A couple of Maui communities are livening up their commercial districts on the first Friday or Saturday of the month. First Fridays in Wailuku have been growing in popularity since their inception back in October of 2007. Businesses stay open late and a lot of the restaurants and cafes feature music. There is also live music, performers and a variety of different booths on the street. The event runs from 5:00 to 7:30 PM with festivities often extending beyond the 7:30 time frame. You can see some of the action on the Wailuku Webcam.

While Haiku does not have a traditional downtown, it does have a couple of different old pineapple canneries that have been converted to retail/light industrial space. The Pauwela Cannery off of West Kuiaha Road has started hosting an art focused First Saturday event. I attended last month’s event after some cajoling by my friends over at Wings Hawaii who were having a spring fashion show. I figured I would lend them my support for what I thought would be a low key event. Boy was I surprised. The cannery was packed and incredibly lively. The fashion show was standing room only. The guys over at Da Factory Glass Blowing Studio had a live glass blowing demonstration with musical accompaniment and a painter. There was also live music and a great overall vibe. If you are looking for something to do this weekend, these are both great events worth checking out.

Pete Jalbert