Visiting an outdoor farmers market on the island of Kauai is a great way to taste fresh, local produce and support local farmers! There are farmers markets located around the island of Kauai everyday of the week, most of which are listed in this post.
During our trip we visited the farmers market located in Kapaa at the baseball field/roundabout, open on Wednesdays from 3-5pm. We chose this one because it was close to our condo and the timing worked for us. Our farmers market purchases included fresh coconut water (they hacked a fresh coconut with a machete right in front of us!), local honey that we brought home in our suitcase, mango, papaya, lychee, bananas, and tropical flowers to brighten up our condo! Click here for the address/Yelp page to this particular farmers market, and continue reading to find a farmers market closer to you!
A few helpful tips:
- If you visit a farmers market, remember to bring your own bags as many of the vendors do not provide any bags/packaging.
- Many of the stands will have a small quantity or limited selection because they are often not farmers with large plots of land. They are often regular people that grow a few items and have extra to sell.
- Each fruit vendor usually lets you sample some before buying. This gives you the opportunity to try fruit you’ve never eaten (for me, that was lychee!).
- Many of the farmers markets are later in the day because it gives the vendors the opportunity to pick their fruits, veggies and other items that same morning so they are as fresh as possible.
- Most vendors only take cash, so remember to bring small bills.
As you travel the island, take a look at the below list of farmers markets so you can plan a visit!
- Monday
- Koloa Ball Park – 12pm – Produce
- Kukui Grove Marketplace in Lihue – 3:30pm – Produce
- Kealia Farms – 4pm-7pm – Taro products, lau lau, produce
- Tuesday
- North Shore Waipa Market – 2pm – Organic produce, local cheeses, chocolate, artesian crafts and clothing
- Wailua Coconut Market Place – 9am-12pm – Local produce, fresh cut flowers and leis coconuts, local coffee
- Kalaheo Neighborhood Center – 3:30pm – Local organic produce
- Wednesday
- Koloa Shops at Kukui’ula Culinary Market – 3:30-6pm – Local honey, coffee, gourmet sea salts, prepared food, fresh flowers, organic produce
- Kapaa Baseball Field/Kapaa bypass roundabout – 3-5pm – Organic produce, fresh flowers, coconuts, local style prepared food, honey
- Thursday
- Wailua Coconut Market Place – 9am-12pm – Local produce, fresh cut flowers and leis coconuts, local coffee
- Kilauea Neighborhood Center – 4:30pm – Produce
- Friday
- Lihue Vidinha Stadium – 3pm – Produce, plants, flowers
- Lawai Warehouse 3540 – 10am-4pm – Crafts, produce, art, homemade goods. Check the link to see the other dates they are open and their corresponding events.
- Kealia Farms – 4pm-7pm – Taro products, lau lau, produce
- Saturday
- Hanalei – 9:30am-12pm – Organic produce, local crafts, clothing, honey, kava, coffee
- Lihue Kauai Community College – 9:30am-1pm – Produce, cheese, fresh flowers, honey, coffee, prepared hot food, baked goods
- Kekaha Neighborhood Center – 9am – Produce
- Sunday
- Kalalea Anahola – 10am – 2pm – Produce, meat, crafts
*Make sure to double check the date/time availability online as they may have changed.
Tasting Kauai, a local food tour company on the island, says that the most popular is the Hanalei farmers market on the North Shore. It was voted one of the Top 5 Farmers Markets in Hawaii magazine’s Readers Choice Awards. They also say the best Lihue farmers market is every Saturday at the Kauai Community College; it hosts over 100 vendors, including produce, plants, hot foods and more! If you’re interested in a tasty, educational tour of multiple farmer’s markets, farm-to-table restaurants, and a brewery pairing, check out Tasting Kauai’s food tour.