The A Hui Hou Festival returning to Pahrump the first Saturday in November.

The weather may have taken a turn for the colder but everyone can feel the warmth of the island spirit next weekend as the A Hui Hou Festival makes its return to the valley for the fourth year running.

Set for Saturday, November 7, the A Hui Hou Festival is put on by Hele Mai Productions, an event company dedicated to preserving and sharing the culture of Hawaii and the Polynesian islands.

“I would definitely say this not just a Hawaiian event,” Jarrett Calicdan of Hele Mai Productions told the Pahrump Valley Times. “It’s also a Polynesian cultural event. People can bring their families and learn all about our cultures and heritage, whether it be the food or crafts or entertainment, all of it. The Polynesian culture is such a wide umbrella, it’s a rainbow and a melting pot and we want everyone to be able to experience it.”

The 4th Annual A Hui Hou Festival will kick off at 11 a.m. next Saturday, with a plethora of vendors set to fill the park, offering up all kinds of delicious food and beverages to tempt anyone’s appetite. And of course, there will be unique and interesting items on sale, too, perfect for souvenirs and personal treats, as well as gifts for the coming holiday season.

“It’s evolved over the years, with more vendors and different vendors, getting involved,” Calicdan detailed. “At first, vendors had no clue what to expect from this, especially for those who have to travel to Pahrump for it, but now, we’re getting more from Vegas and surrounding areas coming in to town. We’ve got 85-plus vendors signed up for the A Hui Hou Festival this year and there is plenty of variety – all kinds of different food, all kinds of different craft vendors, pretty much anything you can think of.

“We also have a jam-packed entertainment schedule. We’ve got several different groups coming to dance and perform and for the first time this year, we will be having a fire knife dancing competition,” he continued. “We have 10-plus fire knife dancers who are going to showcase their skills and there will be a judges’ panel, all that good stuff. So, we definitely want everyone to come out and stay until the evening to enjoy that inaugural competition with us!”

As to the entertainment, DJ Soundz will be rocking the stage from the festival opening at 11 a.m. until noon, when the members from Pahrump’s own Lanikuhonua Hula Studio will take to the spotlight for a half-hour-long display of traditional dance. From 1 to 1:45 p.m., Henderson-based Na Hula Hali’a Aloha Cultural Preservation will perform, followed by Las Vegas Polynesian dance group Tevakanui from 2 to 3 p.m., Las Vegas CHamoru dance group Na’la’la’ Inafa’maolek from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. and the Bakersfield and Las Vegas-based Polynesian group Tatou Uma Pasefika Cultural Arts from 4:20 to 4:40 p.m. Wrapping up the event’s entertainment lineup will be the awe-inspiring display of the fire knife dancing known as the Le Ifilele Ta’Aviliafi Competiton, which will take place at 5 p.m.

“I wanted to bring this to Pahrump to be able to highlight it here – to be able to showcase our culture and our way of life,” Calicdan concluded. “It’s all part of me reconnecting with my home and sharing it with my new home here. We look forward to seeing everyone out there!”

The 4th Annual A Hui Hou Festival will take place Saturday, November 7 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Petrack Park, at the corner of Highway 160 and Basin Avenue.

For more information, visit the Hele Mai Productions Facebook page.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com