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    Amazing Hawaii Comic Con

    4.2 (57 reviews)

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    Event tee-shirts, pins, lanyards!
    Jules Y.

    If you're a fan of comic comic book characters of super hero (Batman/Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc), Sci-fi (Star Trek, Star Wars; Dungeon & Dragons, etc), Japanese character (Hello Kitty) & anime cartoon (Totoro, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z), movies & TV shows this will be a fun place for you! Come check it out! Everything comics- & cartoon-related all in one place! Now held annually on the first floor of the Hawaii Convention Center at the edge of Waikiki near Ala Moana Shopping Center. It's an entire Summer weekend beginning on a Friday right thru Saturday & Sunday :) What's inside? - *BRING* YOURSELF IN COSTUME: If you don a super neat costume, you'll be super popular! Make it as real & creative as can be & more ppl will stop you for a photo! My photographer friend walks around taking photos of neat costumed ppl each year so make sure you have lots of different poses under your imaginary belt (by yourself, with 1 other person, in a group) for when you get asked to pose in a photo! If you see lots of similar ppl dressed in your character genre, ask them for a photo too! As Nadine & I walked outside, we saw a group of costumed girls doing a jump pose with another girl putting her hand on the ground! Did you catch their neat, Earth-smashing thunderous idea!? Hehe) - ITEMS FOR PURCHASE (outside event doors; @entrance): All sorts of show related items for purchase in addition to comic books! Select from items related to your choice of fandom! You might find great discounts or items you can't find just anywhere! I purchased a super cute Pokemon Piccachu fleece blanket for nostalgic reasons for my son who is much older that 12 heehee, some reusable fold up Piccachu & Totoro shopping bags at a great deal, & Nadine C. got us some Hello Kitty earrings (that we switched out between 2 pairs!) & a couple of matching zipper pulls! - COMIC BOOK ARTISTS (last rows of booths near back): If you are a comics book lover, get to see various artists live in action. You can do a short visit to ask them questions & watch them draw. Very neat! - FAMOUS SCI-FI ACTOR AUTOGRAPHS (back area right): If you're a movie or TV buff & know all about certain sci-fi characters, get an autograph of characters from your show favs! Autographs are done for fee in cash so be sure you're ready when you get here :) Check out the sign board for names of the famous actors & costs. Not sure the names are listed online but you might want to google see if any of the names strike your fancy. Also, you might wanna be a bit earlier than stated times since when we got there, there were long lines for the two featured actors, the actual Green Ranger & creator of the Spawn series. This Saturday & Sunday featured stars from Star Trek including William Shatner aka Captain Kirk (my fav when I was little)! - CONTESTS (@stage, back area left): If you like dressing up as one of the show related characters, they have a contest to show off your creation! Practice at home a few neat poses in your character creation then come here to walk across that stage and make those poses! Make sure you hold your pose at least a good amount of time so ppl can actually get a good shot! Don't worry - There's enough time for you to make each pose work! If you have a mean costume + cool/neat pose then ppl will *want* to take a snap of your creativity! - MOVIE PROPS (wall@left front): Take photos with various available movie props! This weekend they had a scary skeletons wall that I got a photo of & a throne that I did get a photo w/me holding a sword hehe :D - MOVIE CHARACTERS (back row booths, 2nd/3rd day): One of my friends Francis is a Star Wars Storm Trooper on frequent occasion. He says there are numerous good & bad guy Star Wars organizations throughout the US but that there are more bad guy organizations haha! This weekend his group has a booth to showcase those costumed bad guys. Get a photo with! :D - GET YOURSELF INTO SUPERHERO CARICATURE (@front entrance, far lft: Caricature artists will draw you into superhero likeness if you have time to sit :) - FOOD/REFRESHMENTS: Back concession stands - RESTROOMS: Outside main foyer area; Inside far back wall - PARKING: For a fee. Entrance to 2nd floor garage is left of the building just before Kalakaua Ave goes into Waikiki. The number of stalls & things to do is quite amazing. Allllll in one place! Rows & rows feature interesting things to see...& speculate! Next year Nadine C. & I wanna return in costumes! Guess what Sci-fi character we'll be?! Teehee! :D Thank you to Nadine C. for inviting me as your +1 & to YelpHawaii for the tickets to this spectacular exhibition! Didn't know I'd be interested in so much of what was offered & I feel fortunate I got this chance! Thank you thank you thank you!! :D

    Lynn U.

