Ric's- short attention span review:…read more 2017 was their 8th annual festival. Small in terms of what one would expect of a festival. Mostly food trucks, snacks with a sprinkling of service booths with information. (Yelp had their booth, yay!) There was a small entertainment stage area on the mauka side of the fest. Auahi street was blocked off roughly from between Nordstrom Rack and Agu Ramen. Area was really packed, hard to maneuver. No place to sit and eat in the fest. footprint. Most people ate standing up or took their goodies and sat by the Nordstrom/TJ Max area. A little more space with a couple of portable tables and benches would have been nice. Most interesting food offering: the pineapple fried rice with shrimp topping. A half pineapple boat stuffed with fried rice and topped with shrimp. Big enough for two, $13. Not a festival I would go out of my way for. But if in the area, why not?

Parking was horrendous, we spent maybe 20 minutes circling around the parking garage floors before…read morewe got lucky. At least it was free. Rice fest was set for 3-9 pm. We arrived around 5 ish & it was still dreadfully hot. Dozens of vendors were there so I was excited to explore, it was pretty lively with entertainment and games to support Meals on wheels. Some vendors accepted card purchases & some were cash only...luckily I had a $20 What's disappointing was a few booths had "sold out" signs & it was only 5 pm. My favorite booths: I can't recall the name but it's the booth with rolled ice cream? The strawberry mochi was amazing!!! The horchata ice cream was yummy too & im usually not a fan of the drink. Lines were long for the corn booth, I got the Mexican corn & it was delicious! Corn came from the bulk packs you get from Costco. We got our BBQ plate at Chamorro grindz around 6 ish & they ran out of their signature red rice, definite bummer. If I knew before I ordered, it would have definitely impacted my decision to eat there. Kelaguen was good, BBQ ribs were ok. Ulu's lemonade: refreshing as always. Favorites are rob's special (favorite?) and blue hawaii. To be completely honest, I don't know if I'll return next year. This was my first year and it was just way too hot and pricey. Major plus was there were dozens of dogs, win!!!

Lots of variety to choose from Very over priced…read more More expensive than our high end stores and not all high priced stuff has good quality. There are unique items that you won't find wise where. I like the cultural things. It's very over crowded and the lines to get there were over a mile and hours long

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'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 Joy of Sake Honolulu is tonight at the Hawaii Convention center rooftop…read more Over a thousand people in attendance with 492 Sakes to taste. The restaurants that are in attendance ate the following: Beachhouse at the Moana; Cake Works; Feast by Jon Matsubara; the Fixx Haleiwa; Halekulani; Hokus at the Kahala; Kaiten Sushi; Kapa Hale; Komo; Mugen; Nami Kaze; Ohana Pickles; Pili Group; Restaurant Suntory; Robata Jinya; Superb Sushi; Toro Honolulu; Umi by Vikram Garg & Zigu.

Awesome Sake Event with Super Star Chefs making their favorite delicacies…read more 384 Sakes and 3 hours to drink them all. Actually we probably only tried 60 of them. Thats a lot of 1oz pours...

