The pumpkin rows at 94-488 Kunia Road closed after Sunday, October 25. The same gate is scheduled to open again on Saturday, November 14, for the Aloun Country Market.
For more than 20 years, Aloun Farms' fall pumpkin event sat on the ʻEwa side of the island. In 2024 the listed venue was Aloun Farms at 91-1440 Farrington Hwy. in Kapolei, and the festival ran three weekends, October 12–13, 19–20 and 26–27. In 2025, Hawaii News Now put the 23rd festival at Aloun Farms in Kapolei, running the last two weekends of October and the first weekend of November.
This year the 24th Annual Pumpkin Patch, themed "Back to Our Roots," moved to what Aloun calls its "NEW LOCATION," the Aloun Country Market on Kunia Road in Waipahu. It ran two weekends, October 17–18 and 24–25. The patch got shorter. The site, though, now stays in use all year.
A pumpkin patch that stays open as a market
The Aloun Farms homepage lists the Country Market on a fixed schedule: "every 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month." KHON2's October 16 report says Aloun Farms "hosts family-friendly events year-round" and describes the second and fourth weekend of each month as a farmers market.
The farm's own explanation stays general. Its event page says, "As West Oʻahu continues to grow and evolve, Aloun Farms remains committed to serving families who have supported us throughout the years." It also thanks D.R. Horton for its "longstanding support and friendship." One change came with the move. Educational field tours were not offered this season, but Aloun says schools can still order pumpkins through its annual pumpkin program, with delivery options.
During October, the Kunia site offered pick-your-own pumpkins, sunflower fields, locally grown produce at the Country Market and local vendors. KHON2 also reported a string bean field, pony rides and a petting zoo. The 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours applied to the pumpkin weekends. Aloun has not posted separate hours for the regular market days, so check @alounfarmshawaii before you drive up Kunia Road on a market Saturday.
Under the 2nd-and-4th-Saturday rule, the next market days are November 14 and November 28, then December 12 and December 26. Those dates come from the posted schedule, not from separate announcements.
How November fills in, week by week
Waikele Center has posted two "What the Truck?!" food truck nights at 94-849 Lumiaina Street. Both fall on Fridays, November 6 and November 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. Each one lands in a week without an Aloun market day, so every week of November has one dated event.
- Week of November 1. Friday, November 6: What the Truck?! at Waikele Center, 4–8 p.m.
- Week of November 8. Saturday, November 14: Aloun Country Market, its second-Saturday date.
- Week of November 15. Friday, November 20: the second What the Truck?! at Waikele Center, 4–8 p.m.
- Week of November 22. Thanksgiving weekend, when the Aloun market, a 100-vendor craft fair and the outlet mall's extended holiday hours all fall on Saturday, November 28.
Before that run starts, publication week has its own two-night stretch. Tonight, Thursday, October 29, the Hawaii United Okinawa Association hosts Uchinanchu no Hi in the Legacy Ballroom at Hawaii Okinawa Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., admission is free, and the evening includes an optional potluck, sanba-making and entertainment by AzaDenTei. On Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31, Haunted Plantation at Hawaiʻi's Plantation Village, 94-695 Waipahu St., runs its last two nights of the season. Gates open at 6 p.m. and entry begins around 7 p.m. Gates close at 10:30 p.m. on Friday and at 9 p.m. on Halloween.
Saturday, November 28 is the busiest day on the calendar
Thanksgiving weekend is when the fourth-Saturday market lines up with the biggest recurring craft event on this side of the H-1. The HUOA Winter Craft and Gift Fair is traditionally held the Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. This year it runs November 28 and 29 at Hawaii Okinawa Center, with more than 100 vendors, fresh andagi and other food.
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Craft fair early entry, $5 donation | Hawaii Okinawa Center Legacy Ballroom | 8:30 a.m. |
| Winter Craft and Gift Fair | Hawaii Okinawa Center Legacy Ballroom | 9 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Aloun Country Market, fourth Saturday | 94-488 Kunia Rd. | Check @alounfarmshawaii |
| Extended holiday hours | Waikele Premium Outlets | 8 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Regular calendar hours | Waikele Center | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. |
The craft fair's parking details matter that morning. Accessible parking at the center is limited. Overflow parking is in the empty lot at the corner of Puahi Street and Ka Uka Boulevard, with the entrance on Puahi, and free shuttles run to the ballroom and back. HUOA is also running a Hawaii Food Bank drive: bring a nonperishable item and get one free andagi, one per person per day.
The two Waikele properties keep different holiday hours, so check which one you mean. Waikele Premium Outlets is closed Thanksgiving Day, November 26, opens 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Black Friday, November 27, and keeps 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. hours on Monday, November 30. Waikele Center lists 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. again on November 30.
One closure, a new store and a pending opening
Leeward Drive-Inn, the Korean restaurant near Farrington Highway and Pupukahi Street, first opened in 1964 and had served meals 365 days a year for more than 60 years. A two-alarm fire on Friday, October 2 caused extensive interior damage. Hawaii News Now reported that the Honolulu Fire Department classified the fire as accidental on October 13 and estimated the loss at $903,000, including $743,000 in property damage and $160,000 in contents. A GoFundMe campaign is raising money to restore operations and help workers who lost work. When Hawaii News Now covered it on October 7, it had raised $1,330 of a $24,000 goal. No reopening date has been announced.
The weeks between those dates have other changes too. Mercado de la Raza soft-opened its second Waipahu location at 94-1259 Hulukupuna St., Suite 105, in June, Aloha State Daily reported. The store combines wholesale and retail and sells imported groceries, tortillas, beverages, snacks and prepared foods. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Mercado also said it plans a community room for language workshops and cooking classes later in 2026.
At Waikele Premium Outlets, Mean Panini is a sandwich-and-soup restaurant from the team behind the Kababa Mama Food Truck. Its listing gave an expected opening date of October 26, 2026, so check the outlet directory to see whether it is serving yet.
After Thanksgiving weekend, the posted schedule puts the next Aloun market days on December 12 and December 26.
When you're planning around Waipahu's calendar, Oahu Lux Homes keeps tabs on what is opening and changing on the west side, from Kunia Road to Waikele. Start your Oahu home search, or request a free home valuation, and get a local read from a team that follows these neighborhoods week by week.
