First time for us at this super fun event showcasing Kaimuki's small businesses. All up and down…read moreWaialae Ave, people were walking and visiting the businesses. Many of them had special KeepItKaimuki specials. There was a big craft fair at Ali'iolani Elementary too. It was a great way to actually visit places that you were always wanting to check out but never had a chance. It was totally a fun and carnival-like vibe. Only thing, I'd advise to get there very early to nab free parking at Sacred Hearts Academy and St. Patrick school. Otherwise it's the municipal lots on 11-12th Ave or street parking. Or go later in the day after the early birds have left. Oh! Forgot to add- there were trolleys up and down the ave. stopping at several bus tops along the way in case you don't want to walk the hill. Free!

What a wonderful get together with the community and discovering businesses…read more There was a free trolley stopping at fun stops along Waialae Ave. The actual party/event at the school was filled with food, crafts, free stuffs and more. Found the Yelp tent! The school's restroom was open in case one needed it. All along Waialae Ave and it's side streets had sidewalk friendly displays. Almost like a long block party with traffic. There is a lighted tree behind the fire station in the evenings, too. A well organized event.

I love HFWF! I always sign up for one event and participate in the auction, which has wonderful…read moreitems to bid on - miles, wine, dinners, events, gift cards! This year my daughter and I attended the Fit Brunch with Egan Inoue. Enjoyed the company, and working out before eating fab tapas.

Waikiki Rooftop Party! I've always wanted to attend the Food and Wine Festival & finally did during…read morethe 2023 Hawai'i Food & Wine kickoff event: Far East - Street Ph'East. Alohilani Resort 's sunset rooftop overlooking waikiki, this was a celebration of asian night markets. With my First Hawaiian Bank personal Mastercard I was able to get preferred early access; an hour early before general access. With all inclusive food & drinks ranging from local to world-famous chefs & mixologists all while meeting people in the restaurant, news, & influencer industry, this was for sure foodie paradise! Highly recommend any of these well-known estsblishments! Offerings Chef Morimoto of Morimoto Asia Waikiki Kona Cold Lobster Balls Chef Robynne Maii of Fête Opah Croquetas Chef Keaka Lee of Kapa Hale Cold Ginger Chicken Chef Francis Ang of Abacá Lamb Adobo Empanada Chef Ray Hayashi of RYLA Pork Belly Ssam Chef Shota Nakajima of Blue Ocean Mariculture Hawaiian Kanpachi Chef Ria Dolly Barbosa of Peso Neighborhood Lechon Kawali Ginger Lugaw Leeward CC Culinary Arts serving Alohilani Resort 's Ginger Kauai Shrimp & Scallops Nem Rán Chef Chung Chow of Noreetuh Tako Tostada Helen Nguyen of Saigon Social Grilled Betel Leaf Hapa Cattle Co. Beef

This was my first time at the Honolulu zoo and at the wildest show in town event. Thank you Yelp…read morefor the invite. The event was held on a large lawn facing the stage,. There was some vendors and some educational 10th, fundraiser for the elephants and activities tables for the children. The theme of the day was elephants and the Hawaiian national butterfly. We stop by the elephant book and bought some cute matching bracelets in support the elephants. We signed up at the free ukulele giveaway. Then we stopped by the butterfly exhibit and I got plenty of knowledge about how butterflies hatch. They grow on in Hawaii. And little did I know I was ready for the pop quiz that was happening later on that day. There was a coloring contest and everyone had fun coloring in there butterflies. And then we walked over to the vendor that was telling food and ICs. And had a nice day. They gave away to ukuleles and prizes for the most creative and interesting colors from the butterfly color station.. The event is family friendly especially for children under 10. With the activities and the large area of grass to play. There was a lot of children enjoying themselves. It was a perfect day to be outside and have a picnic. I did not have the heads up I'm bringing my own Blanket and chairs that I will bring the next time. The zoo is closed during the event I will definitely be returning to check out the zoo at another date.

