Writing in from New Jersey, and still thinking about this show!…read more From the moment you walk in, you're placed into this beautifully curated museum of oddities that immediately sets the tone for the rest of the evening. It's immersive, thoughtful, and has a little bit of history. Once inside the theater, the stage design continues that experience, reflecting King David's travels with what feels like carefully collected souvenirs from his travels around the world. I loved how the history was woven in so seamlessly. It actually sent me down a rabbit hole learning more about Hawaii's last monarch afterwards haha. The show itself? Phenomenal. Aki and Ken are not only incredibly skilled magicians; both masters of sleight of hand and parlor magic respectively, but also genuinely hilarious. Their chemistry carries the entire experience, and they stayed perfectly in theme with the Hawaiian Victorian atmosphere in the magic they performed. I won't spoil anything, but I will say I was left completely mind-blown. There were moments that genuinely didn't seem possible, and just when you think you've caught your breath, another reveal hits. It just kept building, which is the type of magic I really enjoy watching. The venue is intimate and seats about 60 guests. There truly isn't a bad one in the house. Being that close makes everything even more impressive because there are no trap doors, no mirrors, nothing to hide behind. The magic happens right in front of you, and somehow that makes it even harder to believe. They also do a great job with audience participation, which adds to the fun without ever feeling forced or awkward. The show does sell out, so definitely grab tickets ahead of time. It's absolutely worth it, and I'd recommend it to anyone visiting Honolulu!

Unfortunately we never got to go to the show because of our busy schedule, but Pieter was amazing…read morein the Hilton Waikiki Lobby! We wanted to go so bad and his tricks were awesome!!! Thank you Pieter!!!

Despite the rain, what a great evening! I had researched local luaus available during our long day…read morein port on our cruise. They offered free transportation during a deal in January, when I booked, which was super helpful and only solidified the decision to go to Chief's. The charter bus was easy to find and left right on time. We picked up others (now our family/ohana per Cousin Brian, who was our host from the bus) from local hotels and made our way to the luau. Upon arriving, they immediately handed out ponchos, which were definitely needed. Mostly light rain on and off throughout the evening, but that didn't spoil our time there. They took extra care to dry our seats ahead of initially sitting down at our table and when we returned from the buffet. We were also greeted with a fresh flower lei (booked the Royal Experience). At our seats was a lei po'o waiting for all. They immediately offered us a complimentary drink and a gentleman had fresh coconut ready to try. Just ahead of dinner, the men brought out the roasted pig. A blessing was asked in the native language, and then it was dinner time. All staff were kind and helpful. All of the food was really good, especially the kalua pork, which had a great smoky flavor. I'd dare to say it was better than any pork butts I've ever smoked at home. The men played music and sang while we ate, which we enjoyed. On to the show.... Multiple groups of dancers performed for us, showcasing different cultures, like Samoan and Polynesian. Looked and felt very authentic to me. All performers were awesome and engaged the audience. Chief was great and led the entire evening. The fire dancers were also very cool to watch. All in all, give Chief's Luau a try. You won't be disappointed!

We had wonderful time at our first Luau! I was a little disappointed that this one was at a…read morewaterpark, as this backdrop made it feel not as authentic, but once the sun started to go down it was amazing!! They did a great job making it interactive, and teaching us about the different Polynesian cultures. The dancers were amazing, the food was great, great sunset made for really nice photos. Something i feel like they could have done better was the seating, they know how many people booked ahead of time, yet they still set up so many tables and MANY were left empty. I didn't like this at all, i felt like when i was taking my pictures i kept thinking to myself, I didnt want to show the empty tables, cause it would look like this place cant event fill up the venue it must not be good. Just my two cents. Overall i think it was an amazing experience. Its defiantly not cheap and not sure i would do it again, but once in a lifetime thing, I dont retreat one bit!!

Who's face is on the Ten Dollar bill?…read more Why was he never President of the USA? What makes him so important? Many of my mainland friends have spoken highly about "Hamilton". It's a modern day rap musical about the 1700's. Gosh... History is my worst subject. However, this story was so intriguing that it makes me want to read up about Alexander Hamilton! Really! I actually saw "Hamilton" in Honolulu twice. Both shows had a brief intermission. If you need to go to the restroom, go RIGHT AWAY because the line is LONG. They promised to get us back to our seats in time... I barely made it back... In the dark... While trying to avoid stepping on people's toes... The first time, I sat in the balcony... It was an 8pm show and it ended at 11pm. Hmmm... The second time, I got seats in the seventh row - it was a MUCH better experience! The show started at 2pm and ended at 5pm. The singing, dancing, costumes, and rotating part of the stage were awesome! The plot was complex - our American history is like a soap opera... Unbelievable! Go see "Hamilton" if you can. Tomorrow (1-29-23) is the last day in Honolulu... Shout out to Gail U. in the second row of the Saturday matinee! Happy to meet you in person! You're even better in real life! Note: there was a line on the Ward Avenue side of the Concert Hall where the audience was scanned with a wand-type metal detector. Water bottles had to be left outside. Backpacks and large purses were searched... I brought a small, clear fanny pack and they asked me, "Where is your purse?"