    This year's comic con was a lot better than last year. More booths and participants, and the cosplay was off the charts! I wasn't going to buy any tickets due to last year not being that impressionable, but I was able to score some tickets from the Yelp squad. I was able to go with my teenage otaku son who was excited to go. Checking in was very easy, the booths were easier to navigate and the artist alleys were great to look at. There were multiple panels and paid opportunities to get autographed pictures with well known comic artists and celebrities. There were also local comic artists which was great. Tons of marvel booths, comics, arts, commission works and toys to buy. I wish there were more anime and manga artist booths. My son wanted to see some things from his favorite animes, but he wasn't able to find any. Food choices was limited to one food cart with expensive items ($10 cheeseburger). If they can keep this up next year and add more booths, I would love to attend next year.

    LIVE THIS!
    Kuuipo D.

    What an experience! Amazing Hawaii Comic Con 2018 (postpones to 2/22-2/24/19) lives up to its name. This family really enjoyed themselves. Thank you to Yelp And Emi H. for supplying my ticket. If you haven't been to Amazing Hawaii Comic Con, it's quite an experience. There is a very large area for vendors. You can peruse to your heart's delight while taking in the cosplayers as they walk on by. There is an area called Artists Alley where you admire and be amazed at the talent that they possess. I threw a few dollars at these local artists because I think they're so good at what they do! I'm a curtained area, there are seats for the main stage panel. We caught a small bit of Shazam actor Asher Angel. So young & so talented! Upstairs there was the panel discussions. We didn't get a chance to go, but from what I heard, it was an opportunity to ask questions and hear straight from the actor's or artist's mouth. The weekend was fun! We were able to go Saturday & Sunday. Parking at the Convention Center is $10 flat rate, so you could stay the entire time. Thank you again, Yelp for giving me a chance to experience this whirlwind of fun!

    Jam A.

    Several large ballrooms set up for all your comic com needs. They offer Shopping, gaming, panels, Photo opts and much much more. This event is one of my husband's favorite events and we go every year.

    Joyce T.

    Fun and festive! I love everyone who took the time to dress up. Maybe thats how some are normally! Lots of admiration. Vendor assorted pop corn & array of jerky available for purchase. Convention drinks are available. Lots of illustrators and new designs for classic characters. Something new and interesting. Wide range of ages.

    Mel B.

    For a big con of this caliber, $60.00 for all 3 days, is a bargain. You definitely get more bang for the dollar. For the opportunity to meet Stan Lee, Rob Liefeld, George Perez, Adam Kubert, Mark Bagley and Kevin Eastman. If you stood in line and were patient enough it was easy to meet and talk to them, take a pic and get their autograph. That's what the cons are all about. And you could do this easily because this is AHCC first con here in Hawaii. Although there were lots of people attending it did not get to the point where they had to control the line like limiting the number of people in line. Enjoy it while it's small. That could change next year. As you entered the dealer room, in the front half of the room were the dealers. Not as much as I expected at all. I believe there are two reasons for a low turn out. One, not sure how this con would go. Dealers are a skittish doing first time shows. Two, notice of this con came out late not allowing enough time for the word to spread and to fit into schedule. The second half of the room is where the action was. All the featured guest were on the front tables of Artist Alley with plenty of room for the lines. I saw Rob Liefeld in action actually enjoying himself talking to the fans, taking pics, trying to make sure he got to everyone. Definitely a fan pleaser. When he went up on stage to q fullly packed standing room only crowd telling his Deadpool story how it all came about was funny, entertaining and educational. He definitely delivered. Then came Stan Lee the star featured Legend. I cannot tell you how he smooth talked the crowd. Being in the industry for a very long time, I was't sure which to be amused at.... his smoothness or how the crowd was moved and glued to his every syllable. Amazing. Stan Lee was the big draw and it helped the Star Advertiser did a feature on him and the show that got the word out turning up their attendee numbers. Parking is $10.00 at the Convention Center but you can get around that by parking at Ala Moana Center. I've done it for other events and it's not a bad walk. There was the concession stand in the back of artist alley where you can get a few things but why bother when you have Subway and 7-Eleven so easy to access across the street. As an exhibitor I did like how they did their security sweep at the end of the day making sure all attendees were out of the room before we dealers left to make sure our things were going to be safer if not the safest. The programs for other events of the show need to be worked on along with the logistics but it is the 1st show and it is work in progress how to be more efficient and better. I'm sure they've learned from all that and we can expect next years show to be improved. Already improved is the much earlier announcement of their next show set for May 20-22, 2016. And with that a spectacular line up of legends to appear with more being announced later as they secure the contracts. Announced for next year's show is Jim Lee, Chris Claremont (best X-Men comic book writer ever), Kevin Eastman returns, Robert Kirkman the Walking Dead creator sure to share what we can expect next season. We'll be sure to see more walkinng dead zombie cosplayers next year. Don't be surprised to see Todd McFarlane for 2017. I'm almost sure of it. They have begun selling tickets and it's always good to make your purchase ealry. I hope to see you there next year for a good weekend of fun.

