Memories... We all…read morehave them and we all cherish them in many different ways. How can we celebrate...express...share or just release them. I think we are so blessed to have such even every Memorial Day to a point that I see visitors who come here just for this and that says a lot. With work I personally never have the moment to participate as you need to line up early to pick up a lantern I was fortunate enough that a friend did that for me and here I am nervous and emotional not knowing where to begin. I think that's the therapy as well to express yourself in grief, anger, or sadness as I watched my lantern float away to a point that I don't know which on it is amongst the many others just looking at the serene vibe standing in the water is a sense of calm. Thank you to Shinnyo En for this massive arrangement as it takes much more than a village to take care of this massive arrangement and know that it helps many, myself included that we are never alone in this. Thank you!

The lantern floating ceremony is one of the most spectacular event you can attend in Honolulu,…read moreHawaii. It take place at the Ala Moana Beach Park. This event is to memory the loss of someone in your life, They give out free lanterns. It is first come first serve, so you have to get there early in the morning to reserve it. Last year, I got there at 5 AM to stand in line, the ceremony start at around 6:30PM. After the official program, all the attendances can start release the lanterns after the sunset. It is a pretty emotional event, but also spectacular to watch with thousands of lanterns floating on the water. It is such an amazing scene if you never attend this ceremony before, I highly recommend you to go to experience it.

Annual Kalihi Christmas Parade they have been doing this for as long as I can remember the day…read moreafter Thanksgiving Day it is held around 5:30 pm. Lots of participation from local clubs and churches, Schools with singing and candies given out as they start from Judd street and end up near Vineyard Blvd. Great for everyone

Welcome to KALIHI home of the KALIHI Christmas parade that happens on the FRIDAY the day after…read morethanksgiving day. And it starts at 6pm starting from North king street near Nissan car dealership / Kalihi union church. This YEAR 2024 has welcomed back KALIHI Christmas parade with Santa, I believe the last couple years it didn't happen with Covid times and a year or two after Covid. So I'm GLAD that The community members who are in charged of this Kalihi Christmas parade has welcomed & brought back the parade for the community and people and kids of KALIHI. The parade course it self has taken a change of route due to city rail construction on dillingham, so believe now it starts from North king street all the way down to houghtailing street going north towards the mountain then all the ah till left on north school street and ends at Kapalama elementary school is woild say but not really gurantee. One thing I wish they would add to the parade is more Xmas floats and more passing of the candy and goodies for the Keiki in attendance watching the kalihi parade. So probablly next year will have more people passing out candy & treats. Can't wait till next year 2025 again to attend the Kalihi Christmas parade.

B-E-A-utiful...It takes great neighbors to make this a festive holiday event~FuN Times!read more

I've been coming here for a few years before the pandemic and it's one my mom and I's favorite…read moreholiday things to do. We don't have to drive far to see Christmas decorations and we can sit on the side walk to watch and enjoy! I'm really glad they came back this year! There's many houses that have decorations in their cul-de-sac on Anapau Pl. It's really nice and enjoyable to see them all. I can't believe all the hard work they put in to set everything up because they enjoy it and they know we all enjoy it. Their show hours are 7-9:30pm and each show lasts about 45 mins with a few mins in between. I wish I remembered how many songs were played but I lost count. It really is enjoyable and I hope everyones gets to experience it at least once! :)