Date: October 3, 2015 Where: Kaka'ako Agora…read moreReason to go: Attend my first comedy sketch show Yelp had two events for October 3, 2015. I was bummed out that I didn't have the opportunity of attending the Yelp Day at the Movies: Pan which started at 10am. My luck turned around when I received confirmation that I was chosen to attend The Scratch Paper Sketch Comedy Show at Kaka'ako Agora which started at 8pm. I traveled from Waianae to Kapiolani Boulevard/South Street via the Country Express Bus. From there I walked it to Kaka'ko Agora. I must have been so excited to attend that I arrived at 6:30pm and the establishment was still close. To kill time I ended up walking to Highway Inn on Ala Moana Boulevard to have a light dinner. Fast forward to 7:30pm...the establishment is finally open to welcome guests. I walked into the partial warehouse area and noticed two tables with chairs facing the ocean. There was two rows of chairs facing the mountain. Individuals who showed up at the comedy show were able to sit in either of the two rows or on the wooden benches against the wall. The lucky Yelp attendees and walk in tourists were greeted by Kimee who is the founder of the Improv Hi. She explained to the audience what the event is all about. Think of it as Saturday Night Live only with live actors from Improv HI reading from the manuscripts in the rough draft stage. I liked few of the manuscripts that the actors did: a) The Starbucks versus Dunkin Donuts coffee with the radio news. b) The boyfriend and girlfriend in a meeting with a relationship counselor c) The owner of a dog asking his neighbor on the whereabouts of his dog...the neighbor says that the dog is playing with his children and the dog tells the neighbor that he enjoys watching college football instead of the NFL. The event also consisted of several short comedy sketches and films that the audience were able to watch on the wall from the projector. One of my favorite comedy sketch was a video that starred comedian actor Kevin Yee in which he sang about Gay Love. A catchy tune "You can't get pregnant from gay love". Jason Lind was the guest musician during the event with help from John LeBlanc. They performed several times after the live short sketches. Overall it was an awesome event even though the live performances was in the rough draft stages. I'm curious on how the final short comedy sketch films will turn out....better yet I would love to see the actors perform the scenes by memory. Mahalo Yelp Hawaii and Improv Hi for a night of music and laughter. Awesome work by the actors reading the sketches for tonight's The Scratch Paper Sketch Comedy Show. Awesome seeing Jay T., Terry H., and Darin O. at the event. It was great meeting Sophia D for the first time in real life. Made a new friend in Ku'uipo D as well.

On nights that there is not too much going on down in Kaka'ako except for big fitness buffs that…read moreare going to the gyms at all hours of the night- there are still some things for us to see at Kaka'ako Agora. Kaka'ako Agora is a really unique location that looks like a warehouse turned into an open theater. They seem to support many 'ARTS' events- and HI Improve is able too to take advantage of this great location. It is really near Fisher for those that use that as a location reference, and street parking is almost always a must. Check in was wonderful getting a chance to say hi to Kimee who puts on the the events like 'The Scratch Paper Sketch Comedy Show' and other Improve events here in HI. Basically the show was organized as a cross between Saturday Night Live and the tv show based off it called 'Studio 65' where actors read the scripts instead of totally acting out the full dress performance. There were more than the 2 musical numbers included on SNL at the event here- which added depth to the event that people may not feel when watching SNL on a small screen tv. Live guitar in this setting pleased too the crowd. So well done. There were performances of the live 1st years HI Sketch Comedy Event filmed at the Dorris Duke theater. Those shorts were my favorite comedy bits. The event was a teaser and to draw interest from others in HI that love comedy and hopefully will garner more interest. Mahalo Nui Loa Yelp Hawaii - you da bes'! Mahalo Nui Loa Kimee + Improv Hi for a night of music and laughter. Awesome work by dedicated lovers of performance arts made for tonight's "The Scratch Paper Sketch Comedy Show" not just possible but a huge success.

Always enjoy going to see stars performing here. Recently saw Bini and it was a fun and…read moreentertaining show. The only bad thing was that the soda dispensers failed and they could not serve soda drinks about 30 minutes after opening the arena doors to the public. I added in a video below. Prices have risen also to use the parking garage

Happy that you could purchase from the vendors food, snacks and drinks to bring into the arena…read more Ushers available to Help you find your seats dressed in green and white printed aloha shirts. Security was posted within the audience seated throughout the concert. The ac was strong. An older crowd in the audience. The row in front of us had their heads bobbing to the music. The performer had local guests sing a duet with him, had BYU choir on stage, the Honolulu symphony Orchestra plus his own band performing. Glad there were two large screens to see Josh Groban sing. Helps when large and tall people sit in front of you at the last possible moment. Felt almost like a gospel vibe to me but could be cuz I was not familiar with the majority of his songs.

