#30 of 2017 For a…read morecomic book\toy show it is very small. You can go around the 2 rooms they fill in 5min. walking slowly not stopping. Doesn't sound like much to do but there really is more than meets the eye. Admission is $3 and that's bargain cheap because in this room is a great bunch of dealers, artist and weekend warrior seller wannabes vying for your dollar. If you are a collector\fan, like me, these guys have great stories to tell of what they got. Or, how they became an artist. How they made a big score. Their run in with some of the big names of the industry. There is a wealth of first hand information that can be attained at this gathering. Sounds like you can get that at any other show right? Wrong. The other bigger shows have dealers on edge trying to figure out how to make the money they've invested into the weekend endeavor of making a profit. It will be difficult to find that friendly vendor unless you are a serious buyer with serious cash. You may not get the big names but at a show like Hawaii Comic & Toy Expo it is a friendlier atmosphere. A throwback to when Comic Cons first started. They were quirky. They were down right weird and definitely nerdy. And, that is the heart of Comic Shows. This got taken away when shows became successful. And now, there are many new shows across the country popping with this throwback to the glory days of fun. I attended this show today, May 7, 2017, with my partner\artist. I had so much fun talking to a dealer how he acquired a big score from a guy who bought a locker rich in collectibles. I didn't think that was possible here in the islands. You hear it on the mainland. Wow. We spent time with Aaron Lopresti, veteran artist of 25years, and his beautiful wife Shelly talking about art, the industry and family. We visited with Andy. Teacher extraordinaire by week, warrior artist during the weekends appearing where he can, like the Yelp's Flight Club at the Aviation Museum and at the various shows now occurring here in the islands. Then, we talked with up and coming artist, Free Isabelo. Local boy who now lives in Las Vegas. He shared his journey learning the craft and how he's breaking into the industry. There is also some great bargains to be had on all kinds of toys. You can see older comic books priced well over $100. When I see these I start thinking about what I have, how many and should I sell. LoL It's fun to talk to the younger fans too. A little girl we talked with, under 10 years old, told us how she hung on to her Easter money until she came here. She was torn though because there are things she wants but also wants to save. She's got good parenting teaching her the importance of saving. If that was me at that age, I would've spent everything I had in 5min. I know better now. I only walked out with 1 purchase. A Star Wars technical book on the ships of the original movie that included the Death Star. Use to sell for $150 but I snagged it for $6.00 for reference material. I attended today thinking I would be done in 1 hour then I can go home and eat. I was having such a good time. Before I knew it, time was slipping away. When I did finally get up to leave, I looked at the time, did some quick calculations, realizing I was there for 3.5 hours. I was starving. Parking is free in the Ala Moana Center then you can just walk into the hotel. For $3.00 entrance fee, that was money well spent for half a day of entertainment. There's hardly any place these days to get cheap thrills like that.

A fun event held annually on the second floor of the Ala Moana Hotel. admission is pretty…read moreinexpensive. What original drew me here is that a know some people in the artist's alley area doing mostly drawings and such and selling other merchandise. But they have some really great toys and collectibles. Special edition models. Lots of special edition certified comics as well. Some blast from the pasts too like vintage toys. I was pleasantly surprised with all the special edition Marvel and Star Wars collections multiple vendors have. I always find something I like. They'll usually be some cosplayers around the event as well. It's small but the quality of collections is high and its well worth the visit.

I brought my summer camp group here for a field trip. Kevin was wonderful to work with, and so…read moreaccommodating. Kevin and his staff were very welcoming and so patient with my students. The arena is pretty large and still allows for lots of personal space. The environment isn't overstimulating and is quite relaxing. They had lots of game systems and games to choose from. Highly recommend!

Awesome place to play in. I was part of a eSports team an I quite liked the interior everything was…read morefitting a gamers dream. I don't know if I'm wrong but I think you can play on their computers as well when there isn't a ESports match going on.

Products made by moms, but if you aren't a mom, don't worry, there are plenty of products for you…read moretoo! Tshirts, jewelry, purses, artwork, candles, granola, etc. There is a lot of space for strollers and wild childs like my twin sons to run around. The Yelp booth has crayons and paper placemats for kids to color to their heart's content. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the last day, so If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, head on down and buy them at the door and support your local mommy vendors! Much mahalos to Yelp for the free tickets!

I was so excited to receive free Yelp admission for my daughter and I to attend the Mom Made Market…read more... Mahalo Yelp :) I hadn't been to the Convention Center before so I wasn't sure what to expect ... it was big, clean, and easy enough to navigate. Glad the tickets were free because parking is a $10 flat rate. The room was huge and the market took up half the space .... lots of room for many more vendors next year :) I specifically went to visit the Milolii Love, Storybook Entertainment & Shaklee booths ... www.MiloliiLove.com www.healthyliving808.com www.storybookhawaii.com ( see pics.) Was impressed and inspired by all these talented Mom's ... very nice and beautifully presented products ! My daughter enjoyed pics with the Princesses, crafting at the Yelp booth and eating some delicious Macaroons :) We spent about a hour browsing around and look forward to next year :)

It's a great place to play billiards and ping pong. Limited parking. Great rates. They also have a…read morepublic monthly tournament.

