Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & Marketplace

I love the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet!
It’s a great place for tourists to buy fun and cheap Hawaii souvenirs on the outside loop, but on the inner loops it’s more of a local swap meet you’d picture when you hear «swap meet».
It’s gets hot walking around here, so bring some comfy shoes, put on that sunscreen, and bring some water. Or buy some coconut water for sale. It’s only $ 1 per person to get in and parking is free! Great activity for locals and tourists alike.

Went to the swap meet on Sunday. Great place top save money for souvenirs for the family. But bring some water it can get hot walking around. You can derive out if you have a rental, or The Bus can take you there. Good day out

Best place to buy Hawaiian souvenirs for cheap! $ 1 per person for entrance.
They also sell tickets to many of the island’s attractions for half the prices, such as Paradise Cove Luau (which I was super angry about because I paid $ 85 for each ticket!)
Hawaiian clothing, wood carvings, snacks, luggage, anything Hawaiian you name it, they have it!
The swap meet is huge & a lot of the booths are similar so do not feel bad if you are in a time crunch & are not able to finish it all.

Ahh this is the perfect place to shop for souvenirs! It doesn’t matter where you park because either way, your are shopping in a loop. It is 1 $ a person for entry and there is lots of parking throughout the stadium. Don’t forget to haggle!

Fun affordable place to shop. Buy all your t-​shirt, knick knacks and koa wood carvings here for a fraction of what what you pay in Waikiki. One of prized possessions… a hula girl lamp here for about half of retail :) Awesome variety of Macadamia nuts too!
Pros: Lots of cheap gifts.
Cons: No food options! Restrooms are hard to get to.

No food alot of souvenirs.
Eat before comming to flea market. I’m from San Franciscii and expected alot of snacks and food trucks. Since market us run by stadium no ther food than cosession stands.
This is like the standard football stadium food.
But a lot to buy, alot if sun, some produce and fresh fruit.
Hope this helps you trip.

AN OAHU MUST!
One of my favorite parts of my vacation.
Admission to the swap meet is $ 1. Parking was super easy because they have a large lot that accommodates visitors to the stadium.
BRING CASH! If that’s not obvious already. They have a few ATMs located through the swap but they charge a $ 3 transaction fee.
I would highly recommend bring comfortable shoes. I wore sandals and heck my feet were worn out and beat. Even though it’s hot I would recommend wearing sneakers because it is a bit of a walk around the stadium.
The vendors sell a bunch of souvenirs that you would expect: pareos, floral hairpieces, t-​shirts, keychains, luggages etc. Yes, you can haggle down the price but they’re so used to tourists trying to get a bargain that they really don’t have that much room to lower the price maybe by only a couple of dollars.
I dance hula back at home and I came here specifically to find hula pa’u skirts and possibly some implements (ipu, ‘uli’uli). I found that most pa’u skirts were priced around $ 20-​$ 25 for the nicer ones, which is not badly priced considering if you’re from out of state it’s about $ 40 online + shipping.
There was this one vendor that I saw that sells the whole hula implements kit for $ 100 which includes: ‘uli’uli (worth about $ 93 alone on the internet), ipu, and pu’ili. WHAT A STEAL WHAT A DEAL!
Pareos/​Sarongs were cheap too, about $ 5-​$ 10 each. Hairpieces were priced around $ 5-​$ 18 depending on quality.
Honestly, after a while the vendors get repetitive. I mean how many souvenir shops can you really enjoy after they all start looking the same.
Plan on spending a whole afternoon here. BRING WATER!!!

I could stay here for hours! We limited ourselves to 2 hours so I think we only walked through half of it. There are so many different vendors and booths to visit! Some booths start to look the same or sell the same stuff, so here are some prices I paid for you to match or find cheaper:
— Pearl earrings for under $ 2
— Ring for $ 6
— Keychains for $ 1
— Large reusable insulated bags for under $ 5
— Bagged fresh mango slices, 2 for $ 5
— Dried li hing mango slices, 2 for $ 5
Definitely a great place to find souvenirs and cheaper than the ABC stores. I saved my ABC store shopping for after the swap meet because I knew I’d find deals here. I recommend you do the same! They have lots of stuff you can find at the ABC store, like keychains, jewelry, clothing, bags, etc. They also have lots of snacks that are probably cheaper than if you got it at Walmart.