    Robyn N.

    This was my first time at a comic convention. A friend suggested I take my son because she knows he's in to this stuff and he likes to draw. She told me local artist will be doing drawings all weekend. I was a little hesitant to take him at first because he's only 7. I heard there are a lot of ladies walking around in sexy costumes. Didn't know how R rated it would be. I asked around about it and people told me to go on Sunday. Family Day. My son enjoyed every minute there. He knew all the characters and he got to meet several artists. He got to show them his art work and one of the artist did a drawing for him in his sketch book. We played old school video games and got to purchase drawings of his favorite game characters. One of the booths let him buy the display toy for mystery blind bags. He got to take a lot of pics with people dressed in costumes. A great experience!!! He can't wait for the next convention in August.

    Some cute collectibles! I don't remember whose booth this was. :'(
    Beth K.

    My review is almost a year overdue. (Yikes!) I got to go to Amazing Hawaii Comic Con last year because Yelp provided passes for me and a guest. (Thank you, Emi and Yelp! And, thank you, Jeannie K. for telling me about it!) Picking up my wristbands was easy--all I had to do was go to the Media line at the registration booths and provide my name. After picking up our wristbands, we looked around the common area and checked out the merchandise they had for sale. (They had mystery comic boxes, t-shirts, lanyards, and other AHCC branded swag for sale.) This was our second year attending this specific comic con, and we had a great time! The event was awesome and well organized, which is impressive given its size. I was especially looking forward to shopping with CrappyKids (they didn't have a booth but were instead part of someone else's booth selling stickers and other small items), Xrey Vision, and IDK What to Wear. At the time, my son was really into Star Trek, so when we realized William Shatner was going to be a guest at AHCC, we paid to get his autograph. I was naive to be surprised by how long the line was, but the event staff handled it well so it flowed smoothly and the wait didn't feel painful. (Every so often my son still brings up how cool it was that he got to talk to William Shatner.) We hope to go again this year, but we'll see how everything works out. :)

    Cindy G.

    This was our first time attending the Amazing Hawaii ComiCon. Bought our e tickets online at $30 a pop for the last day (Sunday) event. Parking @ $10 and we were lucky to get parking close by. For the most part it was definitely a treat to see peeps dressing up in costumes. We anticipated to see more DC/Marvel Super heroes, unfortunately did not. I was excited to get a picture with Spider Man or Batman, they're my super Heroes! Also wanted to get a picture & autograph by William Shatner... but I wasn't prepared to pay the big bucks lol.. Infact, I checked out the photo picture prices and they were like in the $$$ & not FREE! The Concession lines were not as long and booths were not that crowded so we got to see and purchase some items from the vendors. Happy to buy a print of Batman vs Evil Superman.. An awesome souvenir of the Amazing Hawaii Comic Con.

    Kevin Eastman creator of my favorite cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
    Will C.

    AMAZING! This was my first Comic Con. You hear about they hype and see photos of people cos-playing (dressing up as characters) but it's definitely a unique experience to be there. The check in booth was organized and quick. I decided to stand in line for Kevin Eastman' s autograph, the volunteers were great. There were three lines depending on which ticket you bought. The line went surprisingly quick. The vendors were great, it's always fun to make a deal. The artist alley was awesome. There were tons of extra activities for the kids including a scavenger hunt. Parking was $10 so either fork up the money or park at the mall and walk over. I look forward to next year's Amazing Con!

    Rosalee A.