This place is hard to find if you don't know where it is. There is nothing much more than a neon…read moreOPEN sign, and barely anything of a front entrance. Even though the name is McCully Cue (I think?), I want to hesitate calling this place a pool hall, though there are 5 tables. There are other game machines lining the walls; and it seems most people come to play those. I recall pool table day rates are $3/hr or more; and more in the evening. The tables are medium fast, and the surface is hard - really sounds like rock on rock rolling sound. I think the house cues were decent; I remember being able to get some good draw sometimes, when I used them. Seems very strange to me that there is a Korean church on the 2nd floor of the building? The other customers who play the machines and hang out here really give this place a cave of thieves feeling. But they will leave you alone and just go about their own business. I think one of the cashiers is named Sandy, and she keeps everyone in line mama-san style. Even though the bathrooms are right in the open, you need a key to open the door. One time I was there - someone was bothering Sandy for the bathroom key. Finally she gets fed up and yells at everyone in the place: "It says return the key to the desk! Ok, you don't want to put the key back; NOBODY uses the bathroom!". And ala small keed time, one of the guys playing on a machine whispers to the guy next to him, "eh shh, I think she scolding us".

Amazing Comic Con Aloha is literally AMAZING! The 2020…read moreevent had Donny Cates (writer - absolute carnage, venom and thanos), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars Lando Calrissian), Jason David Frank (original Green and White Power Ranger), Johnny Yong Bosch (2nd Black Power Ranger, trigun, and bleach), voices of My Hero Academia, Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved By the Bell Zack, the passage, mixed-ish) and many artists (global and local) and lots of vendors. I paid the $25 for the day of going on Sunday. A lot of the main actors, voices and artists were there signing autographs, some selling their art (drawing, painting, stickers, shirts, etc.). The vendors I bought items from were teeturtle, the wordless signature, nature nurture goods and one other ... I wanted to buy other things from other booths but I didn't want to spend over the $55 I spent already. I always go to these events and find Pokemon stuff (I bought stickers, art and shirts). There are so many anime, Disney cartoons, famous shows (Star award), and MANY MORE! Saturday's usually has all the events of different speakers and photo ops (usually got to pay to take photos with the special guests) and the lines can be long. 3-day passes are usually $60 or so while a day is $25. You can be there for an hour to the whole day. Lots of cosplayers (people dressed up as famous characters) and some make their own outfits. Can't wait for the next comic con.

Mahalo to Emi and Yelp Hawaii for the free tickets to this AMAZING Comic Con (August 25 - 27,…read more2017)!!! I signed up under the Events tab of the Yelp app and got an email a few days later, stating that I had won a pair of tickets! This is the third year that Hawaii has had a Comic Con. I've read reviews about how it began with lots of hard work and obstacles that were overcome! My +1, Jules Y., and I found free parking nearby and walked to the Hawaii Convention Center. I picked up my wristbands at the Will Call/Media line of the Registration table. No problem! I just told them that my name should be on the Yelp list! ...and it was! Inside the air conditioned Exhibition Hall, many vendors were arranged neatly and were found easily according to the map printed in the brochure. For those who wanted to relax and see a movie between presentations, the Stage area had many seats. However, we stood in the back and took photos of the Cos Play parade! After that, we took a look at the famous people at the Autograph Pavillion. I'm so grateful to be able to experience this cool event! There are 2 more days to enjoy, so come on down!

Crowded but a popular place to purchase food as well as crafts/jewelry from local artisans. There…read moreis not a lot of parking so be prepared to walk.

They need to have all this at the Okinawan Festival…read more.. What a show of love at this craft fair as there are so many vendors majority are all handmade items uniquely their own you know is made with pride, many are the same located at the same spot there are a few different ones at times but I do love it as they do try their best to welcome everyone. Parking is insanely limited so it can be difficult but they do try their very best to accommodate as the staff are so graciously on top of anyone that leaves to make room for anyone searching for parking. On this visit was a challenge and was so sad to see both lots was full and with that overhead that the staff had moved their own car to another location to make room for the shoppers and that there was shuttle service provided by two taxis to take us to the Okinawa Center so we didn't need to walk...how amazing is that! Because they didn't use the lot like in the past it was really crammed inside filled to a point that it was difficult to pass one someone stopped to shop but everyone did shop and I was thrilled to find a few items making it so worth the effort to support and shop small and local. Thank you! side note...I was so thrilled to find parking I left my phone in the car...no pics!