This place is definitely something to experience if you have a chance while you’re in Hawaii. My auntie lives down the street from the Swap Meet, so we usually stop by whenever we visit.
The most interesting thing about the Swap Meet is when you get toward the end, it’s just straight up junk. It’s a garage sale and people are just selling their crap that you can haggle with them on. It’s more of a thing for locals, I think… what are you going to do with something you bought at a garage sale in Hawaii?!
The best part is the food and candy stands. They have incredibly fresh fruit here and it’s super cheap. For as humid as it gets, it’s nice to be able to chow down on some fresh pineapple when you’re walking the never-​ending bowl of doom.

Good one-​stop-​shopping for souvenirs to take/​send to distant friends — also good to take island visitors to. A lot is cheap made-​in-​China-​but-​says-​Hawaii stuff, but if you have a good eye, you can find the high-​quality locally-​made things. There are several jewelry-​makers, wood-​carvers, and fabric goods made in Hawaii tucked among the luggage, plastic slippers, t-​shirts, and aloha wear. Plumeria, baked goods, and fresh fruit, too. But if you’re looking for higher-​end stuff, I recommend the Made in Hawaii Fair at Blaisdell in the summer.
You can get the same childrens’ aloha dresses and outfits for half the price as Wal-​Mart, which is already about as cheap as you can get for island wear. I’ve scored some good finds, and a friend recently found what looks to be a vintage drop-​waist dress (very flapper-​ish) in the midst of a bunch of aloha dresses. A «one of these things is not like the other» score. Most vendors take plastic, so you don’t necessarily have to stock up on cash to go.
Pack your sunscreen and some water — it gets hot mid-​morning with very little shade. $ 1 per person entry. A complete circle can be done in under 2h.

Fun way to spend an afternoon hunting for souvenirs for friends who do not live in Hawaii. $ 1 per person for admission. We were able to find a nice spot in a shady area. Make sure to apply sunscreen and drink lots of water before you start. It gets warm and you’ll get thirsty soon. Also wear comfortable shoes as you are walking around the perimeter of the stadium.
Lots to see. There are gold and silver jewelry to home decoration. Hawaiian print clothing tot shirts. Walk slow and look at everything. My husband got a Tshirt for $ 4. Some not as cheap but all you have to do is haggle and you won’t have to pay full price.
I also enjoyed the fresh coconut juice for $ 3 and if you save it for later. You can get a spoon and scoop out the coconut meat. I got some guava that was $ 8 for about 5 which is quite pricey
Not sure if there are less vendors or will there be more on Saturday and Sunday.

This place is such a blast! We come out here every time we come to Hawaii to stock up on our souvenirs for everyone back home. The long sleeve shirts and towels are GREAT! Just, make sure you bring a lot of cash. Not many vendors have Credit Card capabilities. It seems to be more and more every time we come back, but some people refuse.
Make sure you and the kids are fed and lathered in sunscreen. Its a LONG walk (so wear good shoes!) and its uncovered. Looking at everything from food to woodwork is so entertaining and we get lost for hours here. Parking is cheap (and I think its cash only) but fills up quick. Get there early if you can and try to leave before it gets too hot. and REMEMBER WHERE YOU PARKED! Easy to get lost.

$ 1.00 Admission per person.
Lots of parking spaces.
This swapmeet is very spread out and has narrow lines of vendors wrapped around the whole stadium.
You can find some pretty cheap deals here, but overall,
mostly everyone is selling the same stuff.
Lots of Hawaiian souvenirs and touristy things.
Didn’t find that much unique things or anything that I really wanted to buy.
We only came home with some t-​shirts, tank tops, lei head band, and Hawaiian scented rocks.
It was alright.

Fun shopping!
January 3, 2016
It’s fun shopping at Hawaii’s largest open air flea market at the Aloha Stadium. It’s a great place to buy souvenirs and unique gifts made in Hawaii. You’ll find the best deals in town here with rows and rows of vendors selling anything from plants to jewelry to local food like Li Hing Mui. Example are some good quality local design tees (7 for $ 20), luggages and carry-​on bags (which I eventually had to buy one because with all the stuff I bought I was afraid my check-​in luggage would go over the limit of the required weight for the check-​in bags). I purchased sterling silver jewelry bracelets for my daughters and an anklet for me! This merchant accepted plastic cards but most vendors are cash basis only. There are ATM machines in every block. I believe the fee is $ 3.75. I bought the macadamia nut chocolates at the NEX commissary but here is your one stop place for non-​food items and unique treasures to bring home. It was fun walking around but many will be duplicates of the same stuff… still had fun though.
Located in Honolulu and only 20 minutes from Waikiki this swap meet is open on Wednesdays and weekends from 8:00a to 3:00p. The parking lot is huge! Just remember where you parked! Entrance is $ 1 per person. After pau shopping hit the snack bar for some local food and drink! Check it out!