    Thanks to Yelp for the free passes to The Comic Con this past weekend. Enjoyed looking at the different booths, comics, artist interpretations of numerous characters ranging from stitch to baby yoda to the green power ranger. Of course there were the usual marvel, DC, Star Wars and anime. I was most intrigued by the poop emoji characters by 'Crappy Kids'. First comic con. Would I come back? Yup yup

    My friend Jesse and Leah :D
    Aneisa D.

    I really really wanted to like this con .. I really truly did. I went on Saturday ... Let me just tell you flat out, there was NO organization there what so ever. This Con frustrated me to no end! I hate to compare it to Kawaii Kon or even Comic Con Honolulu ... but when it comes down to organization and security, they got you beat. And since this is not Amazing Comic Cons first rodeo .. you'd think they would cover all bases. Once you walk into the Convention Center, you don't really know where exactly to stand to get your tickets. They had some guy who was a volunteer stand there yelling that if people were purchasing tickets to come by him. They had Will Call, General Admission and VIP ... Which didn't even matter which you were because they were all handing tickets out. Then once you get your wrist band you have to stand in another line to get in. This line argh! This line was formed so retarded!!! It was formed in the shape of a damn snake, with people winding around poles .. not to mention you walked right in front of the booths that you get your wristbands at. It was confusing. About those wristbands ... HATE THEM!!! I'd rather have a badge, something that I can keep as a keepsake You are then ushered in by convention staffers (NOT Comic Con volunteers) who check to make sure you have a wrist band. Funny thing about this con is ... I never once saw any Volunteer security ... there was NO weapon check ... No rules on how revealing costumes can be ... I was more worried about no weapon checks though. Come to think of it, I hardly saw any Comic Con staffers :| Where were you?!?!?!?! You should've been out on the floor regulating the lines and the crowd. The lines for autographs ... forget it! They were just as disorganized as the line out front! OMG! You couldn't really tell where Stan Lees Line started and ended ... It was like some were by the autograph area and some were against a wall to the far right ... I was confused, I didn't bother asking :/ I wish they had the autograph session in a separate room away from the chaos ... On the first floor you have Artist Alley ... loved it! Got to see Abraham Lopez, whom I really wanted to meet!!! He drew me a sketch of Joker :D I am in love with it!! That's my only highlight ... meeting Abraham Lopez .... Saw A LOT of people dressed as Dead Pool :| And I saw only ONE guy dressed as Gambit!!! Be still my heart mon cher!!! Saw my friend Jesse .. He was sitting at Leahs table ... if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have known about the Marvel photo shot that was happening upstairs. Thanks Jesse!!!! Would I return to Amazing Comic Con next year IF they do so have another? Probably not. And IF they do return ...Here's what you need to improve 'Amazing' people: 1. No volunteers managing the crowds 2. No weapons check 3. No indecent cosplay check 4. No sense of any authority there (where were the Convention security at) 5. Poor registration 6. Lack of highlighted events 7. Besides the guests having their own staff ... where were yours??

    Main stage
    Alexander G.

