Hanapepe carnival is this weekend

HANAPEPE — Hanapepe’s biggest little carnival returns in-person this weekend at Hanapepe Stadium.

The two-day event will feature the T-Ball Tournament of Champions and the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League games that will be enhanced with additional entertainment, rides, food, games, crafts and shave ice to beat the Westside heat.

The carnival, which is presented by the Hanapepe Pop Warner Association and the Hanapepe Cubs baseball association, is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“KPWFL will be recognizing the champions for our league this week,” said the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League. “Our game Sunday will coincide with the Hanapepe carnival at the Hanapepe Stadium.”

Alden Pablo, president of the Hanapepe Colts Pop Warner Association and a founder of the carnival, said they could only announce the event now due to securing clearances and permissions. The Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association announced its Division II championship playoffs next Saturday starting at 1 p.m., so it leaves this weekend as a window.

Pablo said when the carnival was born, there were no tournament for t-ball players. Using that as a platform, the carnival was born with good response from the community. Then, COVID-19 made its appearance and the carnival had to shut down for two years.

“We’re back,” Pablo said. “We have sponsorship opportunities for a lot of different arenas. The food sales are completely sold out, so we know we’ll have a lot of good food. There are sponsorship opportunities in other areas, such as the games, craft booths and more.”

There is no admission for the days of fun, and ample parking is available.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.