The Waikīkī Community Center Is for Kūpuna, Keiki and Everyone in Between
This resource in Waikīkī offers something for everyone, from senior fitness classes to craft workshops.
Photo: Mary Moran
It’s easy for locals to forget that Waikīkī—often remembered as the playground for ali‘i before it became tourism central—offers more than entertainment. But for almost 50 years, the Waikīkī Community Center has been quietly building programs that make a real difference to those who live there and beyond.
Between the serene Ala Wai and energetic Kūhiō Avenue, a small group of older adults holds balls out in front of them as part of a regular “yoga-lates” class, a mix of yoga and Pilates, in the center’s auditorium. Down the hall, posters advertise upcoming classes and activities where participants can learn to make garlic jars, fabric bird decorations, crocheted plumeria, living moss wall art and more. Across the way, a bright mural of local animals decorates the center’s free charter preschool.
Photo: Mary Moran
President Caroline Hayashi says the center focuses on three “buckets”: kūpuna, keiki and community. “Beyond our members, we do want it to be a place where people can just come. We just feel like there’s not that many places anymore where you can actually interact face to face with fellow human beings, and that’s so important,” she says. She estimates that about 20,000 people come through the center each year, many part of Waikīkī’s aging population. A huge perk: Parking is free.
Learn more about the center and its upcoming events, including Oct. 24’s lau hala coaster workshop ($20), on its website.
310 Paoakalani Ave., Waikīkī, waikikicommunitycenter.org, @waikikicommunitycenter
Katrina Valcourt is the executive editor of HONOLULU Magazine.
