This Saturday, Oct. 24, Rice Street closes to cars from Umi Street to Kalena Street, 2 to 10 p.m. The Rice Street Block Party runs from 4 to 8 p.m. Kress Street closes too, between Rice and Halenani, and Umi, Hardy and Kalena stay open to traffic. On paper it looks like the annual party the Rice Street Business Association has thrown before, with three live stages, more than 100 local vendors and a keiki play area.
This year, though, the party sits on the same few blocks that kept downtown going through hurricane month. The building hosting this year's honey tasting was on the county's Oct. 16 schedule for a Hawaiʻi Foodbank distribution. Part of the parking is at a civic center still restoring its systems after a fire.
Eight Days at 4286 Rice Street
Hale Līhuʻe stands at 4286 Rice St. It's a 3,000-square-foot community space with coworking, a meeting room and a coffee shop with indoor and outdoor seating. The Garden Island covered its grand opening in February 2025. Its own description says the community room holds 100 people standing or 60 at tables, for anything from a baby shower to a board meeting.
The county and Hawaiʻi Foodbank Kauaʻi scheduled an emergency food distribution there for Oct. 16, 4 to 5 p.m., for residents affected by Hurricane Lowell. The plan had cars entering from the Convention Hall side and exiting onto Rice Street, right turn only, according to Kauai Now's Oct. 14 recovery roundup.
Eight days later, the Hale Līhuʻe parking lot hosts the free People's Choice tasting for the Kauaʻi Honey Challenge. The contest is for island beekeepers, with light, medium and dark liquid-honey categories. Judges score the entries, and the public tasting picks the People's Choice winner. The challenge's own page lists the tasting from 2 to 4 p.m. Kauai Now's Oct. 7 story gives 4 to 8 p.m., the same hours as the party. If you want a vote, getting there early covers both versions.
The Kauaʻi War Memorial Convention Hall, the entry point for that distribution, is one of the party's designated parking lots on Saturday.
The Civic Center Lot, Five Weeks After the Fire
The second parking lot has a harder recent history. Just before 8:50 p.m. on Sept. 9, firefighters were called to smoke at the Kāpule Building at the Līhuʻe Civic Center. They put the fire out around 2:15 a.m. on Sept. 10. The county reported no injuries and said the cause and damage were under investigation. The building held the DMV, Real Property and the county's IT services, among other offices.
In-person service at the Civic Center came back Sept. 28. As of Oct. 12, all county services except the Division of Motor Vehicles were restored, and the county asks people to call an office before visiting. The DMV's portable trailer moved from Līhuʻe to the Kapaʻa Armory on Oct. 12. On Saturday evening, the Civic Center lot is block-party parking, along with Wilcox Elementary and the Convention Hall. Organizers secured all three lots because several events are running at once that day.
One of those events is a kickball tournament at Līhuʻe County Park, a fundraiser for the KCC Veterans Services center. The block party site lists Brothers In Arms as the host.
Walking the Footprint, Stage by Stage
The posted layout splits the party into three zones. Each one is anchored by a downtown address that's open the rest of the year.
- Kress Street. The HMSA Kress St. Stage sits here, with the KIBC Beer Garden, food trucks, local vendors and the Alakoko Shop. Alakoko calls itself a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and "Kauai's House of Makers," selling work by local artists and makers and supporting small businesses.
- Rice Shopping Center. It's the anchor for two stages. The center says it has served Līhuʻe since 1973 and lists bowling, dining and Rob's Good Time Grill among its tenants. On Saturday, Rob's Good Times Grill hosts the Main Stage and a beer garden, alongside food vendors and local artisans. The Nā Keiki Kollective Keiki Stage is at Hope Collective, the church at 4303 Rice St. inside the center, with Fun N Kwazy Rides and yard games from The Yard Games Rentals nearby.
- Rice Street itself. The roadway becomes Play Streets Kauaʻi space. The county's Play Streets program uses temporary street closures to give keiki, ʻōpio and ʻohana a safe public place to play. Its events can run two to six hours and can join larger gatherings like this one.
Here is the lineup as the party site posts it. A few slots are still marked TBA, so expect some changes on the day.
| Time | HMSA Kress St. Stage | Rob's Good Times Grill Main Stage | Nā Keiki Kollective Keiki Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:00 | Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leinaʻala | Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leinaʻala | Hawaiʻi Children's Theatre |
| 5:00 | Eli Smart | Chiefess Kamakahelei Ukulele Band | |
| 6:00 | The Pheremones, from 6:15 | Ka Vibes | TBA |
| 7:00 | The Pheremones, continued | Kauai Kollab |
The hālau appears at 4 p.m. on both the Kress Street and Main Stage schedules. With the stages a block apart, the opening hour is a good time to move between Kress Street and the shopping center before the evening crowd fills in.
Getting There Without Rice Street
The Route 70 Līhuʻe Shuttle won't stop on Rice Street during the closure. Riders should use the stops on Eiwa Street. Kauaʻi Bus fares are being collected again, and the 900 and 950 express routes aren't running, per Kauai Now's Oct. 14 roundup.
If you're driving in from Puhi, Puhi Road is still a factor. The road has been closed around the clock between Haleukana and Hanalima streets since summer 2025. In August the county said crews were repaving to reopen one lane, with completion expected in December 2026, weather permitting.
For accessibility, the county Planning Department takes requests for auxiliary aids, services and other accommodations at 808-241-4050 and asks for them as early as possible.
A Free Party Paid For From Outside the Block
Last year's party was on Oct. 25, 2025. The County of Kauaʻi's preview listed the same basics: live music, local vendors, a keiki zone and a kickball fundraiser. Admission is free again this year. The event listing names the Levitt Family Foundation and the Hawaii Tourism Authority's Community Enrichment Program as supporters. Logos for HTA, Alaska Air and Hawaiian Air, KIUC and HMSA appear on the stages and sponsor list. Hale Līhuʻe was paid for the same way, through grants and donors, with Hawaiian Telcom and the Small Business Administration among the supporters it names.
The Rest of the Week Downtown
Some of the regular routines are already back. The county's Oct. 7 recovery update listed these as reopened, and it's worth confirming hours before you go.
- Mondays, 3 to 5:30 p.m.: Kukui Grove Pau Hana Market, 3-2600 Kaumualiʻi Highway.
- Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. until supplies last: Grove Farm Market at Puhi, 4411 Kīkōwaena St. On Oct. 24 you can do the market in the morning and Rice Street in the evening.
- Through Oct. 31: the seasonal Malia Kai Bootique pop-up, in Kukui Grove's former Claire's space next to Famous Footwear.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: the Kukui Grove Halloween Festival and Costume Contest, with keiki and family costume contests, trick-or-treating across the center and live entertainment.
Before you head downtown, check the Rice Street Block Party site for the final stage times and the open TBA slots.
Cheree has watched Rice Street change for decades. If something you see on Saturday, a Kress Street storefront, a corner near Hale Līhuʻe, a quiet block between Umi and Kalena, gets you wondering about downtown Līhuʻe, she's happy to talk story about it. E Komo Mai. Reach out to Cheree Rapozo and let's find your Hawaiʻi home.
