Your Guide to the Perfect Easter Weekend: April 13–16, 2017

A lineup of the weekend's best events.

April 12, 2017

Marisa Heung,

This month’s Weekend Picks are brought to you by: Honolulu Cookie Co.

Sure, we love watching hyperfocused, egg-crazed toddlers trip over their own feet as much as the next guy, but we’re willing to forgo this year's entertainment in favor of all the neat stuff going on around town. (If someone could Facebook Live it, though, do us a solid.) See below for 11 last-minute Easter brunch options, an opportunity to test drive some of Waikīkī’s newest and coolest dining destinations, a guided art tour at Honolulu Museum of Art School and a family-fun festival on Kalākaua Avenue that supports a super-worthy cause.

Photo: Courtesy of Turtle Bay Resort

Easter Brunch

Sunday, April 16

Painting eggs is fun and all, but, when it comes to the best thing about Easter, our vote goes to brunch. Libations in the a.m. without Mom’s usual judging side-eye? Yes, please. Endless buffet of made-to-order waffles, fluffy omelets and sliced fruit? We’ll take it. (OK, we admit, we only threw that last one in for appearance’s sake.) Top off with a completely noncommittal, whenever-you-feel-like-it 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. time frame and you’ve got an event we’re happy to roll out of bed, reapply last night’s makeup and don our Sunday best for. If you haven’t yet made your Easter brunch plans, don’t worry, you can still have an egg-cellent Easter—check out this guide for a list of restaurants that are still (last time we checked) taking reservations.

Grand Lānai Restaurant Week

Now through Sunday, April 16

Hungry, bored with your usual dinner spot, seeking a weekend culinary fling with a new menu? What about that new restaurant at International Market Place? You know, the one you followed a few weeks ago, with that dish your mouth watered over. If this is you, you’re in luck: At the first-ever Grand Lānai Restaurant Week, happening this week only, the International Market Place’s five eateries (Eating House 1849, Goma Tei, Kona Grill, Flour & Barley and Yauatcha) are offering prix fixe menus at special prices. Why not play the field and try ’em all? With parking validation from any of the aforementioned restaurants, your first hour is free, the next three just $2 per hour.

International Market Place’s Grand Lānai, 2330 Kalākaua Ave., third floor. For more information on the Grand Lānai, go here.

Photo: Courtesy of Contact 3017

Contact 3017 Guided Art Tour

Thursday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Contact, a free, annual exploration of the notion of contact as it relates to Hawai‘i and its culture through modern art, is back in action for its fourth year running. This year’s theme, “3017: Hawai‘i in a Thousand Years,” features 12 new commissioned installations and 68 of Hawai‘i’s artists. Tomorrow evening is your opportunity to get up close and personal with Contact 3017’s featured works—the fine people of Paradise Cove, this year’s curator, will offer a one-time-only, special guided tour to the public. Can’t make it? The exhibit will be open, with artwork for sale, until Sunday, April 16.

Free, Honolulu Museum of Art School, 1111 Victoria St. For more information on Contact 3017, go here.

O‘ahu Festival Waikīkī

Saturday, April 15, 4 to 10 p.m.

Bummed that you missed the Lōkahi Festival a couple of months ago? Dry those tears, let out a joyful “hana hou!” and cancel your Saturday night bae plans with Netflix: The same folks who threw that mean Waikīkī bash back in February return this weekend for the O‘ahu Festival Waikīkī. Held on Kalākaua Avenue, this totally free, family-friendly event will offer live entertainment and food, retail and handmade goods from local vendors. As with the Lōkahi Festival, a portion of sales will be donated to a local nonprofit. This year’s recipient, Easter Seals Hawai‘i, offers services and support to families facing disability with the purpose of creating positive, life-changing differences. Very cool.

Pro Tip: Kalākaua Avenue between Seaside and Kapahulu avenues will be closed off for the event, so plan your routes accordingly.

Free, Kalākaua Avenue between Seaside and Kapahulu avenues. For more information on O‘ahu Festival Waikīkī, go here.

Looking for more things to do this month? Click here for more events.