I've been going to the Punahou Carnival at Punahou School for years as it was a mere 7 minute…read morewalking distance from where I once lived. But for this year, it was a different experience, not just travel wise but overall. As expected, parking can be difficult to find for this weekend event. You can either pray to the street parking gods to have a spot available nearby the campus or pay at nearby locations like Central Union Church or neighboring school and churches ranging from $10.00 to up to $30.00. Food items and games (except for the E.K. Fernandez games) can be purchased through scrip. There are many scrip booths available on campus for you to purchase scrip from. Most of the crowd tends to go to the scrip booth at the entrance of the school, but I found it more convenient to go to the other areas like by the white elephant tent or kiddie land as the lines are much much shorter. One key thing to remember is that the booths only accept credit/debit, Apple Pay or Google Pay to purchase scrip. No cash will be accepted. One scrip is 50 cents, a whole sheet of scrip is $10. It does tend to get busy during this event and it is highly expected that you will be waiting in line for the food. Unfortunately this year, the food was just...meh. The regular gyro that costs about 15 scrip had an equal amount of protein and onion (if you know me well enough, I'm not a fan of raw yellow onions). The noodles (that I always look forward to) that costs about 10 scrip with char siu, was bland and didn't have that many char siu pieces. The teri burger (9 scrip, 10 with cheese) was nostalgic but also meh. But the most upsetting food we had this time around was their famous (turned infamous for us) Portuguese bean soup (32 oz. is 18 scrip, limit 2 per person). When we got home and were ready to partake in that so-called hearty, comforting bowl of soup, we were faced disappointment with more broth than the actual ingredients. It was so watery that I was only able to identify only 4.5 pieces of elbow macaroni in that 32 oz! My friend's soup however had a lot of ingredients (she went earlier in the day instead). To make things worse, they moved the soup station further away from everything else, meaning extra walking (without any markings or signages) to just be let down. Although this year's experience wasn't the greatest, it's still the Punahou Carnival, with its usual crowds, usual announcements over the PA, and its nostalgic charm. Hopefully, they'll improve the food quality (the best ones we had from this experience were the malasadas and corn on the cob) and include some signages or arrows to point us of where to go for the hot items instead of letting us go on a hiking adventure up, down, left, and right through the campus.

The iconic Punahou Carnival is like any other popular place so expect crowds, looking for parking,…read morelines, but it's a priceless experience with the right mindset. It's always held the FIRST WEEKEND in February. First, the parking. Only volunteers receive on-campus parking. The public can find free parking on adjacent streets like Dole, Clark, Whitney, Wilder or opt for paying flat rate at Maryknoll School which is a short walk across the street, St. Clements Church about a block west, Shriners Hospital is 2 blocks makai, Central Union Church 2 blocks makai, and St Peter's is 3 blocks makai. Traffic can be crazy around these areas with a lot of pedestrians so extra caution. If I didn't live within walking distance I'd probably Uber over to save time. I give the carnival 4 stars - until the scrips can be purchased online or a QR code. Waiting in line to purchase scrips can be difficult when you're bringing young children. That being said, we purchase more scrip for both days so we don't have to wait in line again. It's fifty cents per scrip or $10 for entire sheet. Credit cards only- no cash accepted. When you enter through main gate there's a scrip booth to the right but also more on the diamond head side which usually isn't as busy. This year there was also one near Bishop Hall (mauka) where more of the keiki games were. I highly recommend the carnival website which gives great info to plan your day. A map shows food, games, bathrooms, scrip booths, art gallery, logo shop, white elephant, plants, fruits/vegs was awesome for us to plan our attack. A list of Punahou games (EK Fernandez is separate) and food booths with amount of scrip needed helped us figure out how much scrip to purchase for both days. It also says which places take scrip or credit cards. The food is basic carnival - which to me always tastes good because of the great memories growing up. Teri burgers, saimin, wok-prepared char siu noodles, malasadas, Portuguese bean soup, Hawaiian plate with kalua pig, rice, poi, lomi salmon, sweet potato, pineapple, hot dogs, spam musubi, corn on cob, taco salad, nachos, mini Haagen Daz ice cream cups, gyros, smoothies, soda, bottled water are all reasonably priced. This is a FUNDRAISER to give financial aid to more students- which are about 30% of the classes. Bathrooms are scattered throughout the carnival and pretty clean. Also have accessible portapotties placed far enough away from activities with portable sinks and soap. Police officers posted at each scrip booth and also entrances/exits, as well as security. The first day on Friday is busy because Punahou and Maryknoll allow students early access. Evenings after-work/school crowd gets busy so if you have small kids it could be a little overwhelming plus walking to your car in dark perhaps bring flashlight as sidewalks are narrow with cracked asphalt, and alerts cars who may be distracted or in a rush to get outta there. Saturday is the busiest since most people have the day off. Not sure why but this year didn't seem as busy- lots of room to walk around and the weather was perfect. It ended earlier at 10:00 PM instead of 11:00. EK Fernandez has their own area for games and rides. You can either purchase at their booth or download QR code and pay for games and rides with your phone. The prizes are nice- really huge stuffed animals and inflatables. Punahou games do not give out prizes at their booths. If you win or as a consolation prize they give out coupons which can be redeemed at the Prize Tent located up top by Bishop Hall (Diamond Head / mauka of White Elephant tent). This was nice because we didn't have to carry it around with us and could redeem upon leaving. The Haku Booth had a sign saying pre-ordered only so check Carnival website for details. They are beautifully made by the students. The Portuguese bean soup and Hawaiian plates are located mauka in the cafeteria. Be prepared to wait in line but it goes quickly as there's a limit of 2. You may sit in the cafeteria to eat or there are groups of tables just outside. They sell small cooler bags if you plan on taking home or we brought our own. There is also a schedule of live music to enjoy. There was NO CHICKEN PLATE this year so we missed that rotisserie chicken cooked at the carnival on campus. The art gallery had moved to Bishop Learning Center because the library was being renovated so we enjoyed checking out the beautiful artwork and paintings for sale which were mostly local artists. In our experience it's always been a very safe and clean carnival- we took our 2 year old granddaughter this year and she loved all the games and a couple of rides like the "hot air balloon" and carousel. Lots of sunscreen, water, and people-watching made it all the more enjoyable.