    Amazing Hawaii Comic Con is a nice sized comics-focused convention located right in the heart of Honolulu. Easily accessible from Waikiki, University, and Downtown, it's a great place to come for pop culture in Hawaii for both tourists and locals alike! Parking is available, but if you're in Waikiki, try taking the bus, Ala Moana shuttles, or walking. It's conveniently across the street from the Ala Moana Hotel, with which they have discounted room rates. If you're thinking of a Hawaii vacation and want an added convention experience, keep their dates in mind! Second Year: Special Edition! Coming Saturday October 8th to Sunday October 9th, 2016 Review update to come! Second Year! Friday May 20th to Sunday May 22nd, 2016 Truly Amazing the improvements that can be made in just one year! Improved organization for registration? Yes! Plenty of easy-to-identify volunteers? Yes! Larger room with distinct areas? Yes! I'm so glad they took the time to have a better con; my con partner Kristine C. and I had a much better time than the first year! When we arrived shortly after registration was open, there were very minimal lines, especially for pre-purchased tickets. Learning my lesson, I bought us each a Groupon deal (highly recommended), which had its own ticket booth. The volunteer was friendly and efficient getting us our wristbands and lithographs, then we went right to the entrance. There was no line here either, just friendly volunteers. The room was much larger and more spacious, plenty of space between booths in the vendor and art areas, with ample space for lines and a large stage with seating. Merchandise is my favorite part of cons, so I was happy this was at the forefront. I was happy to see the usual local vendors, but also enjoyed the larger mainland vendors. I loved the book wholesaler from Las Vegas; I picked up some Star Wars Omnibuses. There were more artists and guests this year also. Although I bought less than normal, there was more to do. The artist area was great. We enjoyed meeting Michael McGarvey, the author of a local-set comic called Kulamin. It's always great to see Mel B. helping out too! The stage was well run and large, plenty of seating to view the events. After a long day of walking around, it was fun to sit and relax while we watched the cosplay contest and trivia contest. The MCs were entertaining as well. I liked the Jurassic Park Jeep too! Lots of fan made items. All-in-all, a much better experience and well worth the money and time! First Year! Friday September 18th to Sunday September 20th, 2015 It's been an exciting time to be into pop culture in Hawaii! There are so many conventions right here in Hawaii, that it satiates the need to travel to far flung cities to get your geek on. Amazing Hawaii Comic Con is under the Amazing brand of conventions, with experience in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Houston to name a few. Bringing the brand here was exciting, and I looked forward to the first year a lot. With low expectations, I enjoyed myself. For someone expecting a larger, more developed convention, this would be a disappointment. The show was in one large room, with dealer booths at the front and a panel stage at the back. There weren't as many planned activities and panels as I would have expected. It felt more like a trade show for pop culture merchandise like comics, toys, collectibles, and games. The emphasis was on comics, which is always appreciated at a comic con. Many of the dealers were locals, the same people I see at collectible shows and other places in the city. I enjoyed the open gaming area provided by Other Realms the most. With the cost of $60 for a three day pass (or $30 for Saturday alone, the busiest day), I felt it wasn't not worth the price tag. I have no qualms about spending a good amount on a pass, when I know my money is going to go toward entertainment, included panels, and other experiences. Groupon deals were a better idea, which I wish I would have purchased. The organization was horrible; it was a mad scramble at the door to register for passes. There were no "lines." They had volunteers (who were hard to identify) running around registering people on smart phones to alleviate the frustration of the crowd. We got lucky and entered in just a few minutes. Overall, the day spent there was fun, but not worth the money. I'm glad they learned many lessons for the second year.

    Pop-culture Galore!!

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    Ask the Community - Amazing Hawaii Comic Con

    I'm buying tickets for my husband and myself. Do we need a ticket for our 3 year old? Mahalo

    No, you don't need to buy a ticket for your 3-year-old. Children 10 and under are free with a paying adult. :)

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Amazing Hawaii Comic Con

    This year's Comic Con featured Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner as well as actors from Star Trek: the next generation.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    For this year's annual trip, we decided to visit during the week of the Honolulu Festival, which…read moretook place on March 13th-15th. Having been to Honolulu over the years, we never had the chance to partake in the festival activities. I had always thought the Festival was an event promoting Hawaiian culture but from being here, I found out his was the 30th year for this cultural event that promotes mutual understanding, economic cooperation and ethnic harmony between the people of Hawaii and the Pacific Rim region. Over 2,300 participants from Japan and other countries were here to participate in this Festival with events at the Convention Center, Ala Moana Shopping Center and Waikiki Beach Walk. I went to the Saturday events at the Convention Center. On the main performance stage, there were 25 various performance acts of traditional, dance, musical cheerleading, and a singing performance by Hitomi Shimitani to conclude. There were art and craft vendors and a sake and food fest section with free sample offerings. Love the sake and beer tastings, cookie and cracker tastings and a sushi making workshop. Due to the Kona storms that hit Hawaii during this week, I was disappointed that the Grand Parade and the Nagaoka Fireworks to conclude the festival were cancelled. I will plan to be back again next year for this Festival and look forward to the Parade and famous fireworks.

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    3.7(126 reviews)
    0.0 miWaikiki

    This is the 2nd time I went to MIH (Made in Hawaii) and this time was better (personally for me)…read more Here are two tips I highly recommend BEFORE you attend. 1. Plan to go later in the day I went around 2:00ish and the line to get in was only 5 minutes long. I also bought my tickets ahead time to expedite the process of getting checked in. 2. DO YOUR RESEARCH I highly recommend researching which vendors are going and what booth they will be at. Once you get that information, look at the map and make a route. Then once you hit all the places you want to go to you can explore. I feel like people get so overwhelmed from not knowing where to go.. So honestly, just research ahead of time and make your life easier!! I kind of wish they made time-slots like during COVID time to avoid overcrowding, but I guess to each their own.