This is the place to get all of your pasalubongs, souvenirs, and random décor you saw in Waikiki for cheap (with optional haggling).
You can get a variety of plastic kukui nut leis for your man back at home.
You can buy fake flower leis and hair clips you will never wear again in the mainland.
You can buy various wood carvings of Tikis, Honu… etc. You can even pick your choice of carvings from those made in China, The Philippines, or locally depending on your budget.
Classy Hawaiian shirts? $ 10!
Other graphic Hawaiian tees with sayings like, «Shaka you Faka», 3 for $ 15!
There is even food for sale like fresh coconut drinks that actually taste like crap. Hawaiian/​Asian snacks like li hing sour belts or arare (I recommend going to Lin’s market for the best selection), and fresh fruits that you can get with li hing mui (again, I recommend Lin’s because he will add the li hing mui to the fruit by request instead of letting the li hing mui sit there in the baggies).
There are also massive amounts of jewelry of differing quality: Jade, Koa, Gold, Silver, Bone… etc. I would watch out for some of the Koa jewelry because the inlay could just be a print of the wood. If you don’t care so much, hey, they’re only $ 15!
For $ 1 per person, there are many useless things to see and buy here. Save yourself a few dollars by stuffing the kids in the back.
It can get super hot here so bring sunscreen or a hat. Bring an umbrella too to block out the sun or save yourself from random rain showers.
Happy haggling.

A really great place to find cute, unique souvenirs to get your friends and family. Things you can find at stores around the island are definitely a lot cheaper here. I wasn’t able to circle the whole stadium and make my way through the whole stadium because we were trying to make it back to watch the Warriors game.
These are the kinda places where you could easily spend your money on useless, unnecessary things… but I mean it’s seriously so cheap it doesn’t even matter! I was able to get lots of keychains/​bracelets here.
I think it was cash only, but I remember one place where they were selling these ‘hi’ shirts w/​a tribal design took card.
They sold a variety of things — food, shirts, bracelets, and other things that you could probably only find in Hawaii. I was on a hunt to find a coconut because I really wanted to experience drinking out of a real coconut, hehe.

Saturday swap meet is quite small, but I was pretty confident I’d find my seat covers.
Paid $ 1.00 to get in and found perimeter parking right away. (What I mean by perimeter parking is the parking spaces that are right up against the vendor stalls.) Ok, so it wasn’t in the shade like I’d hoped, but I got one, nonetheless.
The first vendor that caught my eye was selling NFL team shirts with Polynesian design in the background. 49er’s is my family’s team and the muscle shirt was what caught my eye. I really wanted to get one for my B.I.L. who paddles, but when the nice proprietor told me the price, $ 45, my hopes were dashed. I didn’t have enough cash today. He was kind and gave me a business card and said he’s always here. Yay! Definitely going back for one!
Seat covers! The owners were so nice and helpful. Didn’t push anything on me. They told me what they were selling and really let me alone, but not to the point of ignoring me. I aksed for a design that was pretty particular, and they tried hard to accommodate me. I don’t like turtles. There were a couple designs that fit the bill, almost. The color combination was all wrong. Then one man pulled out a set from under a stack. It was perfect. Kapow! SOLD @ $ 30!
The last stall I patronized was selling T-​shirts. No kidding! LOL Anyways, I saw one hanging that screamed my nephew’s name. (No, it didn’t have his name on it!) Now to find size and color. That’s the biggest challenge. The lady was really sweet and helpful. She found the shirt in the right size and color and 6 more that were cool. I walked out of there with 7 shirts @ $ 20! Cha-​ching! Dangitall! Why didn’t I think of this before school started?!? Bought him 7 shirts from NEX @ $ 100! Ugh!
The best thing about my venture here today was the cuteness of these three people when asked if I could take some pics! They were obliging and got way out of the shot. (Thing is, I wanted them IN the shot!)
Best 30 minute swap meet day ever!

