Signature Festivals and Events Program

Signature World Class Events help Hawaiʻi to remain competitive and ensure Tourism and Communities enrich each other.

The Signature Festivals and Events program supports major events that have broad appeal and align with Hawaiʻi’s destination’s image and brand. These world-class events help Hawaiʻi to remain competitive, generate media exposure for Hawaiʻi and increase economic benefits. Signature Festivals and Events aim to attract attendees and participants from outside the state of Hawaiʻi through the use of extensive national and international marketing. The program also seeks to support and strengthen existing events in our communities and create new Festivals and Events for both residents and visitors alike. These events are typically larger in scale than those in the Community Enrichment Program.

In Fiscal Year 2026, HTA’s Signature Events Program invested $1.9 million to support 21 major festivals and sports events across the state from July 2025 to June 2026. View the Media Release and list of July 2025 to June 2026 Signature Events awardees.

In addition, HTA’s Signature Events Program invested $1 million to support 10 events across the state from July 2026 to December 2026.  View the Media Release and list of July 2026 to December 2026 Signature Events awardees.

HTA has partnered with Kilohana Collective, a division of the Hawaiian Council, to administer the program through ʻUmeke Powered by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

• The application period for the July 2026 to December 2026 project cycle for Signature Events Closed on May 7, 2026.
• The application period for the January 2027 to December 2027 project cycle for Signature Festivals and Events is estimated to open in October 2026.

For more information about this program, contact Dede Howa at 808-973-2265 or via email at [email protected].