    I live in Hawaii, so what is the point of going to the MADE IN HAWAII Festival?…read more Right??? Took place in the Honolulu Convention Center this year. Tickets were $8/adult. Thought I'd save on online service fees by purchasing in person, but it was CARD ONLY, and still had to pay the extra fees! What's the point of having people there then? Parking wasn't available at the Convention Center. But that's okay cause even available, $15 parking fee is steep. Just park at Ala Moana and walk over. There were quite a lot of vendors, and it was crowded. The middle sections were quite tight and just not enough space for people trying to walk through, and for people who were shopping. I can't count how many times you're just stopped and waiting to go around because someone in front stopped to look (while some just stopped to talk and didn't have any consideration that they're in the middle of the aisle and in the way of everyone). Overall, it's a nice event for vendors to showcase their products, and $8 tickets is a good deal for convention center events. I purchased several items, with some I found being sold in regular stores (and for less), but discovered new products that were very good, such as the Aloha Bakehouse coffee and homemade Spicy Chili Oil from Maui.

    Photos
    Made in Hawaii Festival - We received a passport-type of stamp card from Hawaiian Airlines... to support small businesses such as Holey Grail (taro donut company)

    We received a passport-type of stamp card from Hawaiian Airlines... to support small businesses such as Holey Grail (taro donut company)

    Made in Hawaii Festival - Lovely ladies serving the freebies

    Lovely ladies serving the freebies

    Made in Hawaii Festival

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    Waikiki Spam Jam Festival - Red Bull photo op!

    Waikiki Spam Jam Festival

    4.1(125 reviews)
    0.9 miWaikiki

    Make a plan for Spam Jam. That's my advice to get the most out of this event. It's always fun, but…read moreit gets crowded quickly, so what I do is look at the list of vendors and check out what they'll be offering ahead of time. I even go to their Instagram because a lot of times they will show pictures and describe the items in more detail. So then I have a plan going into Spam Jam of the things that are must-eat and then the "maybe I'll get this if I have room" stuff. This year, I really wanted funnel cakes, which had been listed online as part of the menu, but when I got to that vendor's tent, there were no funnel cakes, just spiral potatoes, gandules, and some other things. So no funnel cake for me. I kind of hate when the listing online shows things that will be there that are not even offered when you get there. I did get delicious hula pie topped with candied Spam from Duke's along with a teriyaki katsu sandwich from Duke's, which was interesting because it had both pineapple tidbits as well as raisins (?!) but the raisins kind of oddly worked. My favorite was Il Gelato's caramel Spam gelato topped with Spam toffee, which was delicious! There are several Il Gelato locations near my place so I will be checking them out later on for sure. I also enjoyed birria tacos from Skybox Taphouse. I got the queso birria tacos for $9 for 2 tacos, which I thought was reasonable. My husband got the two "hellfire" tacos for $14 which were (1) too hot for me and (2) I couldn't tell why they were $5 more than my tacos. Other than the heat and including two large jalapenos, I couldn't tell what inside them merited a $5 increase. A fun time hopefully had by all. We enjoyed our celebratory day of Spam!

    A great event, with lots of retail and food booths, supported by specialty Spam dishes at various…read morerestaurants, roaming photo ops, entertainment, and happy people. Hawai'i Foodbank also thanks everyone for their support! We arrived a tad late, it was a busy day - so we just missed the drone show, and most spam specialties were sold out. Those that weren't still had long lines, so YAY it was a success! This was our first time at the Waikiki Spam Jam, and we were happy to miss the super big crowd. We just wanted to check this out, and we're very glad we did! Mahalo to all the volunteers, vendors, security, and HPD for helping create and make this a wonderful and safe event for everyone to enjoy!!!

