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    Comic Con Honolulu

    3.7 (36 reviews)

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    leimomi k.

    Here on a Yelp invite plus 1. Sat for a panel discussion / lecture on Spidey Senses. Comic Con organizers FAILED to provide a HOST for the room therefore it was very awkward for the 1 man speaker in the beginning as he had to just work the room without a lead in. I go to many conventions, and personally, I was embarrassed that Hawai'i failed to show our Aloha to this special guest. Luckily, Alex Saviuk, is a GREAT storyteller and I actually was very entertained and really liked his talk story session. His bio is amazing and by listening to him, you become inspired that perseverance and doing what you love to do makes life more meaningful and enjoyable in the the roller coaster of life. Wasn't about Spidey Senses but pertained to Alex Slaviuk's career story at DC, and MARVEL. He actually used his Spidey senses of common sense and intuition.

    Carolyn H.

    Attended Comic Con on Sunday with my daughter and grandson. Lots of fun, vendors, events and characters! It's a fun way to spend time with my family and still see cool things! Can't wait to see what next year brings!

    Renee C.

    3.5 stars, great location setting at Hawaii convention center. Hoping to see greAt deal of people dressed up in cosplay but sadly not nearly as much compared to kawaiikon. Arrived on a Saturday evening around 630 and surprised to find lots of parking. Visited the cosplay contest and some were really elaborate. Yay! Across the hall they had several stations set up for gamers competition. Nice ac room. Along the wall were several water coolers and very much needed on a hot muggy day like this! Went to a large room with vendors selling so many character theme things to buy. One of the vendors said it was much busier for her in the daytime. I guess night crowd is smaller? Had a very enjoyable time tonight.

    Mel B.

    This con is put on by the same people who produce the Kawaii Kon event targeting cosplay, anime, manga, cosplay and japanese related culture. Comic Con Honolulu was suppose to target comics, sci-fi, tv and movies I believe. However, It felt more like an extension of Kawaii Kon. Also, this con just kind of popped out. Because this is it's first one there are definite growing pains. Let me just say they have learned some. For next year has already announced the dynamic duo behind the revival of Marvel's Ghost Rider character in the 90s, Davic Mackie (writer) and Mark Texeira (artist) will be featured guest for 2016. Upon entering, as artist to setup, we noticed the dealer\artist alley room was barely half filled. Not a good sign. However, we weren't there to make money. Checking in wasn't too bad. A little bit of confusion who we were but got straighten fairly quickly and we could now set up. Got our map for table assignment. I was pleased to see we were against the wall. Good for us then we didn't have to worry about our back drop falling on anyone. Friday was slow and that's the usual. It gave us a chance to check out other artists and vendors there. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. That made it easier for M who had to do 2 panels the next day and was very nervous never having to do public speaking before. I checked out the room for games. It was happening but I didn't feel the buzz or excitement that I normally do. That area needs to be worked on to make it a big event offering substantial prizes with the support of related, local businesses. Have a sanctioned Magic tournament supported by Wizards of the Coast or something. Saturday was much busier giving us the chance to talk to many fans. The panel we provided came out well with a much larger attendance than expected. M was okay and actually thrived after 5 min. into the panel. I knew that. We surprisingly sold a handful of original pieces which we did not expect. Remember, we weren't here to make money. We did though. People loved the free sketches we were giving out by M and T who generously accepted our invite to man the table the whole weekend. Love her. The free long stem lollipops worked to our favor as I knew they would from past experiences doing many other cons before. Sunday was like Friday, maybe a little better. Now that they got their feet wet I am hoping for a much better show in the following years that will grow the attendance accordingly. I believe they can do that and they have my support.

    Alexander G.

