Hallowbaloo Music and Arts Festival Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Here is the compete guide to Hallowbaloo.

Photos: Courtesy of Hallowbaloo by joe marquez

Hallowbaloo Music and Arts Festival returns for another year in Chinatown this Saturday, Oct. 31. Founder and creative director Mark Tarone launched the festival in 2008 in honor of his favorite night of the year. He wanted to create a fun event that captured the energy and creative spirit of Hawai‘i’s people during Halloween. From food and drinks to music to live entertainment—even a 1-mile “marathon”—this event has everything needed for Halloween revelry. Plus, this year’s festival is expanding with new activities including a Hallowbaloo Ball at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum (HiSAM). So get those costumes ready, 21 and older crowd (unless you’re accompanied by an adult). Here’s everything you need to know about navigating Hallowbaloo:

WHAT TO DO

HiSAM Hallowbaloo Ball

The 300 people able to snag a ticket to the Hallowbaloo Ball at HiSAM are in for a treat. It’s the newest addition to the festival, and worth checking out. Attendees will be able to enjoy balcony views overlooking the sculpture garden and entertainment below, and watch four different dance ensembles perform. There will be exclusive, premium elixirs and culinary creations by different Chinatown eateries including Lucky Belly, Livestock Tavern, Waikīkī Brewing Co. and Honolulu Beerworks. A ticket to the HiSAM Hallowbaloo Ball also grants access to the rest of Hallowbaloo.

Hawai‘i State Art Museum, 250 S. Hotel St., 5:30 to 10 p.m, tickets are $80 each, buy tickets here 

Hallowbaloo Street Festival

Festival-goers dressed up in creative costumes roam the streets to mingle and catch performances on different stages. The main stage will be on the front lawn of HiSAM, and the other stages and food and drink vendors will be on Richards Street (between Beretania Street and the YWCA building), and Hotel Street (between Alakea and Richards streets).

Various locations, 5:30 to 10 p.m.

Hallowbaloo Marathon

The second annual Hallowbaloo Marathon (an easy 1-mile walk/run) invites anyone and everyone to register to support local arts and culture nonprofits, while having fun doing so. Plus, this year’s participants will have a chance to win one of several prizes: a selfie with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Booker T. Jones on the main stage of Hallowbaloo, a private concert by Taimane, a movie night at Hawai‘i Theatre Center with 50 friends, or a Chinatown dinner for four. $15 of the registration fee goes towards the nonprofit of the participant’s choice. And, once registered, participants who are 21 and older will receive a Hallowbaloo wristband, and 97 cents of every dollar donated will go towards the following local nonprofits:

• Hawai‘i Theatre Center

• The ARTS at Marks Garage

• Hawai‘i Public Radio

• Hawai‘i Opera Theatre

• Hawai‘i Pops

• Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking

• Pretty Peacock Productions

250 Hotel St., registration at 5 p.m., race begins 5:45 p.m., Cost starts at $16, buy tickets here 

Club Hallowbaloo

Enjoy entertainment and lively energy from a diverse group of festival-goers throughout the night for one cover fee at these participating bars and clubs:

• Bar 35

• Nextdoor

• Downbeat Lounge

• Manifest

• Fresh Café

• The Arts at Marks Garage

• Scarlet Honolulu

• Square Barrels

Various bars and clubs, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., Pre-sale wristbands are $20, buy a wristband here

MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT

There’s a whole lineup of music and entertainment throughout the evening. You won’t want to miss funk and soul music artist Booker T. Jones. And we’re big fans of local DJ SuperCW, who, over the past several months, has been undergoing treatment for cancer. We’re thrilled she beat it and that she will be performing at Nextdoor. And prepare to be amazed at the aerial performances by Samadhi Hawai‘i. For the full lineup and schedule, click here.

FOOD AND DRINKS

Fuel up for a night of partying or wind down after the festival at these participating Chinatown eateries that will be serving up full menu bites until 11 p.m., unless otherwise noted below:

• Bethel Street Tap Room

• Little Village Noodle House

• Murphy’s Bar & Grill

• The Pig and the Lady

• Scratch Kitchen & Bake Shop, full menu until 9 p.m.

• Cake Envy, service until 9 p.m.

• Duc’s Bistro, full menu until 9:30 p.m.

• HASR Bistro, final seating at 9:30 p.m.

• The Dumb Coq, full menu until 10 p.m.

• Ethiopian Love, full menu until 10 p.m.

• Restaurant Epic, full menu until 10 p.m.

• Grondin French-Latin Kitchen, full menu until 10 p.m., pūpūs until 2 a.m.

• Kan Zaman, full menu until 10:30 p.m.

• Livestock Tavern, full menu until 10:30 p.m.

• J.J. Dolan’s, full menu until midnight

• Lucky Belly, full menu until midnight

• Pho-Hana, full menu until 2 a.m.

• Fresh Café, full menu until 2 a.m.

• Proof Public House, full menu until 2 a.m.

• Downbeat Diner, full menu until 4 a.m.

TIPS

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HALLOWBALOO BY JOE MARQUEZ

1. Come Early

Entertainment will begin right from the get-go, and you can grab dinner at any of the vendors mentioned on the previous page.

2. Attend the kickoff

If you’re dying to start the festivities, check out the Hallowbaloo Kick-Off Concert on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Hawai‘i Theatre Center. TE VAKA, a high-energy, Polynesian-rock fusion band, will be performing that night to kick off the Hallowbaloo fun.

TE VAKA at the Hawai‘i Theatre Center, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., tickets are $27–$97, buy your tickets here.

3. Dress up

Thousands of people pass through Hallowbaloo each year, many of them wearing their own one-of-a-kind creations. So come prepared in a costume.

SEE ALSO: 5 Budget-Friendly Halloween Costume Stores Around O‘ahu and 5 Ways to Make Up a Killer Costume 

4. Continue the party

The third annual Hallowbaloo Kanikapila will feature music by Ron Artis II & Thunderstorm and The Infamous Bourbon Boys. Wind-down, relax and share stories from your all-nighter.

Grass lawn adjacent to Kapi‘olani Park Bandstand, Nov. 1, 3 to 6 p.m., free and all ages.

FREE TROLLEY SERVICE

Left the car at home? Didn’t find close parking? No worries. Hop on the complimentary trolley service to make your way around the Hallowbaloo Festival. The trolley will run from 8 to 11 p.m., circling around the festival, and will make stops at the following locations:

• Intersection of Hotel and Alakea streets

• Intersection of Hotel Street and Nu‘uanu Avenue

WHERE TO FIND PARKING

Ali‘i Place Parking Lot, 1099 Alakea St.

$3 flat rate after 5 p.m., no curfew

Bishop Square Parking Lot, 1050 Alakea St.

$5, 24-hour flat rate, no curfew

Executive Centre Parking Lot, 1000 Bishop St.

$4, 24-hour flat rate, no curfew

Chinatown Gateway Plaza, 1051 Bethel St.

$3 flat rate, midnight curfew

Marks Garage, 19 Chaplain Lane

$12 flat rate, 2 a.m. curfew

For more information on parking, click here.

Hallowbaloo Music & Arts Festival, various locations around Chinatown and the Capitol District. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

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