    Photos
    Waikiki Spam Jam Festival
    Waikiki Spam Jam Festival - Grilled jumbo squid from Olay's $25

    Grilled jumbo squid from Olay's $25

    Waikiki Spam Jam Festival

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    Shinnyo Lantern Floating

    Shinnyo Lantern Floating

    4.8(54 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    This year was the first time I got to attend the Shinnyo Lantern Floating Festival. I've always…read morebeen meaning to go but it was always hard to find parking. This year, I made it a point to park at Ala Moana with my mom and walk to the beach about 30 min. before the event started. To be really close to the shore and find an area to sit at, I wouldn't surprised if you people had to come at least 2-3 hours in advance, especially since they hand out the free lanterns earlier in the day. In terms of things I recommend you bring, just bring what you usually would when you want to chill at the beach: sunscreen, hat/sunglasses, light clothing, beach mat and non-alcoholic drinks + food! It was so cool to see how they had different performances (hula and taiko from what I remember). They have giant screens with subtitles at the bottom so everyone can hear/see what's going on. You can also see how much love that people have for their loved ones that have passed on through this event. It's very touching.

    It was my first time coming to the lantern festival and this event was so special and was put…read moretogether so beautifully. I didn't have to stand in line for a lantern since someone else got it for me. The line started at 10am and from what I heard they still had about 2k lanterns left around 3pm. Ala Moana beach is generally NOT dog friendly at all and they've been cracking down on citations ($200) if you have your dog at this park. Luckily all the police officers were so nice for this event and allowed it as an exception (I suppose). There was also other people that brought their dogs with them too. I was on the other hand extra cautious knowing that my son isn't supposed to be there so I tried my best to hide him in a bag nonetheless, I'm so happy that they allowed them to be with us because we were there to honor our dog, Nala that night. We parked at the mall and walked over - at about 530 there was still a good amount of space on the sand, but then the entire beach was packed around 615 or so. We decided to stay where we were and still got a good bite of the screen. However only the main screen above the stage was on during 615-630 when they had a performer prior to the event. The program itself was so beautiful and so organized. I found out that her holiness was actually equivalent to the pope. I've also never seen a taiko performance with background music like that before. It was simply amazing and so touching. We got to launch our lanterns around 7pm. There was a lot of people. Some stayed put and some went into the water. It was cordial despite the amount of people that was there. There are people with lighters for your candle but if you already have one with you would be handy too I also lost a slipper to the ocean that night but luckily a nice man found it and gave it back to me ....

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    Shinnyo Lantern Floating
    Shinnyo Lantern Floating - Outside at night where you can see the lit up lanterns

    Outside at night where you can see the lit up lanterns

    Shinnyo Lantern Floating

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    Okinawan Festival - Sips at the Awamori Garden

    Okinawan Festival

    4.0(96 reviews)
    0.0 miWaikiki

    Celebrating Okinawan culture in Honolulu, Hawaii…read more.. This year, the 42nd Annual Okinawan Festival was held at the Hawaii Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, August 31, and September 1, 2024. Admission fee was $10 for adults; $5 for seniors (age 65+); and free for children age 12 and below We parked for free at Ala Moana Center and walked over. I really didn't want to go. I used to work at the Festival when I was a member of the Hawaii United Okinawan Association (HUOA) because I played in their volleyball league. Our volleyball league ran the Children's Game Booths at Kapiolani Park. We had to get there early to set up and stay late to clean up. It was labor intensive! I have stress just remembering those times... My former co-worker really wanted to go to the Festival. She had purchased A LOT of script from her neighbor who was part of the Live Entertainment. My friend texted me several times and called me to discuss where to meet. She bribed me to go by telling me she was going to give me some script and pay for my Admission Fee... LOL! So... I went... It wasn't as bad as I remembered! The air conditioning, convenient restrooms, and excellent organization made it pleasant! Maybe the challenge was the line for script. There seemed to be only one place to buy script, and it was far away from the food booths. My friend had so much script that she sold some to strangers on our table - she overheard their conversation! As a visitor to the Festival (not as a worker), I was able to wander through the Craft Area, walk past the plants for sale and the Children's Games, stand in line for food, browse through the Country Store, and enjoy the Live Entertainment! It was nice that there were tables and chairs for customers to sit and dine-in! We didn't sign up for the special art demonstration where you can make traditional art... maybe we can do that next year!