    Comic Con Honolulu July 29th to July 31st, 2016 In the last few years, the comic and pop culture convention scene has exploded in the islands. As wonderful as this is for fans and attendees, it means there's more competition for who gets our hard earned money. This convention is simply not up to the quality of other similar ones in Honolulu. That being said, I did have fun. The main problem this convention has is that it used to be known as Hoku Con, which was an extension of Kawaii Kon, both of which focus more on anime than comics. These genres are very separate, which was great that they had distinct events. The rebranding of Comic Con Honolulu implies a focus on "comics" which had a very sparse offering at this convention. There were few booths selling exclusively comics, very few artists, and almost no panels about its namesake subject. This is a general pop culture convention, so the name just does not fit. It's hard to tell what the focus of the convention is, almost like it is trying to find a niche that has already been filled by other conventions. Arriving early, I was surprised at how few people were there. The pre-registration line was almost completely empty, and we only had to wait about five minutes in line to pick our passes. The nearby "pay at the door" line was very full, but did not take long to empty. Looking at the lines throughout the day, I noticed there was never a wait after the initial registration, which is always a nice benefit of small convention. Autograph tickets were also on pre-sale in the lobby for people to save time. Information booths and a weapons-check were also in the lobby, none with lines. As people registered, they waited at the main doors until the convention opened for the day. Throughout the day, there was a nice buzz and amount of people, but it was never too crowded. The convention is very small. The main floor consisted of the exhibitors area, artists area, autograph section, and the Convention Center-run concessions. Prices for the latter were high, so we never went here for food. The vendor selection was another complaint. We saw our usual toy and collectible dealers including Other Realms. There were a few comic booths that had great issue selections. My main complaint here were the completely unrelated vendor booths: T-Mobile, weapons, essential oils, and other junk. These booths had no place at this event except to pad the organizers earnings and help fill the room. I don't know why anyone would stop at these booths. The artists were some of my favorites. It was great to see Mel B., Mog Park's work including the piece in the silent auction, and Katie Cook of ABC-3PO fame. I had Katie sign my copy of the book, her and her husband were super friendly and one of the highlights of my day. I really enjoyed the tactile art pieces, of which I bought a few. I loved the clay custom game pieces by Epicycle Designs (I bought a set of Settlers of Catan resources), and the yarn art by The Little Outcrop (I bought a Wicket the Ewok). There were quite a few creative booths here and it was fun to peruse the art. Throughout the convention, they had a silent art auction with nice pieces as well. I liked seeing the Ghostbusters' car and two Jurassic Park Jeeps. The autograph area was well organized and spacious both for the celebrities and fan lines. John Barrowman, Sean Astin, Phil Lamarr, Summer Glau, and the great George Takei were some of the highlights. It's great they got some well known people to come. I felt the prices were too high, which makes sense for the distance of the convention, but usually the smaller the event, the lower the ticket prices. I heard some of the celebrities thought the selfie fee was ridiculous, so I assume they didn't set their own prices. Upstairs were the panel rooms. The temperature was so cool and comfortable in these rooms. I enjoyed the Star Trek 50th Anniversary Panel put on by the Last Outpost local club. The video game room had a stage for Rock Band, Super Smash Bros., and PC games going on all weekend including tournaments. It was fun to watch people playing. We spent more time in the table top room, where we played Carcassone and 7 Wonders. It was a relaxing break from the heat to sit and quietly play a game. I found many of the volunteers in this room to be rude, there's no other way to put that. It seemed they didn't want to help people learn games, especially kids. It made the group games unappealing. It was a highlight to just play Carcassone with Kristine. C.! I enjoyed how you simply give an ID in exchange for borrowing a game, then you can try it or learn with new friends! Entry prices are too high. There were things about this convention that are 5-stars, others are 1-stars. Overall I had to give it a 3. I would return in the hopes they make improvements going forward. If you only want to go to one convention in the area, go to Amazing Hawaii Comic Con!

    Porsche S.

    The convention center has many different comic con events throughout the year. At the last minute we decided to attend this event and had to buy tickets at the door. For Saturday tickets it was $55 per adult and children 10 years and younger were free with paid adult. You could also purchase a one of a kind lanyard at the door for $5.00. The amount of vendors that were there compared to other events that I've gone to were less. The ballroom itself was not even filled to its maximum capacity and there was a lot of open space. There were a couple aisles of vendors and a cluster of them towards the front. However, the rest was just artist autographs and the line to pay for artist autographs. I was sadly disappointed in the amount of vendors there. However, I did buy snacks from some local food vendors and was able to buy some apparel. It was also very slow with not many attendees. I liked that because who wants to walk in a crowd of people?! Definitely not worth the $55 at the door nor going 3 days in a row if you bought the 3 day pass. Waiting for more comic con events to attend!

