KAANAPALI – Traditionally held on the first Saturday in May, the Maui Onion Festival is on hold this year due to renovations taking place at Whalers Village Fine Shops & Restaurants.

Shops will remain open during the improvement project.

“We’re excited to have a lot of new things happening around Whalers Village,” said Lisa Donlon, the center’s marketing manager.

“We welcome everyone to come by and see our progress, and we can’t wait to host the 26th annual Maui Onion Festival again in 2016!”

The popular West Side event draws hundreds of residents and visitors to the Kaanapali shopping venue every year to learn about Maui’s most famous agricultural crop. The all-day schedule features chef demonstrations, contests, food booths, music and entertainment throughout the center.

Hula Grill’s Maui Onion Pairing Dinner will also be postponed and return in 2016.

Over the years, the festival has become an exciting showcase of island chefs’ versatility. The Maui Onion Challenge, Mixologist Contest, and Maui Onion Recipe Contest are all hosted at center stage for admiring audiences. And the Keiki and Adult Raw Onion Eating contests are fun to watch.

Daily activities at Whalers Village’s center stage include hula lessons, coconut husking demonstrations, cultural hula history lessons and lei making, as well as evening performances of Polynesian and Tahitian dance.

For updates and a current schedule of events, visit www.whalersvillage.com.