The line to buy tickets was long but it moved fast. We parked on the street so we did not pay for…read moreparking. There's a parking lot though. We're not from Hawaii so we did not know about the parking garage, lol. The admission was quite cheap so I liked that. There are a lot of vendors and food stalls. I feel like it's more of a shopping vendor show rather than a foodie con. The walkway for the food area was completely packed. We could hardly walk because the lines were just unorganized. Some lines just blocked the walkway completely so you had to go around them. There should be a better system for that next year. The food they had were mediocre. We tried so many foods and desserts and spent a lot of money here. Overall, the food is probably 3/5 stars only. I'd probably would not go back here next time.

I had a great time at the Hawai'i Foodie Con and Expo. The ticket price to enter is reasonable at…read more$6.50 per person. The line to get a ticket was not long at all. Once you get your ticket, you go inside the Blaisdell Center and there are hundreds of vendor booths and stalls. It felt like 60-40 with 60% being food or drink and about 40% being "stuff"--toys, knickknacks, even mattresses (?!) and home equipment. There is live music and entertainment; sometimes it got really loud and hard to hear conversation but most of the time it wasn't too bad. The lines for getting food and drink at stalls wasn't bad at all when I went (Saturday around 10-1). Food that needed to be prepared came out quickly and most vendors took card. There were a few that were cash and Venmo only. Many vendors gave out samples so you can try before you buy. Lots of small plates, $7 items to keep the costs down, and mini sized items. It helped that I could focus on those and try lots of smaller things inside of a few larger ones. I enjoyed everything I had a chance to try and I'm only sad that some of the vendors are mostly on the West side and pretty far away from where I live. I won't have much of a chance to try them out outside of the Foodie Con.

Did ya know that the Honolulu City Light started back in da mid-80's?…read more The tradition started back in 1985, it was an idea from the honorable Frank F. Fast (da BESTEST Honolulu mayor)! A little history about this wonderful event - https://www.honolulucitylights.org/our-story#:~:text=1985,Honolulu%20City%20Lights%E2%80%9D%20Is%20Born From a simple 50 foot Christmas tree that was installed on the courtyard of Honolulu Hale back in 1985.........through the years this holiday event has greatly expanded with a lot more holiday displays to see. One of the most iconic displays on the Honolulu Hale courtyard is the "Shaka" Santa, & Tutu Mele. The event is free, and there are numerous holiday displays on the courtyard, as well as inside of Honolulu Hale. Shout out to the hard working city workers who take the time to put up the holiday displays, as it takes a lot of time to do this. The holiday displays are usually put up around Thanksgiving time, with a big Christmas tree lighting ceremony event on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. The holiday display stays here for about a month, then it is usually taken down after the new year. Loved by locals, as well as visitors, if you're ever visiting da 808 in December, don't miss out! Make da trip down to Honolulu Hale to see this wonderful holiday display. Merry Christmas!