    Arvin P.

    So first off, I'm really grateful as a yelp elite to be invited to the convention. I've only been to a few conventions in my lifetime, so I'll base my past experiences on this one. First off, was a bit surprised there weren't as many attendants as I expected. When I went to Kawaii Kon recently, I remember the main hall was jam packed with people in cosplay. This Saturday, not that many people. The line wasn't too long. Getting into the vendor room, I also noticed that the amount of vendors were a bit less compared to other conventions. There was a good amount, but mostly art and Asian stuff like anime and K-pop. There weren't too many comic booths. I was expecting more booths from the various comic stores on island. The guest list was also impressive, but personally I wasn't interested. I feel like for Oahu, we're more about anime and video games. Less on comics. It definitely showed during the convention. I did meet some nice people and bought some nice art prints, but I don't know if I'd attend another comic convention on island. Maybe the next anime convention.

    The first booth when you walk in
    Kawika S.

    Over the years, Comic Con has created a name and a reputation for itself of being one of (if not) the premier comic convention type events for the year. They normally offer a smorgasbord of vendors of varying offerings. From shirts to artwork to popcorn, even Geico has a booth inside. It's one of the few events and places that you can go to in Hawaii dressed as Finn or Rey, Ash or Misty, Sora or Link and not be afraid of being ridiculed for your affection for each character. Heck, you may even be featured in a Instagram or a Facebook post should your costume be worthwhile enough. This year's "Con" was pretty good. It tussled in a tug of war with the Honolulu Collectors Expo for crowd size but it benefited from its past fame. Not to mention it featured some pretty cool panels and autograph opportunities. From Amy Jo Johnson (the Pink Ranger) to Daniel Logan (the young actor that portrayed Boba Fett in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones) they did a good job of bringing in the actors you never thought you'd love to chit chat with as an adult. One of the best parts for me is to see the neat things that local business owners come up with. From ono Kettle pop corn, to lightsaber training classes or Hawaiian Manga, there's always something new and exciting down every aisle way. As a huge kid, my favorite part is being swallowed up by a crowd of characters that I know and love. To see Deadpool having a conversation with Boba Fett and Rapunzel or see the Defenders sharing a laugh with Nightwing and Sailor Moon. It's the most immersive experience that you can enjoy while still being physically present on island. You see the coolest, most weird, fantastic, horrifying, confusing, awesomest, newest, oldest, most popular, most obscure things that you could imagine here. And the best part is: Everyday the cast of this crazy symphony changes. So you literally never know what to expect when you attend. Best way to figure out exactly what I'm talking about is to try it out. You won't be disappointed but you will more than likely be pleasantly surprised. At the very least

    Photo of the game room
    Andy F.

    Studies have shown that I am a geek. Sorry, nerds and dorks. The ticket was $35 on Friday. I was more interested in the Amazing Comic Con that is coming up in September, but I thought I'd check this Honolulu Comic Con out to get a glimpse of what may be to come. Plus, I've never been to a comic con before, so this is a way to get my feet wet. After taking the ridiculously long and slow escalators and reaching the fourth floor of the Convention Center, everything looked very bare. The courtyard just had a regular Jeep with Jurassic PARK designs. Ummm, wow.... There were just three rooms that made up this comic con convention. One of them was a gaming room with rows of desktop computers and XBOX where you can play whatever game it had for free, and Super Smash Brothers on WiiU was available to play for free on two TVs. There were tournaments being held too at specific times during the day. Another area had tables where you can play your RPGs, and in the back was the Panel Room. I spent a total of ten minutes in here, and eight minutes was spent playing Super Smash Brothers on WiiU (Nintendo 64 is MUCH better). This room very empty when I was there. It needs to have multiple vendors that attracts to all audiences of gaming. Waste of space. The second room had the vendors and artists. There weren't a lot there, and nothing special. I was hoping for a wider selection and harder to get merchandise and paraphernalia. Though, I had a very fun, informative, and interesting conversation with some LARPers at the Dystopia Rising Hawaii table. I love talking to people about their passion. Last room was for the guests' signings and photographs, and for events. The first time I went in, it was showing a video on two small (compared to the room) screens, and there was barely anyone watching. Can't you watch them on YouTube? Anyway, I attended the Lingerie Show Fashion Show and it wasn't interesting. I thought it would be comic book and character themed, but it was far from it. Overall, it wasn't a great experience, and definitely not worth the $35 admission. I felt like this Honolulu Comic Con wasn't well planned and well thought out. It needed a lot more attractions, needed to use more of what's popular on TV and comic books, and needed to create a much better atmosphere. Also, it needed a major draw, such as a major star or a major event, for each day. Being that this was the inaugural event, it should get better if they're serious about making this an annual event. I must've came on the wrong day and wrong time, because there was supposed to be a Yelp Booth, it wasn't there!!