There’s always fantastic finds at the swap meet at Aloha Stadium. Many people have the misconception that swap meet sells used and second hand stuff. Some of the vendors sell used things but mostly all the things that you buy here are new.
You can find anything that you’re looking for. I’ve bought food, household items, bags, suitcases and things for my cell phone. The husband loves to go here for his leather bracelets. The prices here are so much cheaper than the mall. There’s this vendor that sells Chinese pretzels. It comes in regular, banana, taro and some other flavors. I always end up getting the banana flavored one. This stall also sells sweet bread and cookies. It’s mix and match, one for $ 6 and two for $ 11.
I also get most of my cell phone stuff from here. There’s this Asian lady that hooks it up. My first tempered glass screen protector I bought at the mall for $ 40. This lady sells it for $ 10. Her phone covers are two for $ 25, which is a bargain. At the mall, phone covers go for $ 40-​$ 50.
The one thing I would NOT purchase at the swap meet is gold jewelry. I was pricing a few vendors and they all wanted around $ 80 for small 14K gold hoop earrings. I bought the same pair of earrings at Kahala Mall for $ 35. Just because it’s at swap meet doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get the best prices. You need to know what you’re buying and how much it’s worth at other places.

Date of visit: 8÷5÷2015 & 8÷9÷2015
Come here only to buy cheap trinkets and locally made products. You can also definitely haggle with most of the salespeople, but don’t give in if they are rude or pushy. Don’t let the heat cloud your head as you will end up with a poor decision purchase that you’ll regret later.
My good purchases: Local artist printed tank tops ($ 13 each or 2 for $ 24), cute swim suit with matching shorts ($ 30 — quality is slightly questionable), double foam flower hair clips ($ 1 each), adorable aloha dress and aloha shirt for niece and nephew ($ 25), wooden turtle magnet ($ 2), hand painted shell necklace ($ 20).
My regretted purchases: «14K gold chain» is a 14K PLATED gold chain ($ 35, should have guessed that before purchase), cheap quality turtle bracelet ($ 3), bag of mangoes ($ 5 — there are stands selling bags for $ 2.50 each, don’t fall for the $ 5 ones).
What I should have bought: Locally made honey, macadamia nuts, candles, more tank tops.
Overall, make your purchase decisions carefully as you can get some really cool local products amongst all of the «Made in China» products.
— — -
Don’t be fooled by the 14K Gold Stand. The jewelry is gold plated (should be obvious by the sign and cheap prices). Bring a magnet if you’re looking to buy gold from a non-​reputable jeweler. Real gold won’t be attracted to a magnet (see pictures). The 14K gold guy was also really forceful and pushy — he even yelled at my brother for not making a purchase when I realized that what we bought was gold plated. My mom and I had already purchased our chains, but when I cooled off in the shade, I realized what was happening. I will admit that the chain I bought looks really pretty, but that was $ 35 that could have gone to a pure 14K gold chain. Ugh.

— This place sure has almost EVERYTHING! It is worth it if you plan on buying random souvenirs and small knick knacks. Everything from fruits and candies to Hawaiian like patterned everything, random puka necklaces, tons of magnets, hats and keychains.
— Only opened on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, $ 1 per person.
— Most of the items are a bit cheaper than ABC stores.
— I expected this place to be bigger than it actually was.
— As most reviews state, there is very little shade which lead me to buy a coconut. I did love the fact that the lady we bought it from was nice and asked us to come back when we were done drinking the coconut water so she could cut it up for us. She did and she even had a little area in her station with various things to put in your coconut such as chili and what not.
— I thought we would be able to haggle for some of the prices (yes, I know most of the things there are already low in price but c’mon!). I was able to buy a little kid shirt and a little girl’s dress at a lower price but when I went around to most of the places selling hats, no one was willing to drop a dollar for me.
— Most stands have the sameeeee things! It got repetitive very fast. It’s totally ok to walk through all of them though since some might have different patters and some might actually want to negotiate a price with you while others might not.
— Might be a great spot if you are planning on buying in bulk for a cheaper price (shirts, magnets, etc).
This place isn’t a must. I’m glad I checked it out though but it’s nothing that you wouldn’t see at any other swamp meets, the only difference to this one is that you will find items with the word «Hawaii» written all over them.
Been there, done that, I would most likely only go if I decide I need to bring random souvenirs in bulk.
Tip:
* Take cash since most places will not accept credit cards
* Wear sunscreen and/​or a hat.