    Celebrating the culture…read more.. No one does it like the Okinawan Festival as this year they've done it again and what an amazing event. Keeping at the Hawaii Convention Center is a real struggle to get to though the cool air conditioned venue with lots of seating provided to watch the entertainment and to enjoy your foodie feast does make it a fun and festive place to celebrate it all. In the past it has been outdoors at Kapiolani Park which in my opinion was much more difficult to enjoy it all so this is a refreshing chance of scenery and this year it's all in one level so you don't need to find the various rooms upstairs to shop for the merchandise and view the historic background of it all. The countless volunteers and groups made it a fun for all ages as we actually wanted to play some of the children's games shows how fun it truly was. I did get to peek in the Awamori Garden which was lovely oasis to get an adult sip along with some exclusive snacks found only in that area though with countless areas to browse including the craft section it was a great experience and can't wait for 2025. Thank you!

    Photos
    Okinawan Festival - One Script = $1.00

    One Script = $1.00

    Okinawan Festival - Instagram opportunity

    Instagram opportunity

    Okinawan Festival - Scroll. $10 a sheet.

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    Scroll. $10 a sheet.

    Love Festival - Tried to get a photo of a tutu, but she sat down.  This is the best I can do. ..

    Love Festival

    5.0(4 reviews)
    1.8 mi

    When I was in Las Vegas a few months ago, The Love Festival was called to my attention because of…read moreall the unusual costumes. There were many young women dressed in tutus, neon colors, floral garlands, headbands, fuzzy leg warmers, stuffed animal backpacks, and short shorts. Automobiles with license plates from different states were also decorated with neon paint and the words "Love Festival". At that time, I was busy studying at a conference, so I didn't have time to check it out. Thanks to Yelp Hawaii and our outstanding CM, Emi, my friends and I were able to obtain free tickets to the Hawaii Love Festival at Kakaako Waterfront Park! It was a fun and educational experience! I did not know that this Festival has been around for 16 years! I did not know that there were 4 different stages (we only sat at one). I did not know that tickets ranged from $40 to $50, $60, $75 and $125 for VIP. The Event was to start at 7pm. My friends and I jumped in to one car and caught a ride to the Park. There was a line already formed before 6:45pm. We read the signs that no food was allowed. Being the good, thrifty Pakes, we quickly devoured the food we had packed and drank our bottled water. However, free water was distributed inside the Festival to prevent dehydration. We didn't really need the water because there was a cool, gentle breeze and the sun had gone down by that time. The line moved along at a steady pace. The first security stop was for ticket collection. We got our first wrist band there. They also searched our bags for food and weapons. We were all asked for our ID's at the next stop. The people under 21 went through a separate line and the rest of us received a second wrist band. Very organized!! Inside, there were many vendors selling snacks, caps, shirts, neon items, shades, etc. We found a safe place on a grassy hill and sat on our towels and beach mats. We were able to observe all the great dance moves by the audience and the awesome scaffolded stage-like structure. It was a huge cube-like audio-visual smoke machine with colorful lighting. The young people sang along to songs I had never heard! Hahaha! Overall, we had a great time and we would go again next year! Thanks again to Emi and Yelp Hawaii for this special opportunity!!

    When I first heard about this festival I thought I would not being going. The idea of spending a…read morelot on a ticket and being unsure if it'd be worth it is not one of my favorite thoughts. Thank you to Yelp for the tickets, I went and thoroughly enjoyed myself! I would definitely go back in the future. To start, this event was in my favorite park in Honolulu, Kaka'ako near Ward Centres and right on the waterfront. The hills made the perfect venue to have multiple stages that didn't interfere (sound-wise) with one another. Walking toward the park that night, I could hear music and see multi-colored spotlights shining on the clouds. The entrance was organized and there were plenty of bouncers to point the way. There was practically no line to get in. Tickets were also available for purchase at the door. My guest and I spent the majority of the time in the 21+ section, which had a full service bar including special cocktails for the event. The portions ended up being generous and the bartenders were very fun and friendly. The main stage was a visual feast- bright colors, smoke, lasers, and bubble machines. Some DJs were better than others- I liked the guy from Amsterdam the best. There was free water available, and countless portapotties in the center of the park- I never had to wait, always many open. The park's many grassy areas offered plenty of places to stand, dance, or lay down and watch the stars. The ocean was close as well. All in all, I loved this event; it's great for people of all ages and interests!

    Photos
    Love Festival - Free water available!

    Free water available!

    Love Festival - Hawaiian Love Festival!

    Hawaiian Love Festival!

    Love Festival

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    Amazing Hawaii Comic Con - festivals - Updated May 2026

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