7 Absolutely Free Honolulu Events to Check Out in April 2018
Cheer on Michelle Wie in a golf tournament or get back to your roots volunteering at a loʻi. And, of course, wrap up April by satisfying all of your Spam cravings at the 2018 Waikīkī Spam Jam.
Contact 2018
April 6–21
Photo: Courtesy of Jared Pere
Contemplate Hawaiʻi’s past, present, and future at Contact 2018 as you view art installations by local artists. Each year since 2014, artists are asked to create art focused on ideas about Hawaiʻi’s connections, globalization, climate change and a variety of themes encompassed by one simple word: Contact. After a jury chooses the top submissions, the winning pieces will be on view from April 6–21. Attend the free reception on April 7, from 6 to 9 p.m., for a more in-depth understanding of this unique annual art installation.
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Honolulu Museum of Art School, 1111 Victoria St., contacthawaii.com/contact-2018
7th Annual Palikū Arts Festival
April 7
Photo: Peter Owen
Unlock your creative side (and if you’re feeling extra creative come dressed in costume) at Palikū Theatre’s Seventh Annual Palikū Arts Festival. Make art with supplies provided by Windward Community College while the Royal Hawaiian Band and other musicians perform. You can make jewelry, attend a poetry workshop, learn woodcarving and printmaking, or have your portrait drawn, among many other activities. Prefer to watch? Attend Sharkman Nanaue: The Teenage Years, a unique play based on Hawaiian myth, at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. Bring some cash for the ʻono grinds available from vendors throughout the event.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 45-720 Keaʻahala Road. For a full list of activities and vendors visit: windward.hawaii.edu/palikuartsfestival
Lotte Championship
April 8–10
Photo: Kristopher Schlund
Cheer on female golfers such as last year’s winner Christie Kerr and 2014 winner Michelle Wie at the Lotte Championship at Ko ʻOlina Golf Club. You can even bring your own golf clubs on Monday at 4:30 p.m. for a free “Ladies First Golf Clinic” and take a swing on Ko Olina’s practice range.
Note: The event is free Sunday through Tuesday, and $10 per day Wednesday through Saturday. Noise-producing items, signs, banners, bicycles and video cameras are prohibited. If you bring backpacks they are subject to search by security staff.
Times vary. 92-1220 Aliʻinui Drive, for the schedule and full list of restricted items visit: lottechampionship.com
ʻOhana Community Day
April 14
Photo: Courtesy of Hoʻokuaʻāina
Spend your morning helping the nonprofit organization Hoʻokuaʻāina on its ʻOhana Community Work Day. Start by listening to oli chants at 8 a.m. and then help to dig, clean and weed the loʻi patch. Bring plenty of sunscreen and water, a plastic bag for dirty clothes, and wear an old swimsuit under clothes you don’t mind getting muddy. Advance registration is required.
8 a.m. to noon, 916C Auloa Road. To register and sign a waiver visit: eventbrite.com
11th Annual Gabby Pahinui Waimānalo Kanikapila
April 21
Photo: Courtesy of Gabby Pahinui Waimānalo Kanikapila
Watch live Hawaiian music performed all day at an event dubbed the largest gathering of Hawaiian musicians in the world at Waimānalo Beach Park. The 11th Annual Gabby Pahinui Waimānalo Kanikapila is an event for music lovers of all ages, with accompanying hula performances, crafts and food booths to keep you immersed in the spirit of Hawaiʻi all day long.
9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Waimānalo Beach Park, To find out more visit hawaiianmusiclive.xyz
Waikīkī Spam Jam
April 28
Photo: Courtesy of Spam Jam Hawai‘i
Celebrate Hawai‘i’s love for Spam by watching hula performances, listening to live music or buying a Spam T-shirt or piggy phone case. And (of course!) eat as many different preparations of the ubiquitous local ingredient, from Spam katsu curry to Spam lau lau, in dishes from a variety of local restaurants. Three entertainment stages will be set up along Kalākaua Avenue with live music throughout the event. Bring some cans of this beloved canned meat, as there will be multiple donation booths around the event for the Hawaiʻi Foodbank.
4 to 10 p.m., Kalākaua Avenue. For parking and other details visit: spamjamhawaii.com
26th Annual “I Love Kailua” Town Party
April 29
Photo: Tina Mahina
Enjoy the unique experience of a car-free Kailua for the day and ride your bike or walk your dog through Kailua town for an all-day event of arts and crafts, live entertainment and activities in celebration of Kailua. Beginning in 1992, this annual event is a family- and pet-friendly. Take the opportunity to slow down and watch as hula dancers, singers and musicians perform. The list of vendors for this year isn’t available yet, but to give you a preview of what to expect last year’s food vendors included Grylt and Round Table Pizza Kailua, with entertainment from Patty’s Hula Studio and Kennedy Taylor, among many others.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Kailua Road from the Central Triangle to the Hahani Street intersection. For more details visit: lkoc.org/Town-Party.html
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