    Thank you Emi at Yelp!
    Robyn N.

    All these comic events are pretty similar. Same artists and same vendors. I only go for my son. He loves it. We walk around, he visits his fave artist 7Sketches, he buys a few stickers and toys, then we head up to the gaming room. I sit there patiently while he plays video games. The gaming room is cool. There are screens and monitors everywhere. All kinds of different games going on. They hold tournaments for certain games. My son is not at that level yet. Thank goodness! I'd probably have to stay there all day long. I always make sure to have a full Hydroflask (they have filtered water dispensers to refill) and lots of snacks. We do a lot of walking.

    Best live band ever!
    Liezl R.

    I love how the Comic Cons are always in tune with the latest trends. Last year when I went, everyone was dressed up as League of Legends characters. This year, there are lots of Pokémon goodies to buy! Plus, Pokéstops be raining down hard at this location :) I was so distracted with all the costumes walking around and by all the Pokémon on my phone. In addition to the Anime/Comic booths, shirt booths, and Cute stuffed animal booths, there were all kinds of vendors set up. My favorite vendor has to be Paradise Kettle Corn. I had their kettle corn last year, and I have been looking forward to getting my hands on another bag. I walked away with three today 0_o Not as many people in costumes as last year, but I came at 4pm, so many of them may have already gone home. There were still lots of cool people to see. I wanted to take photos of so many cosplayers, but I was too shy to ask -_- Didn't sit in on any of the panels, but we went into the game room with consoles and also the board game rooms. The setup they provide is awesome. TVs and computers line the walls, and people sit and enjoy some games of Smash brothers while Rock Band players rock out up front. My favorite room though is the main room downstairs, where they sell stuff. The artwork at all the booths are phenomenal. You can commission artists too, and the price is pretty good. Prices I saw for commission ranged from 15 - 25. There's also just lots of cute little trinkets everywhere, and you have to do at least 3 rounds of the place to see them all. I walked away with a cute little "soot bunny" pin that was only $3.00. And... after a few hours, that three dollar pin lost one of its eyes. Oh well, it's still kinda cute. If you have a few hours to spare tomorrow, you should definitely check out Comic Con. It's a totally different atmosphere than any other event you've been to :)

    George and Brad Takei were super cool ! Thanks for getting us in there
    Scott D.

    First off props and thanks to the Yelp crew for being helpful in tips and tricks to the convention. Kristi at the yelp booth was nice and helpful plus she had a comfy couch - Winning! This was the first major convention that I have been to in Hawaii so I guess I dont have much to compare it to. I went by KawaiiCon when it happened earlier this year and it just seemed crazy busy and jammed pack full of people where as this one just seemed much less populated. I get it though as the anime greaterthan comics/tv out here. Overall everyone at the booths were friendly and the table top room looked awesome! Just was lacking in participants when I went through. The guests were awesome! The price was not... $20-50 for a selfie OR autograph? $60 for a photoshoot/professional quick photo.. Thankfully the lines weren't crazy! I looked at the list of people and had to sadly narrow it down simply because it just adds up$$$. George and Brad Takei were some of the nicest celebrities I have ever met, they knew the lines were long and took the extra time out of their lunch and breaks in order to make sure that everyone had an opportunity to get their signatures and photos. Summer Glau was super nice and stunning to meet in person. I took my last opportunity to meet up with Samwise Gamgee himself Mr Sean Astin who was nice and I watched him get overwelmed by a fellowship group trying to get a set of photos with him which was very entertaining. Cosplay! Rock on folks! Everyone that had a costume on really was impressive! EVERYONE. The effort and care that people put into their costumes was really noticeable and these folks made everything more exciting. I have been to several Blizzcon's before in the past and was used to a lot more folks roaming around like this though but the ratio was great it just wasn't a very packed/busy con at the time I was there. Panels were by far the best part. All free ofcourse but a chance to really get some feed into the different people and what was going on. Sadly I missed a bunch while waiting in line for photo ops downstairs. They definitely had the local trends rocking with lots of pokemon toys, suicide squad folks, and Starwars themed goodies. The staff for the convention were super nice and helpful along the way. I would recommend this in the future based on the list of guests.

