Where Veterans Take the Stage

A Music & Storytelling Festival, Hosted in Hawaiʻi

Maka‘i Fest celebrates and rewards the veterans of the Manaʻolana Initiative and the broader VA community — a national stage for music and story, welcomed with aloha.

September 27, 2027

Keʻehi Lagoon Memorial • Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi

Live Music • Screenings • Showcase

See the Lineup View the Works

E Komo Mai · Welcome

Welcome to Keʻehi

Maka‘i Fest gathers on the lands of Keʻehi, in the Moanalua–Keʻehi region of Oʻahu. As your hosts, we share this place and its stories with hoʻokipa — the Hawaiian practice of welcoming with generosity — so you might come to know the ground beneath your feet.

Our kuleana is to remember and to uplift: to honor those who served, and to raise the voices rising from this ʻāina. Throughout the day, cultural practitioners narrate the surroundings — an invitation to listen, to remember, and to leave with a deeper appreciation of where you stand.

Remember✦Uplift

Learn about oli and protocol offered by our cultural host

About Maka‘i Fest

Maka‘i Fest is an annual music & storytelling festival that celebrates and rewards the veterans of the Manaʻolana Media Training Initiative and the broader VA community. Hosted in Hawaiʻi and guided by its cultural practitioners, a national stage for music shares the grounds with screenings of original veteran storytelling — a day of performance, recognition, and aloha.

A National Music Stage

A national platform for music — a lineup of invited artists sharing the bill with veteran and VA-community performers.

Celebrating Our Veterans

An annual celebration that honors and rewards the participants of the Manaʻolana Initiative and the broader VA community.

Independent Productions

Between sets, the festival screens independent productions — film, audio, photography, and digital storytelling authored and owned by veterans.

Hosted in Hawaiʻi

Hawaiʻi is our cultural host. Guided by cultural practitioners and grounded in the place and people of Keʻehi, the festival welcomes all with aloha.

The Manaʻolana Media Training Initiative

The Initiative trains veterans in video production, audio work, photography, and digital media — grounding each participant in the cultural narratives of place along the Moanalua–Keʻehi ahupuaʻa. Beyond training, it funds and backs veterans to create their own independent productions — recognizing them as producers of work they author and own.

Maka‘i Fest is the annual celebration of that journey: a music & storytelling festival where participants step forward as the talent, the broader VA community is honored, and a national lineup brings the wider public to the table.

2027 Festival

September 27, 2027

Keʻehi Lagoon Memorial • Oʻahu

Live Music • Screenings • Showcase

A Manaʻolana Production

The Lineup

A National Stage for Music

Invited national artists share the bill with veteran and VA-community performers. The lineup is announced in the lead-up to the festival — check back as names drop.

Headliners announced soon

Headliner

To Be Announced

Artist — TBD

Headliner

To Be Announced

Artist — TBD

Featured

To Be Announced

Artist — TBD

Veteran & VA

To Be Announced

Artist — TBD

See the Full Lineup

The Showcase

The Works

Independent productions — film, audio, photography, and digital storytelling — created and owned by veterans of the Manaʻolana Initiative. Hover a piece to meet its producer.

Film

Creator name — TBD

A 1–2 sentence artistic statement from the creator goes here.

View full piece

Working Title — TBD

Creator name — TBD

Audio

Creator name — TBD

A 1–2 sentence artistic statement from the creator goes here.

View full piece

Working Title — TBD

Creator name — TBD

Photography

Creator name — TBD

A 1–2 sentence artistic statement from the creator goes here.

View full piece

Working Title — TBD

Creator name — TBD

Digital Story

Creator name — TBD

A 1–2 sentence artistic statement from the creator goes here.

View full piece

Working Title — TBD

Creator name — TBD

Enter the Gallery

The Talent

Service background (optional)

“Why I create” — a short quote from the creator goes here.

Every Story Has a Storyteller

Get to know the veterans who imagined, crafted, and produced the works on display — in their own words.

Meet All the Creators

Our Partners

Maka‘i Fest is made possible by partners who invest in veteran creative voice — from the VA and the Manaʻolana Project to media trainers, cultural practitioners, and community supporters.

Lead Partners

UDo

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Supporting veteran wellness and the Manaʻolana Media Training Initiative

TMP

The Manaʻolana Project

Hope • Healing • Growth — the home of the media training initiative

Media & Distribution

ʻCM

ʻŌlelo Community Media

MTP

Media Training Partner — TBD

DP—

Distribution Partner — TBD

Cultural Groups

CG—

Cultural Group — TBD

KLM

Keʻehi Lagoon Memorial (KLMO)

CP—

Cultural Partner — TBD

CP—

Cultural Partner — TBD

Community Supporters

VO—

Veteran-Serving Org — TBD

F&ʻ

Family & ʻOhana Partner — TBD

CS—

Community Supporter — TBD

F—T

Funder — TBD

CS—

Community Supporter — TBD

CS—

Community Supporter — TBD

Design, Planning & Management Services

Aina Design Corp

Providing comprehensive design, planning, and management services that support Maka‘i Fest's mission to elevate veteran storytellers and present the works of the Manaʻolana Media Training Initiative with care and authenticity.

Visit ainadesign.org →

Media Training as Healing

The Manaʻolana Media Training Initiative pairs evidence-based therapeutic practice with hands-on media production. As veterans learn to shoot, record, and edit, they document the history of place along the Moanalua–Keʻehi ahupuaʻa and reclaim their own narrative. The result is a body of public-facing work — and a community of storytellers who feel seen, honored, and elevated.

“Every story you see here was imagined, crafted, and produced by veterans reclaiming their voice through media.”

Become a Partner

Partner with us to support veteran storytellers, fund the media training journey, and help bring their work to the community. Multiple ways to give and collaborate.

Partnership Information Contact Our Team

Getting Here

Skip the Rental — Ride the Rail

Step off your flight and onto Skyline. From the Airport station you can ride direct toward Keʻehi — no parking, no traffic, no rental car. The simplest, most sustainable way to arrive.

Land at HNL

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

Board Skyline

Group Discounts

Save 15% when purchasing 5+ tickets. Perfect for ʻohana and community groups.

Meet the Creators

Receptions and Q&A sessions give you the chance to meet the veterans behind the work.

Mobile Tickets

Digital tickets with QR codes sent instantly to your email. Just show your phone!