At the Honokulu Zoo August 1. Beautiful perfect weather for this evening' awesome show featuring…read moreJohnny Helm and Friends! ---Took a quick stroll through the zoo before they closed. It's been a very long time since my last visit, and the zoo has made some massive improvements! I need to come back for a longer and leisure stroll! ---Trivia today (fun facts) was on the Hawaiian Monarch Butterfly. Hawaiian name? Pulelehua. Cold blooded or warm blooded? Cold blooded! ---food prices: see my pic. Expensive...you know what to do..... --- ambiance: family friendly atmosphere! Lots of little keiki around and very nice to see the kupuna out.

Update 08/16/25 A…read moregreat neighborhood event to bring families together to eat, dance and learn about the Bon Dance festivities and culture. Today's weather is a warm 81 degrees. It feels closer 90 degrees! It may rain a bit in the evening. The Bon Dance participants are wearing Happi coats or full kimono wear! I hope they hydrate and take a breather in this hot and humid weather. Everything starts around 4:30 pm. You need to come early to partake in the home baked goodies and foods! Many times the favorite foods sell out quickly. Parking is very limited here. Dropping off older adults and children are highly recommended. Police and volunteers are present here to assist you. Some metered parking is available near Cartwright Park. Come one and all! Please enjoy the pictures and videos I took of the event. Thank you Tess! Videos and pictures are not viewable unless you access my older 2024 review or general photos for event!

Bon Dance season in Honolulu, Hawaii... The last one of this season (8-20-22)…read more.. Every year, Japanese culture celebrates the passing of their loved ones. The Obon Festival in Hawaii is a big thing. Many different churches around Oahu sponsor Bon Dances - it's kind of like a carnival/fundraiser without rides. There's lots of good food and music. My friend got some of us together to volunteer. At first, we were setting up the "Go For Broke" booth which sold Limited Edition Aloha Shirts, t-shirts, videos, paper fans, magnets, etc. Later, we shifted to the food booths and sold andagi (Okinawan donuts), poke bowls (new item), and chow funn (the only Bon Dance to have this on their menu). Other tables sold bentos, spam musubi, shave ice, and more! We were so busy that I didn't get a chance to get photos of the food! I was able to sneak away and look at the hapi coats and Bon Dance towels. They are useful souvenirs that I can wear next year if we volunteer again... LOL! Overall, it was fun and crowded. We got there early at 3pm (started at 4:30pm), so we got great parking. However, we were blocked in because they used the driveway for an outdoor dining area. The good things were seeing people dressed in kimonos and hapi coats, watching the dancers and drummers, and looking at the festive, colorful lanterns while the Japanese music played cheerfully! Note: everyone was asked to wear a mask inside of the Social Hall where the food was being sold. Outside (where the beverages and dancing took place), masks were not required.)

Love this festival! This year it will be in Waikiki at the Thomas Jefferson Elementary School on…read moreKapahulu April 1-2, 9A-4P. Highland games, dancing, music, sword play. Can't wait! Hoping Celtica will be here again!