2/28/23 sitting in the 2nd row from the stage we were one row away from the sunken orchestra so…read moreacoustics of the instruments and the cast was fantastic. They hired very svelte pretty girls in light colored leggings. The voices of the main cast were note worthy with their range. I liked when they sang soft and sweet vs the booming voices for major effect. The costume changes were primarily different colored coats and vests. The backdrop of brown lumber, stairs and revolving floor in middle of the stage remained unchanged throughout. I like the street lamps and descending and ascending light fixtures. I really wanted at least one scene change but only tables or chairs added or removed was it. Two of the three sisters had voices like silk. They were bigger than the dancers but with booming voices when needed. The last performance is tomorrow so I don't want to give the highlights away. I had to keep an open mind cuz George Washington's character had no resemblance to the picture of him in my mind on horseback or on the dollar bill. How the founding fathers were portrayed was a bit of a shock. Strong cast who seemed like they enjoyed working together. Congrats! Meeting the famous Auntie Nadine before the production began was awesome.

This was a great experience that any chocolate lover would absolutely die for!…read more To get in to this event, it's $4 for the general admission plus another $20 for the "Chocolate Passport". I overheard a lot of people complaining about the $20 price for the chocolate experience, but many changed their opinion after trying the array of samples. The "Chocolate Passport" allows you to receive up to 10 samples from 10 different local businesses (out of a selection of 28) dealing with chocolate. I used my 10 on: Manoa Chocolate Hawaii, Life Is Sweet by Cakeworks, Kokolani Chocolates, IL Gelato, `I`iwi Kona Coffee Co & Fine Confections, MAC 24/7, Haute Confectionery Boutique, EAT Honolulu, Choco Le'a, and Bobalicious. All of the samples that i received were awesome. Many chocolate truffles were up for samples, but a few unique selections really got my taste buds going crazy! My favorite has to have been the EAT Honolulu sample. Although the samples given were small, it was delicious. Their sample was a piece of sugar spiced thick cut bacon dipped in Waialua chocolate. It's amazing that such a small sample could leave me wanting more! The bacon was salty and sweet (the seasoning was awesome) dipped in rich Waialua chocolate. I'D recommend trying this booth out. My next favorite has to be from Bobalicious. Their sample was probably the biggest one I received. It was their special which was a brownie batter waffle with a sttawberry cream cheese sauce. The strawberry and chocolate flavors mixed with the cream cheese was delicious. Lastly, my third favorite was from IL Gelato. I got the Tahitian Vanilla which was good, but I tried my moms sample of the Dark Acai which was very flavorful. What an awesome way to spend my day!

This is our second Chocolate Festival, held at the Dole Cannery…read more We didn't know that there was validated parking; like Christi S. wished they had advertised validated parking. That would have saved us time driving around and around the Costco lot, which was FULL! Little disappointed in the offerings this time. While I'm all for supporting local vendors and locally made goods, the samples were much smaller than before and there were less good samples than before. It would help to get a good taste of chocolate, especially if the vendors want us to buy their wares! Choco Lea had wonderful chocolate candies, which were delicious. I've bought Colins Kawai's chocolates before he became well-known, and his chocolates are some of the best on Oahu! Don't know that we'll be doing the Chocolate Festival in the future. For the price, can purchase chocolates directly from the vendors and get my moneys worth that way rather than paying $22+ for little tastes of this an that!

This luau is by far the best in performance and location!…read moreIt's a little far but it's worth it ! The food can be better but they still brand new and I'm sure they'll work on that. The team all work hard to put it all together for our best entertainment! I could tell that they all come together with many duties to get the show very successful!

I would have given 5 stars but, the food quality should be raised to the level of the show quality…read more Additionally the line that we waited in should be covered in consideration to your customers. It rained as we were being ushered in, people behind us were drenched. Shelter from inclement weather would be a generous incentive to keep us content. The customer service was excellent The show was top notch A few tweaks and this luau will become a top tier luau. They are well on the way to being the most entertaining show.

This is an awesome event. There are many people who go there for a whole bunch of different…read morereasons. There is stuff for fishermen, divers, water lovers, boaters...heck, it's the whole ocean expo! There was a poke making contest, which I helped to judge (with the rest of the crowd) by tasting poke. They were all so good it was hard to choose! There were a bunch of local food vendors, as well as places selling snacks. I was stoked because some guy (Patrick) was selling North Shore Goodies peanut butter, which I'm obsessed with. There were sample sales, and cool clothes, and lots of neat stuff for keiki to do/play with. I was jealous, because I didn't get to do the climbing wall. NOAA was there, and some other cool groups that were educating people on the ocean, etc. I was volunteering at a booth, so I got in because of that, but it's not expensive -$8 general admission, so I heard. During my breaks from volunteering, I wandered around, bought too much stuff (darn you sunrise shells!), and sampled the goodies. Oooh and I got icecream from RBs! Yum!! Best part of the day was getting to see old friends (yes, Danelle, I know you're not stalking me), and make new ones. :-D I'm definitely going to go back next year, even if I gotta pay to get in!