Once upon a time, Hawaii had no comic conventions. Back before cellphones, tablets and Apple…read morewatches the closest comic book fans came to an organized get together was at the "Hawaii State Comic Collector's Club". Meetings were held at the Moiliili Public Library on a semi-regular basis. Fans of comics, horror and syfy movies had a place to gather, share and compare thoughts and experiences of the latest news in the world of fantasy. Mind you that this was a time when back and forth instantaneous communication was only in the form of telephone, telegraph and shouting over your neighbor's fence. This was the 1970s. Fast forward to 2019. Hawaii has now hosted many entertainment conventions, one of which is the Comic Con Honolulu, a home grown produced annual event which gives fans a chance to match up with like fans and meet people involved in this segment of the entertainment industry. Some thoughts regarding this Con: Smaller than the Amazing Comic Con, they feature a large area devoted gaming in the main hall. They take elements of both the Amazing and Kawaii Kon (celebrity photo ops, artist alley, cosplay contests, panel discussions, etc.) They have the usual assortment of dealers selling related merchandise but seemingly, not as many as the other Cons. Just sort of less of everything but still pretty enjoyable. There were some vendors that seemed out of place for this con: T-mobile, ATT and vacation time shares, really!? Enjoyed seeing the King of Tokyo, Godzilla game play. A fan made oversized game which looked like fun. It's always fun to see the cosplay and this Con was no exception. The time and creativity put in by the cosplayers is something to behold. Less cosplayers than Kawaii Kon but still enjoyable. The con even had cars detailed with anime themes. Servco even had new Toyota corollas on display detailed with their newly created super hero theme- a fun campaign to market their latest offering. Definitely a smaller crowd but it, in some ways has a more local "feel". Was sort of a spin-off of the Kawaii Kon which focuses more on anime. 3.5 stars for this con, enjoyable without a wow factor. Will say that this con gave me more of a reminiscing type feeling like when friends would get together back in the day at the comic collector's club. Mahalos to Emi and Yelp for the free pass to attend the Saturday event. A nice way to spend a warm and muggy summer day.

First time visiting Comic Con Honolulu. We came fairly early to check it out. Plenty on…read moreoffer--artist alley had vendors, artists, and celebrity autograph and photo ops. We spent most of our time here, just hanging around the booths and talking story with the artists. I wish there had been more local comic vendors, but it was great to pick up some original work from local comic artists. In terms of the panels, a good assortment, although more anime and video game oriented. I wish there had been more TV, but Hawaii is more oriented toward the anime set. Cool cosplayers and plenty of fun to be had. However, the prices are certainly high, especially considering the parking cost and the cost for autographs and photographs. At least make the parking free.

My favorite place to celebrate the Bon Season and the start of summer!…read more Mōili'ili Summer Festival and Bon Dance is a great place to celebrate it all the Bon Festival, start of Summer and even Tanabata or the Star Festival, which they do have an area that dedicate that with a beautiful description of those where new or unfamiliar with the meaning and representation of each decor and attire and just the foods and entertainment that goes with the events. As always to support with a donation or to purchase shirts and towels is a great way to show some love this year they have a few collaboration which really got me excited is with Eden In Love, Sumo Fish and Asato!!! Gosh yes I did get some Love from Eden with their super cute tote I couldn't resist and yasss a shirt from Sumo Fish I'm in love with! The line for Asato was cray cray so I decided on other treats. Fujiyama Texas always yummy as I Mom really wanted to go this year so she got their Pork Belly Udon which I got last year and knew it was a great choice as it was a bowl filled with perfectly cooked udon in a light a flavorful broth topped with the load of thin sliced pork belly she ate it all up. I decided to go in a different direction and saw Hott Potstickers...ooooo!!! Love love looooove potstickers I stood in the line which moved fairly well there was four types to choose from and I got the Curry Chicken and is $13 for 10pcs or make it a combo with tea for $18/$19 but just the potstickers will do me fine and these good sized pieces was nice! The skin was a bit thicker like a mandoo put are pan fried crisp with probably a steamed finish is seriously exactly how I love mines prepared. As we all settled with our sips and bites we enjoyed the many many many dancers as I've never seen so many people dancing in unison is breathtaking the weather was nice and calm though the crowd probably made it hotter than it probably is. There's so much vendors here it is much more a festival than your typical Bon Dance but it's so festive and so much to choose from it's seriously my favorite. Thank you to my bestie Tamilyn for getting me and mom some drinks from Tropical Wai that really hit the spot you're so thoughtful and kind I'm so blessed you got got meet mom and enjoy this event for your first time and now know why this is my favorite we will be so prepared for next year! Thank you!

Decent festival, this seems more of a festival than a bon dance which seems secondary to the food…read moretrucks/booths and retail vendors. The bon dance itself has a nice mix of live and recorded music. They were behind schedule at certain points so it seemed like certain groups sets were not that long. Favorite Eats: + Shoyu Pork, it was much more tasty this year with the actual pork being much more flavorful. The portion size was definitely larger with them giving a larger serving of the pork itself. Could have done with less rice though. + Yakisoba, was surprised that it was actually tasty. Plus the container it came in held a good amount of noodles. Cons: - It was $20 for handicap/disabled people with parking placards to park in the lot next to the event. In the past there used to be free handicap parking. Plus they packed us in with none of the stalls having an access aisle.