2022 Banana Festival is Arriving at Port Hueneme

PORT HUENEME— The Port of Hueneme will host its annual Banana Festival on Sept. 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The free event welcomes guests of all ages to tour the port to enjoy live music, tasty treats, and a marketplace to shop for handcrafted and boutique items. In addition, there will be a kid’s zone for the little ones to go bananas.

“The port does big business with Chiquita,” said Rose Carbajal from RC & Associates, Strategic Management in the Arts. “This event takes place annually, and I believe this is the 12^th year, the last event taking place in 2019, due to the pandemic.”

Port tours will be available for festival attendees wishing to view any operations happening that day. This is a rare opportunity to see the port from the sea as the Sunfish will take guests on a tour in and around the port and the naval base. In addition, you can tour the port by land on a comfortable Roadrunner motorcoach. Photo ID will be required for all adults participating. An adult must accompany minors. Waterside port tours and land tours are every half hour. All tours are first come, first serve. Visit the Port Pavilion onsite at the festival for sign-ups. Passengers will be escorted from the festival and board the Sunfish at the port dock.

Guests will be tempted by the creativity of several Arts & Craft Marketplace vendors selling Banana Soap, handmade crafts, wooden art, jewelry, kids’ stuff, specialty clothing, and more.

The live music lineup will begin with Justo Almario and his Afro Colombian Jazz Ensemble and Colombia playing sax and flute; Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps playing Texas blues rock; Teka Penteriche, who will be performing Brazilian Bossa jams; and Victor Vega and The Bomb, one of Ventura’s favorite bands will close out the festival with a dance party.

The Banana Festival Food Court will feature a wide range of plates, including delicious empanadas, authentic tamales, frozen chocolate-covered bananas, banana sundaes, and funnel cakes from local restaurants. In addition, guests can enjoy offerings of special banana treats from vendors as they get creative to win “top banana” recognition with their custom delicacies. Ice cold local brews, soft drinks, and banana margaritas will be available.

The Banana Festival will be family-focused, with a Kids Zone for the little attendees and many free activities centered on the banana theme. Activities include banana-themed art projects, performances by characters, readings and activities with the Port Hueneme Library, and a climb aboard a pirate ship. In addition, kids can meet a variety of reptiles from the Reptile Family. The toddler bounce house is free, but there are ticketed mazes, slides, and bungee bounce opportunities exist.

The festival will also have a pie-eating contest where guests can prove they are the fastest banana-cream pie eater—Check in with the info booth at the festival for sign-up information. The pie-eating competition will feature Marie Calendar’s Camarillo Banana Cream Pie.

The event is sponsored by Del Monte, Chiquita, and the City of Port Hueneme.

The festival is also looking for volunteers. For those interested in volunteering, an application is available at https://bananaportfest.com/getting-involved/volunteer/ and can be submitted to Banana Festival c/o Port of Hueneme 333 Ponoma Road, Port Hueneme, CA 93041 or scan and email the application to volunteers@BananaPortFest.com or fax it to 805-850-0541.

For more information, visit https://bananaportfest.com/.