HONOLULU Magazine’s Top 10 Stories of 2025
It was a full year of events, holiday celebrations and lots of love for our local restaurants.
As we say farewell to 2025, we also want to reflect on what we’ve featured, learned about and celebrated this year. To the more than 2 million readers who joined us for the ride, mahalo for supporting another year of local stories written by and for people who love Hawai‘i. Here are our top stories of 2025 based on the number of visitors each received.
Photo: iStock/Getty Images Plus, Pierrick Lemaret
10. Hawai‘i Prepares to Welcome America’s First Atlantis Resort at Ko Olina
Published April 1, 2025
Outrage was the general consensus among local readers upon learning about the upcoming Atlantis Resort development. The strong response inspired our November feature “Keep Country, Country.”
Photo: Taylor Foss via Unsplash
9. All the Spooky, Scary, Tricksy Halloween Fun on O‘ahu
by Andrea Lee, Jasmine Chagnon
Last updated Oct. 30, 2025
Halloween was back in the biggest ways since pre-pandemic, with haunted houses, pumpkin patches, costume contests, trick-or-treating, spooky cocktails and more.
Photo: Jeff Hawe
8. Your Guide to 4th of July Fireworks Shows and Entertainment on O‘ahu
by Andrea Lee
Published June 26, 2025
Everyone wanted to know how to make the most of the long 4th of July weekend, culminating in one of the year’s biggest fireworks displays.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
7. Best of HONOLULU 2025: Food and Drinks on O‘ahu
by Andrea Lee, Thomas Obungen, Mari Taketa, Diane Seo
Published July 11, 2025
Our Best of HONOLULU food and drink picks this year included new ice cream, place to enjoy rice artistry, fresh pasta, mocktails and extra-large Korean shave ice.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
6. 2025 Hale ‘Aina Award Winners: The Best Restaurants in Hawai‘i
Published Sept. 1, 2025
Restaurateur of the Year went to Peter Kim of Yummy Restaurant Group, Best New Restaurant was Giovedì and we chose Kim Chee II for Old-School Restaurant We Love. See the rest of the readers’ awards in the full listing.
Photo: Antonio Augusto
5. Your Ultimate Guide to Concerts and Live Music in Honolulu
Updated monthly
Concertgoers, bookmark this guide: a curated list of the most highly anticipated musicians performing at local venues.
Photo: Courtesy of Royal Hawaiian Center
4. The Ultimate Guide to Holiday Happenings on O‘ahu
by Andrea Lee, Jasmine Chagnon
Last updated Dec. 15, 2025
The holiday season is full of twinkling lights, grand parades, Santa sightings and overall merriment that brought thousands of visitors to this comprehensive roundup looking for the jolliest things to do.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
3. Best Restaurants in Honolulu
by Mari Taketa, Thomas Obungen, Melissa Chang
Published Feb. 1, 2025
Seeing that the 2022 Best Restaurants list by our former dining editor Martha Cheng continually got a lot of views, we resolved to make a new one reflective of our team’s tastes and the current Honolulu dining scene.
Photo: Andrea Lee
2. O‘ahu Bon Dance Schedule 2025
Last updated July 31, 2025
We always look forward to Obon season, and clearly, our readers do too, with our bon dance schedule consistently a highly trafficked guide.
Photo: Aaron Yoshino
1. Restaurants We Love: Resonant Stories From the Best Restaurants in Honolulu
by Mari Taketa, Thomas Obungen, Melissa Chang
Published Feb. 1, 2025
Claiming the top spot for the year was our dining team’s ode to their most beloved restaurants—those that not only serve delicious food but also fill patrons’ cups.
