As of July 11, Makawao’s biggest early-summer tradition has already passed through town. The 58th Makawao Parade traveled up Baldwin Avenue and along Makawao Avenue on June 27, opening another season shaped by paniolo heritage and community connection.
That does not mean the Baldwin Avenue calendar is winding down. It is changing scale.
The next part of summer is more personal and participatory. Instead of watching a parade pass by, residents can learn to make lei at Haku Maui, hear local history brought to life at Makawao Cemetery, and see what more than 250 young artists have created through Hui Noʻeau’s summer programs.
For anyone looking for things to do in Makawao this summer, that shift is the useful story. Baldwin Avenue is moving from celebration in the street to experiences that invite you to slow down, take part, and spend time with the people and organizations carrying local traditions forward.
Baldwin Avenue’s summer is not over after Stampede season. It simply becomes quieter, more hands-on, and more closely tied to culture and creativity.
Stampede season set the tone
The June 27 parade brought Makawao’s paniolo history into the center of town. The official parade program named Brenda Kualaʻau as the 2026 grand marshal and connected the celebration with Kaonoulu Ranch, the Oskie Rice Event Center, the Maui High School Rodeo Association, and the Maui Youth Rodeo Organization.
Those names matter because the parade is more than a date on a summer calendar. It reflects the ranching organizations and community members that continue to support Makawao’s paniolo traditions.
The parade has passed, and the rodeo events were held separately at the Oskie Rice Event Center. What comes next on Baldwin Avenue carries that same sense of place through different forms. July turns toward lei, living history, and art created by Maui’s young people.
July invites you to learn with your hands
Haku Maui has one of the clearest upcoming calendars in the center of town. Tucked down a fern-lined pathway at 3643A Baldwin Avenue, the shop is offering two kinds of hands-on lei workshops throughout July.
| Date | Workshop | Time |
|---|---|---|
| July 15 | Lei Kui | 1:00–2:30 p.m. |
| July 17 | Lei Wili | 1:00–3:30 p.m. |
| July 22 | Lei Kui | 1:00–2:30 p.m. |
| July 24 | Lei Wili | 1:00–3:30 p.m. |
| July 29 | Lei Kui | 1:00–2:30 p.m. |
The Haku Maui workshop calendar describes each session as both a practical lesson and an opportunity to learn about the significance of lei in Hawaiian culture. Lei Kui workshops focus on stringing a lei, while Lei Wili sessions teach the wrapping method.
Owner Britney Alejo-Fishell opened Haku Maui nearly 10 years ago in her hometown. A recent Hawaiʻi Public Radio profile explains that cultural education has been part of the business from the beginning. That focus gives the workshops a purpose beyond finishing a project. Participants leave with a better understanding of what they are making and why the practice carries meaning.
The posted calendar continues into August with sessions on August 19, 21, 26, and 28. Since space and schedules can change, check the workshop page before planning around a particular date.
Local history steps out of the archive
The next major Baldwin Avenue event takes place at Makawao Cemetery, 3363 Baldwin Avenue, on July 18 and 19.
The 2026 Makawao Cemetery History Theatre is titled “Caring for Our Community.” Through researched theatrical portrayals, the program introduces three people whose work shaped life in Hawaiʻi:
- Dr. Iga Mōri
- Emily Whitney Alexander Baldwin
- Lucy Kaiaka Ward
Gates open at 3:00 p.m., when refreshments will be available. Performances begin promptly at 4:00 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session with the actors, writers, and director. Tickets are $50, and parking is available in the grass lot past the two Cook Island pines.
The event is presented by the Makawao Cemetery Association with Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives. Its format offers something different from reading names or dates on a plaque. The research becomes a live community program, presented on the grounds connected to the history being discussed.
This is where the post-parade shift becomes clearest. The parade expresses heritage collectively and in public. The cemetery theatre asks for closer attention to individual lives and service. Both belong in Makawao’s summer, but they create very different ways to engage with local history.
Youth art carries the calendar into August
Farther along Baldwin Avenue, Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center is preparing for a summer exhibition built from work created through its youth programs.
Hui Noʻeau’s Camp Kaluanui serves children ages 6–10 with projects involving painting, drawing, sculpture, construction, design, and active play. The work created through the Hui’s broader summer programming will feed into the 2026 Youth Art Exhibition.
The opening reception is scheduled for Friday, July 31, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. The exhibition will remain on view through August 21 and will feature work from more than 250 young participants.