This is our new family tradition. The whole family enjoyed checking out the themed Christmas trees…read moreand we made a contest to bet which the other like the most. The Shaka Santa and lit tree in the front is a show stopper. Although there are a lot of visitors and can be a little chaotic for those who avoid people, the holiday spirit will get you excited and it is FREE. Even free parking!

To experience "Lei Day" on the Island is special. Everyone comes together and Lei Day is a…read morecelebration of Hawaiian culture, or the aloha spirit. There are a lot of booths where you can purchase unique or fresh leis,and tons of food available for purchase. My favorite was taking the time to appreciate the displays of uniquely made leis that were made. All so beautiful!!! The celebration was was at Kapi'olani Park, there was Entertainment throughout the day. Such a beautiful gathering. You can feel the love and warmth of Hawaiian culture. I look forward to joining this years event.

After several days of sketchy rainy weather including storm watches and warnings, a clear and…read moresunny sky with tradewinds blossomed on May 1st 2017 to usher in the annual Lei Day celebration at Kapiolani Park. This event has been held since 1928 and is considered the largest Lei Day event in Honolulu. Beautiful leis from highly competitive folk dotted the Mauka side of the event at the lei exhibit area, eager visitors waiting to see the displays of lei making creativity. The line was long to view the entries close up, but it was well worth the The lei contest exhibit was officially opened by the annual Lei Queen and her court after the judges rated and awarded ribbons for best lei submissions. There were quite a few entries vying for ribbons in different categories. Live entertainment on the bandstand stage ran through the day while the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association tent provided a nice, shady and cool venue for their own brand of beautiful music part of the day. There were musicians from other countries performing at this tent too. The gentle breeze, beautiful music and shade made this venue a popular destination at the festival. Of course there were numerous food and beverage booths along with non-food offerings as well. Because it was a warm afternoon, the cold beverage offering tents were really doing a brisk business. Information tents, Lei making demonstrations, a nice way to spend part of the day on a gorgeous May 1st. Kapiolani Park is the perfect setting for this event for both residents and visitors alike. Worth checking out if you are in Honolulu on a May 1st.

What a wonderful event hosted by HNLFlow to do a walk thru Kaka'ako Pow Wow mural art by some of…read morethe top artists in the industry. I was going to walk around myself but I when a friend of mine mentioned this to me I knew I was in all the way. It's always more fun when you go around in a group. Right? You betcha! We met at the old Fischer Hawaii building street side. I met Vina C. who posted the event via Yelp, and what an aspiring person she is. Helping her were Nikki and Jen May. Lady M and I were hungry. Although we were excited to be here it was hard not to want this to be over quickly. The hunger pains were beginning to be quite unbearable. Lo and behold, Jen May announced they brought 8 different kinds of manapua from Honolulu Kitchen. Adobo, crab, ube, char siu are some I remember. The crab was delicious. I tried to eat one of each but I got satisfied after 5. There was still a whole box left. With our bellies satisfied, we could do this as long as we wanted. So, we start walking around. It was amazing to see the wonderful art everyone was doing. Using spray house paint from places like Home Depot these artists created beautiful, large murals turning eye sores into bind blowing works of wonder. Near most murals, you can find information about the artist; name, date, instagram,etc. Although we only saw a glimpse, the event accomplished it's mission to raise the awareness for Pow Wow. It is getting bigger every year, not just Hawaii but the world. Now is the time to take the walk and enjoy the art while there isn't a crowd. Even if you are not really into art, you will find something that will catch your eye. One of the more eye catching murals was by Audrey Kawasaki from Los Angeles. Her early influence was Japanese manga and shows in her current style now. The guys carrying the box of manapua were talking about offering up some of these delicious morsels to Audrey but couldn't decide who would do it. I stepped in asking if they would like me to do it. I yelled up to Audrey since she was about three stories up. She wanted it and was coming down immediately but didn't know what a manapua is. It was explained. This was nice because it gave Lady M and I a chance to talk art and learn about her. We had a wonderful conversation with her and became the highlight of the event for us. So happy we came. I am sold and look forward to future events, especially if food is involved. Yummy. Thank you Vina, Nikki and Jen Mae for a well executed and planned event.