Special Events in Kihei

Great Maui Whale Festival Events
Whalewatch enthusiasts consider Maui to be one of the world's top whalewatch spots -- a place where beachgoers can view 40-ton humpbacks breaching and splashing just offshore. In honor of the whales, Maui celebrates the Great Maui Whale Festival.

The festival is organized by the nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation, a Maui-based organization that has worked to protect whales throughout the Pacific since 1980. Events include a fun run; an all-day festival featuring a free concert by many of Hawaii's top musicians; a free talk and slideshow; a special whalewatch cruise with Pacific Whale Foundation's President and Founder and a citizen's count of whales that can be viewed from Maui's shores.

"We have observed and studied humpback whales in many parts of the world," says Greg Kaufman, President and Founder of Pacific Whale Foundation. "And what we've seen is that Maui's whalewatching is right there at the top."
"We hold this festival to celebrate the whales' presence, and to bring attention to the need to protect these majestic animals and their ocean home," says Kaufman. "Our theme for the festival is ' Go Green, Help Save the Whales'."