This was held at McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Park in 2014…read more We had an enjoyable Sunday afternoon here at the 2014 Festival. First, you can't beat the price: $1 entry! And free parking. They have a lot going on, but you are on your own to figure out what and when. That is probably my only criticism. They posted nothing online for 2014 (that I could find), so I didn't know what their entertainment lineup was or any other helpful information to plan. We took our chances and arrived around noon on Sunday. They also didn't seem to have any programs or any info onsite - we had to either ask someone or just wander around. That said, we found plenty of interesting things to see and do. One room of the pavilion is dedicated to booths and tables where you can learn more about Scotland, its people, and geography. If you have any Scottish heritage, you can learn a lot about your ancestors. Several clans are represented here, and they can give you loads of information. An inside stage was dedicated to Scottish dancing. We bypassed it to watch the bagpipes and drums on the outdoor stage. Meanwhile, there were vendors selling Celtic jewelry, artisanal preserves, woodcrafts, etc. Food vendors were also scattered around, including bar carts selling Scotch (of course!). By mid-afternoon, a lot of vendors had sold out of their wares. Meanwhile, outside on the lawn, men in kilts were competing in highland games. Caber tosses, throwing of all kinds of heavy things, heaving heavy things over bars - it's actually quite fascinating to watch! After the bagpipers left the stage inside the pavilion, the Housewife Games were announced - and any lady was invited to participate. Three events: frying pan toss and rolling pin toss (distance), and a haggis roll (accuracy). I turned to my festival companions and said "I have to go do that now" and went outside to register. It was free, and I got to fling things! About a dozen ladies joined me in the competition, and some were unexpectedly strong. Everyone was really friendly and chatty and cheered one another on. The gentlemen measuring our throws were really fun and good-natured. I had a blast! And came in as second-runner up, so I won a prize! I can't wait to return next year - I'm going to practice my throwing in the meantime and will be gunning for champion. :)

The 2024 fair had terrible food!! I don't mind paying higher prices because it's a fundraiser but…read morethe product should be excellent for this price. The only thing that was good quality was the malasada and the terri cheeseburger. The absolute worst was the noodles. I think it's a really good set up for younger kids and lots of space for them to play and have fun. I saw a lot of families on the grass with chairs/ blankets so great family environment. They just need to up their food game .... They advertise a lot of it as gourmet .... Maybe perfect the basics and start there.

Attended the 2023 Iolani fair for the first time and it was a bit disappointing compared to the…read morePunahou carnival. The fair is definitely smaller than the punahou carnival: less food for sure. The food was a bit disappointing and overpriced. The gumbo is $8 for a tiny bowl with mostly rice. The kalua pork bowl and French fries were too salty. The Greek wrap is nothing green about it: old cold chicken with lettuce. It felt like a waste of money with disappointing food.

I always try to go every year with my dad as a tradition to watch the spotlight on Asia movies at…read moreHIFF. Really love how it is at Kahala Theater now because Dole is kind of sketchy not gonna lie.... With the newly renovated theater I'm glad that they choose to hold HIFF here. My only issue is that if you are not quick to get your tickets everything is literally sold out... Make sure to make your decision on what movies to watch because those seats get sold fast.

HIFF hosts so many amazing films each year and I've been very lucky to see several films the last…read morefew years at theaters. Each year, HIFF also hosts a special summer film series at Prince Waikiki. I went last year and there were a couple Hawaiian based films that were interesting. Yesterday, I was able to experience the official showing of Songs of Love from Hawai'i by Jinyoung Lee Won at Prince Waikiki. It was an incredible moving documentary about the history of Korean American immigrants in Hawaii. Beautiful music. It's a must see. 53 minutes long. There was a Q&A at the end which was interesting to learn how she came up with idea of the film. There will be a few showings of the film upcoming fall if you are interested in September & October. Can't wait to see what other amazing films come to fruition next year!

Gooood, I love this annual event. It's a great free festival for all ages…read more Free shuttles from Honolulu Community College are avaiable so you don't have to look for parking. Terrific restaurants like Nico's and Uncle's are opened to the public and of course there are smaller vendors like KC hot dogs. You gotta have a KC hot dog. Great demonstrations throughout the festival but the best are inside the "block". Tons of different fishes on ice to show what type they are and "Let's Go Fishing" had a nice presentation as you walk in. You have to drop by and visit Master Naoki Nayashi, yes he is the Master of gyotako. No ones does it like Naoki Nayashi. Bring an umbrella, it's always hot out there and bring lots of water or you can purchase bottle water or sodas for $2.

This was the first time I attended this event. I expected the festival to be much larger, given…read moreHawaii's fishing tradition, so I was a little disappointed. Still, the fish display inside the auction building was very impressive. I saw a few of the local fishing show celebrities and got a chance to say hello to one of them, so being smaller has its advantages as well. The shuttle buses were a great idea, but parking at the community college was tight.