I was excited to return to the Pure Aloha Festival. We had a great time last fall at the festival at the Rio. What I quickly noted was the event seemed set up in a smaller area. The ticket booth had 3 windows open and as we walked out at 6:30 PM on SAT the line in was 30-45 minutes long.
We were so excited to have the awesome Garlic Shrimp we enjoyed last fall. Sadly the vendor didn't return this year. We got some Huli chicken, Musubis, Garlic Chicken and some tasty Filipino food. All were very good with the garlic chicken and Huli chicken being the standouts. The prices are in line with other festivals.
The eating area was smaller than the Rio location which makes things more crowded. Folks standing and watching the stage in the food area made navigating to he food stands pretty painful. Getting a soda or water is way to difficult as more soda stands are needed.
Again the big let down is the loss of the Garlic Shrimp vendor. That took the Aloha out of the festival for me. I enjoy the stage shows but the food is the big draw. I hope the Garlic Shrimp returns next time for if they don't I will be skipping the festival.