Is there a festival in Pahrump this weekend?

Embrace the island culture this weekend at the 2nd Annual A Hui Hou Festival, a celebration of the unique traditions of the Hawaiian and Polynesian heritage.

“We have 80-plus vendors already, which is almost tripled from last year,” an enthusiastic Jarrett Calicdan told the Pahrump Valley Times. “There will be food vendors, craft vendors, clothing vendors, so it’s a great time to come on down and find something tasty to eat and some holiday gifts too. And we’ll have two live bands playing throughout the day, along with live dancers, including the fire knife dancer in the evening time, once it gets dark.

“This year we’ve added a Cultural Learning Tent, because a lot of people last year were really interested in learning more about our culture,” Calicdan added. “A lot of people are very respectful of different cultures and they want to know more about the proper ways to do things or say things, so that’s why I wanted to make sure we make this an educational experience too. And with Christmas coming, we’re going to host our Keiki Toy Drive as well. We’ll be collecting donations from our vendors for prizes, little things like gift cards and basically, if you donate a toy for a good cause, you get a chance to win something!””

Hele Mai Productions is the entity behind the Hui Hou Festival, with Calicdan and Brandon “Branz” Lozano working together to bring a taste of the aloha culture to the valley.

“Born on the Big Island of Hawai’i, Jarrett Calicdan spent his childhood growing up in Papaikou before moving to the 9th Island, Las Vegas, where he graduated school. Jarrett also spent some years living in the Bay Area of California prior to his current home of Pahrump,” a bio on Calicdan detailed. “No matter where he has gone, he has always held Hawai’i close to his heart, whether it would be in the form of attending cultural events, networking in the community and even creating a Hawai’i-based clothing brand, Native Notions, a few years ago.”

With a burst of spontaneous inspiration, in 2023 Calicdan decided to host the very first A Hui Hou Festival.

“There’s actually a growing Hawaiian and Polynesian population here in Pahrump,” Calicdan told the Pahrump Valley Times. “I had never done this before, it was just an idea I had while sitting in a garage but I swung for it and apparently it works!”

Though getting everything organized and put together was no easy task for the first-timer, in the end, the inaugural event was hailed as a huge success. That event also led to the connection between Calicdan and Lozano, a native of Waianae, Hawai’i and graduate of Kamehameha Schools of Kapalama Campus, whose natural element is performing.

“After the incredible success of the first event, Jarrett immediately secured a date for 2024. Realizing his goal of reconnecting with his home was becoming more a reality and becoming too big for just him, he looked at Branz and asked him to officially be his partner in Hele Mai Productions,” the bio information read. “Jarrett and Branz quickly realized their visions and goals were identical and they shared the same passion to not only connect with their community but also to share the culture with anyone wanting to participate and learn about it.”

Hele Mai Productions is not limited to the A Hui Hou Festival, with Calicdan noting that he and Lozano have many ideas for exciting and cultural activities. One such event was the recent motorcycle ride from Las Vegas to the Calvada Eye titled the Kanaka Cruise.

“You’re only hearing the beginning of us,” Calicdan promised. “We’ll have a lot more coming.”

The A Hui Hou Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Petrack Park. General admission is free.

For more information visit HeleMaiProductions.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com