The 2026 Kauaʻi Chocolate & Coffee Festival is Sunday, October 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kilohana Plantation in Līhuʻe. Use it as a Sunday stop within a Kauaʻi trip.

Checked October 6: The organizer's ticket page now links to tasting-passport sales, and its program and participant pages are labeled 2026. Choose free entry or a paid passport before filling the rest of Sunday. One demonstration time still conflicts within the official schedule; check that detail before planning your arrival around it.

The organizer currently lists four planning anchors: Sunday, October 18, 2026; 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Kilohana Plantation; Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi. The festival is a one-day event, so use it as a Sunday anchor rather than the reason for an island hop.

The official ticket page separates admission from tasting. Guests may enter free without a passport, but samples are not guaranteed. The paid passport is the option the organizer advertises for guaranteed samples.

The organizer-linked 2026 Eventbrite listing advertises $40 in advance or $45 on the event day, while supplies last. It states a total allocation of 500 passports, not a count of tickets remaining. Check current availability and the final checkout total before paying; do not assume the listed price includes every fee.

The official 2026 schedule lists Aldrine & Aaron at 11–11:30 a.m., Paul Togioka at 11:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m., Kapaʻa Middle School ʻUkulele Ensemble at 12:30–1 p.m., and Tumoaona Tahitian Dance School at 3–3:45 p.m. The schedule remains subject to change.

Chef demonstration: confirm directly. Chef Orly Yadao's profile on that page lists 2–2:45 p.m., while the running order now lists 10:20–11 a.m. Those entries disagree. Use the organizer's contact page to confirm the demonstration time if it is your reason for going.

For a tasting-focused visit, leave time between booths and choose one performance as a break. For a shorter free-entry visit, pick a posted entertainment slot and recheck it during festival week. Contact the organizer now about any accessibility arrangements you need.

If you mainly want entertainment, demonstrations and shopping, free festival entry may be enough. If the tastings are your reason for going, compare the passport terms before committing. The Eventbrite listing describes chocolate and coffee tastings plus a tote bag, and states that purchases are nonrefundable.

For families: The organizer says children under 12 may attend without charge but cannot buy their own tasting passport. A parent or guardian may share a passport with them. Check that rule before counting how many passports your group needs.

The 2026 participant page now separates passport sampling participants, specialty crafters and artisans, and food vendors. Use that list to shortlist a few booths instead of racing through every sample. Ask each maker where the coffee or cacao was grown rather than assuming every ingredient came from Kauaʻi. Recheck the list before travel; a posted participant is not a promise that every product will remain available all day.

Make Sunday the festival day and keep Friday or Saturday for the part of Kauaʻi you would choose even if the event disappeared. Compare lodging in Līhuʻe and on the South Shore against the rest of your plans. Use our Līhuʻe guide and South Kauaʻi guide to compare the two. For beach plans, check current travel alerts and conditions at the location before setting out; do not assume a park has reopened.

Kilohana's regular attractions are separate decisions. Its official site lists the Kauaʻi Plantation Railway, and Kōloa Rum runs a tasting room at Kilohana. Do not assume either experience is included with festival entry or a passport. Check their own hours and reservation rules if you want to add one.

If you are staying in Līhuʻe or on the South Shore, a rental car lets you reach Kilohana on your own schedule and leave when the festival day is done. Compare current inventory through Discount Hawaii Car Rental, then price the whole trip with the Hawaii Cost Explorer. Free festival entry does not offset a poorly placed hotel or an unnecessary island hop.

1. Choose free entry or a passport. Follow the organizer's ticket link, check current availability and the final total, and read the no-refund terms before buying.
2. Confirm the program you want. The 2026 schedule is posted, but the chef demonstration has conflicting times. Confirm that slot directly and recheck the rest during festival week.
3. Check conditions and your route. Use Hawaii Guide's weather forecast and your preferred navigation app before leaving the hotel. Keep the hour after the festival open so a slow exit does not collide with a dinner reservation.

Reserve Sunday for the festival, keep surrounding plans flexible, and use the organizer's current ticket and schedule pages before finalizing the day.