    Raven from Teen Titans!
    Kristi A.

    Before I start my review, I want to thank Emi and the wonderful Yelp staff for this opportunity to attend my first Comic Con Honolulu event! I went on Saturday and expected to have to wait in the long ass registration line. Luckily, one of the Yelp employees messaged me that morning saying I could pick up my tickets at the Yelp Booth which was so awesome. Since I barely had a smart phone for a month, I didn't really get how the "Check-In" thing worked for the Yelp Booth, but luckily Kristi guided me through. I got an awesome Yelp sunglasses after answering a Pokemon-related trivia. After getting my wrist band, my boyfriend and I went panel hopping. The first panel we went to was the European Sword Fighting/Fencing one where they were demonstrating different moves. It was fascinating but not that interesting for me and my boyfriend so we went to the Art Improv. The Art Improv had a bunch of my friends drawing random things that the MC suggested. He started with themes like King Kong, but took suggestions from the audience on what types of careers/jobs those characters could hold. Some of the suggestions for the jobs were funny like lunch lady, bus driver, student, and baby sitter. It was really fun, but then we decided to check out the Grant Imahara panel which was kind of packed. Grant Imahara was funny and entertaining, he knew how to work the crowd--even if it meant to avoid some questions by giving the audience a story instead. I got interested in seeing the Mark T. panel where he was supposed to paint and talk about comics, but was quite bored, it seemed like this was his first panel so he didn't know what to say. As a result, my boyfriend and I went back to Grant's panel. Afterwards, we wandered to the first floor which had the artist alley and vendors. It was so nice that there were charging stations for your phones, Poke Stops (about 4 with lures for most of the time), and water fountains with cups for you to stay hydrated. There was even a gaming station which I didn't take a look in. Unbeknownst to us (until later), there was also a food area that sold various foods in the back of the artist alley. The artist alley had various vendors ranging from guest speakers to comic book artists. There was even the autograph and photograph lines to speak to acclaimed guests like Stella Chu (famous cosplayer). What I thought was the star of the convention besides the awesome cosplays was the panels. There were so many different topics speakers presented about ranging from Quidditch, 501st Legion, Making Your Props, Drawing Comics, and more. The only downside to the convention was how pricey the autographs and photo sessions were, most ranged from $20 and up for autographs and $60 and up for photographs. According to my boyfriend's friend, she said even though you bought tickets for the George Takei photo, it wasn't guaranteed that you would get a photo which kind of sucks. Another downside is how steep the admission fee is, if I didn't get the free tickets that Yelp provided, I would have spent $20 or more to attend the convention. But overall, I had a wonderful time. It's hard to believe Comic Con is in it's second year, I hope it's not it's last. My word of advice to everyone though is pre register for your tickets to avoid the long line and price hikes. Also to come early for parking, when my boyfriend and I went at 9:30 am, the parking lot was empty, but when we left at 5 pm, it was full. Parking is a flat rate of $10 which isn't that bad.

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    Ask the Community - Comic Con Honolulu

    Review Highlights - Comic Con Honolulu

    It was really fun, but then we decided to check out the Grant Imahara panel which was kind of packed.

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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)
    1.1 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)
    1.9 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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    Comic Con Honolulu - festivals - Updated May 2026

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