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14th Annual Waikiki SPAM® JAM Festival to bring mouthwatering goodness

RELEASE NUMBER 13/16

Screen Shot 2016-02-09 at 9.44.18 AMWAIKIKI, HONOLULU, HAWAII – It is not uncommon for a dish to be associated with a place. This is certainly the case for SPAM® products and Hawaii.

Hawaii’s love of the iconic pre-cooked ham product from Hormel Foods has a history dating back to World War II, when the luncheon meat was served to GIs. Flash forward 75 years and billions of cans of SPAM® products sold; Hawaii continues to celebrate the local favorite at the Waikiki SPAM® JAM Festival, with the 14th annual street festival set for April 30, 2016, along Kalakaua Avenue from 4 to 10 p.m.

“The SPAM® brand and Hawaii are intertwined. It’s a staple of the local diet,” said Barbara Campbell, Waikiki SPAM® JAM Festival co-founder and vice president of retail leasing and development at Outrigger Enterprises Group. “Outrigger is proud to support this fun and delicious celebration of Hawaii’s history and culture.”

Each year, 25,000 locals and tourists turn out for this unique festival. The popularity of SPAM® products in the islands is unmatched, with the most recent data suggesting Hawaii residents buy nearly 7 million cans of SPAM® products per year.

Waikiki SPAM® JAM Festival attendees enjoy a selection of SPAM® recipes from participating local restaurants and see first-hand the many ways SPAM® products can be prepared. Expect to not only be well-fed but entertained, too, as festival goers will be serenaded by some of the island’s best musical acts from two stages. Hawaiian arts and craft vendors will be showcasing their products, and SPAM® merchandise, such as T-shirts, shorts and slippers, will be available for purchase.

Admission to the family-friendly event is free and proceeds generated benefit the Hawaii Foodbank and other local charities, including the Waikiki Community Center and the Visitor Aloha Society. The 13th Annual SPAM® JAM Festival in 2015 raised over $25,000 for the Hawaii Foodbank and collected over 2,200 pounds of canned food, enough to feed 62,000 meals in Hawaii. Since its inception, the Waikiki SPAM® JAM Festival has raised more than $100,000 and collected nearly 27,000 pounds of canned goods to support the Hawaii Foodbank.

As part of the Waikiki SPAM JAM® Festival, Outrigger Resorts and OHANA Hotels in Waikiki offer guests checking in for the weekend a free one-category upgrade, based on availability, with the donation of a can of SPAM® product, which is then donated to the Hawaii Foodbank. For reservations, visit www.outrigger.com, or call 1-800-688-7444 and ask for the best available rate. This offer is subject to change and availability. Some restrictions apply.

There are several ways to stay on top of the latest details of this year’s Waikiki SPAM® JAM Festival: visit SPAMjamhawaii.com or join the Waikiki SPAM® JAM social community on Twitter: @SPAMjam or Instagram: @waikikiSPAMjam.

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