That figure is useful because it shows the scale of the program behind the gallery walls. The exhibition is not an isolated summer display. It is the public-facing conclusion to weeks of making, teaching, experimenting, and sharing ideas.
Hui Noʻeau is located at 2841 Baldwin Avenue. Its published regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., with visitors encouraged to check for announcements or exceptions. Along with exhibitions, the nonprofit arts center offers classes, workshops, camps, open grounds, artist activity, and a gallery shop featuring locally made work.
A visit before the July 31 reception can help connect the pieces. The center is active throughout the season, while the exhibition offers a specific moment to see what summer programming has produced.
Turn one event into an unhurried Baldwin Avenue afternoon
The strongest way to enjoy this stretch of Makawao is not to fit every stop into one outing. Choose one scheduled event, then leave room to look around nearby.
Haku Maui and The Maui Cookie Lady are both located at 3643 Baldwin Avenue in separate units. The Maui Cookie Lady’s only official Maui retail shop is in Unit C, with published hours of 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Sunday.
Across the town-center portion of the avenue, Makawao Marketplace at 3654 Baldwin Avenue describes itself as an open-air setting for local entrepreneurs. Its vendors may include handmade art and crafts, locally grown produce, prepared food, and vintage goods. The site does not publish a dependable fixed schedule, so verify current activity before making it the reason for a special trip.
A little farther along, Sherri Reeve Gallery & Gifts at 3669 Baldwin Avenue features work drawn from more than 30 years of Sherri Reeve’s watercolors, along with prints, clothing, gifts, and art classes. Published gallery hours are 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Sunday.
Together, these stops support the same summer rhythm found in the scheduled events. Haku Maui centers knowledge passed through practice. Sherri Reeve Gallery reflects a long body of local creative work. Makawao Marketplace gives small entrepreneurs a place to offer what they make and grow. The Maui Cookie Lady adds an easy stop within the same Baldwin Avenue cluster.
What older Makawao guides may get wrong
Current information matters here because several familiar Makawao references are no longer accurate.
Makawao Third Friday remains on hold
Older guides may still describe a monthly Third Friday block party on Baldwin Avenue. The County of Maui’s official Friday Town Parties page currently lists the Makawao event as on hold, with the time, location, and entertainment still to be determined.
Do not plan a July evening around the older recurring schedule without seeing a new announcement from an official source.
The Makawao History Museum is currently closed
The Makawao History Museum says its Baldwin Avenue location is closed. Its cookbooks and walking tours remain available for purchase through local businesses, but the museum should not be treated as an open drop-in stop.
The cemetery theatre offers a timely alternative for residents interested in Makawao history this summer, although it is a ticketed event on specific dates rather than a museum visit.
Nearby road work is still an ongoing project
Makawao Avenue is part of a reconstruction project expected to continue through February 2027. The work covers about 1.8 miles from Apana Road to Ai Street and includes pavement, sidewalk, curb, drainage, guardrail, striping, and signage improvements.
The latest published weekend closure schedule ended in June. No specific July closure affecting Baldwin Avenue has been confirmed in the available updates. The county has described weekday single-lane work in active construction areas, so check the County of Maui project notice before heading out if timing is tight.
A few practical notes before you go
- Confirm event availability and business hours close to your visit. Summer schedules can change.
- Haku Maui identifies possible on-street parking on Baldwin Avenue, Makawao Avenue, and Nakui Street.
- Additional parking may be available near the Makawao Public Library and in the gravel lot at Makawao Avenue and Brewer Street.
- For the cemetery theatre, use the designated grass lot past the two Cook Island pines.
- Treat the July and August calendar as a series of separate opportunities. You do not need to attend everything to feel connected to what is happening in town.
The quieter part of summer may be the most memorable
Makawao’s summer begins with a public expression of paniolo heritage, but Baldwin Avenue does not stop offering reasons to gather once the parade is over.
The focus simply becomes more direct. Make a lei and learn what it represents. Listen as researched local history is performed where that history rests. Visit Hui Noʻeau to see what hundreds of young artists created during their summer programs. Leave time for the small shops, galleries, and makers that give the town-center blocks their everyday character.
That is the Baldwin Avenue calendar right now. It is less about chasing one large event and more about choosing a thoughtful way to participate.
Rai Morimoto is a Maui-born and raised REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty Maui, license RS-80561. Local knowledge begins with paying attention to the places and people that make each Maui community distinct. If a question about your home or next step comes up this summer, Rai is here to offer clear information, honest guidance, and genuine care.
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