Hawaii Ocean Expo 2014: Entrance $8.00 per person. Blaisdel parking $6.00. For 2 of us $22.00…read more We were hyped to come to this event this year, missing last year. We did not find much of what we were looking for for freedivers. We won't be back to this event next year. I rate 2.5 star.

I like these types of events. It's free to enter for everyone which is always a plus. They had a…read morelot of different booths set up. Bank of Hawaii were giving out free popcorn with the option of li hing mui powder. They also had free giveaways to both Vegas & China. The photo booths were cool. You could take pictures of the Great Wall background or another background of a famous bridge in China and another picture taking display where you could wear a Panda head and snap away. They had a performance stage where they hosted a talent show. This marks the 11th annual of the Chinese festival. I would attend to this event again next year.

Went on Sunday since me being Chinese can't pass up a free deal. There were many stalls selling…read moreall the cheap made in China stuff that you would see at the swap meet. Glad they changed it to free admission I remember paying to go in years ago. Lots of food choices so you won't go hungry. Note to the guys who had the booth with the potstickers...it was stone hard cold, yuck! 3/$1 was not worth it. Thank goodness I didn't get a tummy ache otherwise I would be pissed. Several booths had small portions of samples for you to try which was nice. Saw a bit of the fashion show not bad. Lots of things to take pictures of but I got lazy lol.

I am giving this review as a Artist Exhibitor. Because of that, I will not be review events of the…read moreshow but how the show met expectations for us to be successful. First off, let me state we did not do this show to make money. Any monies made is appreciated but our main purpose is to get a better understanding of the show to how we may put that to our advantage. And, what the Hawaii Convention Center allows and operates. Because I've done many shows in the past 2 decades, from Chicago to the West Coast, I believe I can write this review to shed some light. Parking is quite different. Rather than having the exhibitor unload at the ground floor, docking bay, we are directed to the upper floor parking forcing payment of the parking fee. Other conventions allow unloading at the docking bay, no fees, and it's up to you if you want to park in their lot. If you do, you can pay a flat fee for the number of days of the show allowing in and out priviledges. HCC does not allow that. Nor do they allow unloading in the front of the Center itself either. The one good point is that it is $10 which beats other Convention Centers around the country charging $20 to $25. The use of pallets and pallet jacks does not seem readily available if needed. I brought my own but if I needed one that may be a problem. With this show, there was limited power available. which proved to be adequate for most exhibitors. Most of the time you can get it at an exorbitant fee. A big plus for this show. Adequate time was available to setup on the same day of the show before the official start time. I do prefer setting up the day before. When you are using heavy display equipment this is most helpful. It allows you to do the finishing touches to your setup and not have the pressure of setting up your displays with less than an hour to the doors opening. Show time! This is AM first show in Hawaii and hope they can thrive and continue to have a presence here. The turn out, I believe, 3500 sold tickets, is a very good start compared to the more experienced shows here getting 7000 tickets. Although that number is not high enough for us as an exhibitor it is enough to show support and merit to the organizers. Owner Deneice Leigh was the only one of the 3 shows we did this year that went around introducing herself finding out what we were about and how she could help. She had her volunteer staff check with us almost every 2 hours if we needed anything. That is unprecedented in my decades of show appearances. Maybe we should do their Houston show? We were directed to check in first before going to the table. Table assignments with the floor plan were emailed to us so we may best prepare. Having us register is a good security measure. We were given 2 badges to go along with our full table purchase. Wish my name was on mine, minus point for that. That gives more security instead of handing the badge for anyone to use. Our name was on the front of the table. Glad that was provided because that allowed our repeat customers, from other shows, to find us. Also, more than adequate space behind the table. So glad for that. That has been a problem with many other shows as they try to squeeze the total number tables higher. Big plus for us giving enough room to setup our big display. Securing the room was not close to what I am use to. An announcement is made the show is closing, then another when it is officially closed. Staffers are trying to get people out but it is chaotic in the attempt. Hopefully, they'll come up with a better way to secure the room, like they do at bigger shows, that will alleviate some of the stress exhibitors have doing the show. There were a handful of top notch cosplayers brought in from around the world. Their events, cosplay contest, tea party, special showings, Street Fighter show down with a pro, other games, etc. did well to bring the fans out over the Black Friday weekend. However, the timing wasn't the best but I can understand the difficulty in booking. This was Deneice's first show here as it was our first to do her show. Definitely needs to be tweaked but there is good potential here well worth our support. Yes, you can expect us as an exhibitor again next year.