Ring in 2018 with These Fun New Year Cultural Celebrations in Honolulu
Skip the NYE hangover and welcome a prosperous new year by embracing these cultural traditions instead.
First Day Hike
MONDAY, JAN. 1, 2018
Photo: Diane Lee
The first sunrise of 2018 is at 7:09 a.m. Join more than 700 people who hike to the top of Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse Trail to greet the new year. There’ll be a pū (blowing of a conch shell) followed by an oli blessing and taiko drummers. You’ll be hiking in pitch darkness, so bring a flashlight and arrive before the gates open at 5:30 a.m. to claim a parking spot. It might get chilly and windy at the top of the trail, so bring a light jacket.
Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse Trail
SEE ALSO: O‘ahu Hike of the Month: Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse Trail
Hatsumōde 2018
MONDAY, JAN. 1, 2018
PHOTO: COURTESY OF IRENE TAKIZAW
Usher in good luck for the new year with your first temple or shrine visit in 2018. This Japanese custom is called hatsumōde. Listen to the sounds of taiko drums, eat ozoni mochi soup (a New Year’s soup with mochi rice cake and seasonal vegetables), then let the Japanese shishi lion lightly bite your head for good luck. Pro tip: Park your car for free at Damien Memorial School and catch a complimentary shuttle to the event.
Free, midnight to 5 p.m., Hawai‘i Kotohira Jinsha – Hawai‘i Dazaifu Tenmangu, 1239 Olomea St., (808) 841-4755, e-shrine.org
Hatsumohde New Year Celebration
MONDAY, JAN. 1, 2018
If you’re planning to stay up late, visit the Daijingu Temple of Hawai‘i between midnight and 3:30 a.m. to receive a blessing from a Shinto priest. You can buy a lucky amulet and a paper fortune to bring you good luck in 2018. Expect 6,000 people there. If you want to arrive earlier to beat the crowd, there will be a blessing on Dec. 31 at 10 and 11 p.m. Parking is available in the shrine’s parking lot and at the Boy Scouts parking lot across the street.
Free, midnight to 4 p.m., The Daijingu Temple of Hawai‘i, 61 Pū‘iwa Road, daijingutemple.org
Fukubukuro
SUNDAY, DEC. 31, 2017–MONDAY, JAN. 1, 2018 (International Market Place)
MONDAY, JAN. 1, 2018 (Ala Moana Center)
Photo: Courtesy of International Market Place
Fukubukuro is a Japanese New Year’s Day custom in which retailers fill bags with mystery items and sell the bags at a discounted rate. At Ala Moana Center and International Market Place, you can take part in the tradition. For example, a mystery bag selling for $50 will contain at least $100 worth of merchandise. Here’s how it works: You can visit the participating stores, including Kate Spade New York, Godiva, Eden in Love and Reyn Spooner, to pick up a mystery bag. Sorry, you can’t open the bag until after you buy it. What’s inside? It’s a surprise! Expect limited quantities and long lines, so plan to hit up your favorite stores early.
Participating Ala Moana Center stores |
Location |
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Street level 1, Center Court |
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Street level 1, Diamond Head Wing |
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Street level 1, Center Court |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Mauka Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Street level 1, Center Court |
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Mall level 2, Mauka Wing |
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Mall level 2, Center Court |
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Level 3, Center Court |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Street level 1, Center Court |
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Level 3, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Level 3, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Upper level 4, Hoʻokipa Terrace |
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Street level 1, Diamond Head Wing |
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Level 3, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Street level 1, Makai Market |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Level 3, Center Court |
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Level 3, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Level 3, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Level 3, Diamond Head Wing |
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Street level 1, Center Court |
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Level 3, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Street level 1, Center Court |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Street level 1, Center Court |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
|
Street level 1, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
|
Street level 1, Center Court |
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Level 3, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Level 3, Mauka Wing |
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Level 3, Center Court |
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Street level 1, Center Court |
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Level 3, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Level 2, Mauka Wing |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, Mauka Wing |
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Mall level 2, Mauka Wing |
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Mall level 2, ‘Ewa Wing |
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Mall level 2, Mauka Wing |
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Mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing |
Price varies, 9:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Jan. 1, 2018, Ala Moana Center, alamoanacenter.com/en.html
Participating International Market Place stores |
Location |
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Banyan Court |
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Level 1, Queen’s Court |
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Level 1, Mauka Court |
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Level 2, Queen’s Court |
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Level 2, Banyan Court |
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Level 1, Banyan Court |
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Level 2 near Queen’s Court |
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Level 2 near Queen’s Court |
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Level 2, Banyan Court |
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Level 1, Mauka Court |
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Level 2, Queen’s Court |
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Level 1, Queen’s Court |
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Level 1, Queen’s Court |
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Level 1 near Queen’s Court |
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Level 2 near Queen’s Court |
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Level 2, Banyan Court |
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Level 2 near Saks Fifth Avenue |
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Level 1, Queen’s Court |
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Level 3, Grand Lanai |
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Level 1, Banyan Court |
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Level 2, Banyan Court |
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Level 2, Queen’s Court |
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Level 1, Banyan Court |
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Level 1, Banyan Court |
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Level 1, Queen’s Court |
Price varies, 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Dec. 31, 2017 and Jan. 1, 2018, International Market Place, shopinternationalmarketplace.com/holidays
New Year’s ‘Ohana Festival
SATURDAY, JAN. 14, 2018
Photo: Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i
Celebrate the Year of the Dog at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i’s ‘Ohana Festival. This is a kickoff event to celebrate the 150th anniversary of gannen mono, the first Japanese immigrants to settle in Hawai‘i. There’ll be a craft fair, keiki games, food booths and more. Pro tip: Park your car for free at the University of Hawai‘i’s parking structure, then catch a complimentary shuttle to the festival.
Free, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Mō‘ili‘ili Field, jcch.com/events/2018-new-years-‘ohana-festival
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