NYE Memory: The 12-hour bar hop in Honolulu

Photo: Courtesy Soni Kohut

Last New Year’s Eve, I pulled off something I had never done before—my friends and I managed to bar hop in Honolulu until 9 a.m. While most sane people ended their night with the midnight fireworks at Aloha Tower, ours had just begun. I’m not sure all parts of this evening were entirely legal—for the after-hours parts, that is—so just gonna skip over some details.

What elapsed in the 9-hour time span following midnight included some of the most memorable moments of my night-life. It included multiple stops in Waikiki with dancing under disco balls and laser lights. It included cab rides while we sang Just a Friend’s lyrics, “You got what I neeeeed,” from the back seat to the driver—he was amused. It included rounds of soju at Korean bars—my friends and I taking turns around the table Cheers!-ing loudly to our friendship, our accomplishments and our hopes for the New Year. It included discovering hidden karaoke rooms and singing with old friends while meeting new acquaintances. And, it ended at the only bar that opens at 6 a.m.—The Hideaway. This bar becomes the finish line for all who make it through the long New Year’s Eve night. And, it’s where friends, strangers, acquaintances, people young and old, continue to toast to the old times and to the New Year—even at 9 in the morning.

Happy New Year, Honolulu! May your New Year’s Eve be as memorable for you as my last one was for me.