35 1/2 years old. Japanese, like first gen not "local Japanese". But not Shinto or Buddhist. I am…read moreChristian. So my mom never went to Bon Dance even growing up in Japan and in turn never took me growing up here. I was out earlier in the day and it was sweltering hot so I opted not to dress in kimono but did make my kids wear Jinbei bc let's face it... it's all about the IG photos... I really have never had any intention of going but my daughter leaned about it in her Japanese class at school. So this is what brought us here. I thought it was going to be similar to the Tanabata Festivals I grew up going to during my summers in Japan. There was food but no games. Unless they were prior to my arrival. Had a mix of local food. Nothing really authentically Japanese. Andagi is at least authentic Okinawan. But is all goes to the Hongwanji and I still like the food so the kids were fed. Next time I will bring chairs or a mat to sit on. It was actually quite breezy so I would have been fine (temperature wise) if I chose to wear the kimono. Ironically I recognized songs from when I was in Japanese school. I had fun with my family, they had fun, the crowds were respectful, and everyone was pleasant.

Much, much better this year compared to the past years. This year the food booth actually opened on…read moretime and they had a system in place so things were very fast so the wait in line was not that long. Plus the food was pretty good.

Great event to grab dinner so dont have to cook on a Saturday night. One of the smaller Festivals I…read morebeen to. Lots of food choices with 98% being food vendors. There was also a tent selling cute rice spoons a great gift and another tent selling tshirts. I liked that most food vendors had sample plates displayed made it quick and easy to order and helped shortened the lines. Entry is free it's on the road at ward so its closed off to thru traffic. Lots of parking all over. I parked at Whole Foods bcuz I planned to go shopping after I ate and browsed the event. Was supposed to meet up a with friends there but got held up at work so I just grabbed some food, ate and left. They do have tables to stand and eat at but it felt like they should have had a few more. The website showed a list of all their vendors.

Date: September 5, 2015 Where: Office Depot parking lot on…read moreKamakee Street Reason to go: Eats from Nani Kore Hawaii and music by Vaihi The 6th Annual Hawaii Rice Festival was held at the Office Depot parking lot on Kamakee Street. The event started at 10am and finished at 5pm. Donation of bags of rice to Lanakila Meals on Wheels. Live entertainment, ukulele contest, poke bowl eating contest, and spam musubi eating contest. I arrived after 2:30pm thinking that I missed out listening to Vaihi perform since they were scheduled at 2pm. The first booth I checked into was the Yelp booth @ Rice Fest. Good luck if you can get the ping pong ball in the red or blue cup to win a prize. Somehow my throw was too short and didn't even reach the red or blue cups. I did walk away with a small Yelp button pin. The second and last booth I visited was the Nani Kore Hawaii booth. I've been craving the bacon wrapped mochi since the Eat The Streets: USA event. I ordered 2 of the bacon wrapped mochi drizzled with teri sauce as well as their kim chee fried rice to eat. Yummy yummy for my tummy. I made my way to the tent area where there were tables and chairs set up. Sadly most of the chairs under the tent was taken so I ended up using one of the chairs that was exposed under the hot sun. As soon as I sat down I hear the emcee mention Valhi will be performing next. "What?!?! I thought I missed their performance." I see the group getting on stage and setting up their equipment. As soon as Bruddah Sam sat down on his big ball...I made my way to the stage and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and a hug. First thing he asked me "Where's mom?" I told him "Mom is at home and I just came from the Okinawan Festival". I greeted Bruddah Aaron with a kiss on the cheek and a hug as well and told him "I thought I missed your guys performance." When Lina Girl from KCCN heard I said Okinawan Festival she asked me "How was the festival?" I told her "was crowded and very hot." Lina then tells me "your name going be easy for remember cuz it rhymes with Lina" LOL. I told her "I used to watch you and Bruddah Sam on Local Kine Grindz". After I did my greetings I made my way back to my chair and started to grind on the kim chee fried rice and bacon wrapped mochi. Onolicious. What a wonderful way to enjoy a Saturday. Live entertainment from Vaihi. Ono grinds from Nani Kore Hawaii. Plus watching the tail end of the spam musubi eating contest.