for an afternoon while a few of Hawai'i's best kī hō'alu (slack-key) musicians play nothing but this as-relaxed-as-it-is-lively, born-in-the-Islands genre of open-tuned, finger-picked acoustic guitar music, we're right there with you. Graciously, entry for the annual summertime concert series is free.
Visit www.slackkeyfestival.com

5. Kōloa Plantation Days
Kaua'i

Think a 10-day celebration of the multicultural and agricultural roots of Kaua'i's sunny south shore and its main town, founded in 1835 with the opening of Hawai'i's first sugar plantation. Sound good? So will the best bits of this annual festival, packed with Kōloa town tours, nature hikes, cultural activities, food events, entertainment, sports competitions, a parade and a rodeo.
Visit www.koloaplantationdays.com

6. Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
Island of Hawai'i

The coffee bean, farmers and roasters that made the southwest side of the island of Hawai'i famous are the stars of this 10-day festival celebrating the 200-plus-year history of Kona coffee growing, culture and the art of the brew. For fans of the typically bright, sweet and subtly fruity java, the fest offers tastings, farm tours, harvesting and cupping competitions, and more.
Visit www.konacoffeefest.com

 7. Kū Mai Ka Hula
Maui

A slightly easier ticket to get a hold of than the hula competitions of the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, this annual Maui contest features hālau hula (hula groups) from Hawai'i and the Mainland U.S. competing in group and solo performances. The hula at Kū Mai Ka Hula is also top notch, with dancers judged in both kahiko (traditional) and 'auana (modern) hula.
Visit www.mauiarts.org

 8. Maui 'Ukulele Festival
Maui

The world-renowned Hawai'i-born musical instrument adapted by 19th-century Portuguese sugar plantation laborers in the Islands – and the state's official 'auana musical instrument – takes center stage with a full afternoon of performances by some of its most talented and inventive players. A bonus for inspired fest attendees? A chance to win an 'ukulele as a door prize.
Visit www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org/en/maui

9. Pow! Wow! Hawai'i
O'ahu

Each winter, more than 100 local and international artists converge in the urban Honolulu neighborhood of Kaka'ako to craft a brand new series of colorful, creative murals on the walls and facades of area commercial buildings for this weeklong street art festival. The public shows up to watch artists work on the massive murals and attend gallery shows, concerts, art and music workshops and lectures, and more. It's also the grooviest way you'll ever watch paint dry.
Visit www.powwowhawaii.com

10. Hawai'i Yoga Festival
Island of Hawai'i
Held at an island of Hawai'i retreat center surrounded by rainforest along the remote Puna district coastline, the location of this annual gathering of yoga teachers and practitioners is complementary to the discipline's benefits of stress relief, mind calming and mental focus. That its six days incorporate traditions of Hawaiian culture and care for nature adds to the calm.
Visit www.hawaiiyogafestival.com

For information on the Hawaiian Islands, please visit www.gohawaii.com