Your Guide to the Perfect Thanksgiving Weekend: November 25–December 1, 2020
Celebrate native voices, shop local deals and kick off the holiday season with a light show.
Photo: Courtesy of Show Aloha Challenge
Show Aloha Land – A Holiday Wonderland from First Hawaiian Bank
Friday, November 27, through Saturday, January 9, shows start at 6 p.m.
It’s lovely weather for a sleigh—uhh, car—ride together through the parking lot around Aloha Stadium. More than 1 million LED light displays set to music (that you can hear by tuning in to FM 88.5) will dance like sugar plum fairies as you drive through to kick off the holiday season. The nightly shows start every half-hour beginning at 6. Many slots through Dec. 17 have already filled up, though there are still a few for the 11 p.m. weekend shows. Tickets for Dec. 18 through Jan. 9 have just been added. Make sure to bring at least one other person to handle the picture-taking, but no more than five people per vehicle unless they’re all from the same household (and you can legally fit that many in your car). Sorry, two-wheelers: No mopeds or motorcycles allowed. Even though the entire show is experienced from your car, don’t forget a mask—you’ll need it when interacting with staff (there’s even a drive-thru concession area) and if you need to use the bathroom. For more FAQs, click here.
$50 per vehicle, Aloha Stadium, showalohachallenge.com, @showalohachallenge
“Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio: This Is the Way We Rise”
Streaming now
Spend Thanksgiving learning about artists of different races and backgrounds in PBS’ new digital film series, In The Making. Native Hawaiian filmmaker Ciara Lacy’s latest short documentary spotlights Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, a Native Hawaiian poet and activist who struggled to write before finding new inspiration at Maunakea. Other episodes in the series that are currently live include “Anik Khan: Street Level,” about a hip-hop artist born in Bangladesh and raised in Queens, New York; “Bunky Echo-Hawk: The Resistance,” about a Native American artist; and “Maia Cruz Palileo: Becoming the Moon,” about a Filipino artist based in Brooklyn, which premiered today. Find the full series, which releases new episodes every Wednesday through Dec. 9, here.
pbs.org/americanmasters, youtube.com/AmericanMastersPBS
SEE ALSO: Meet the Young Hawaiian Activists Who Are Making a Difference in the Islands
Photo: Courtesy of Dolkii
Shop Local Holiday Marketplace
Now through December 13
Forget Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Holiday shopping starts now. Support your favorite small local businesses by using the code SHOPLOCAL and score up to 30% off certain products. More than 30 brands—including Best of HONOLULU winners Tiny Hearts, Mohala Eyewear and Yireh—have partnered with HONOLULU to offer discounts, free shipping, gifts with purchase and more. And there’s no rush (other than snagging limited items before they sell out)—the code will work through Dec. 13, so you have time to browse through each website until you find that perfect something for even the pickiest relatives.
Click here to visit the virtual marketplace
Photo: Courtesy of Blue Note Hawai‘i
Thanksgiving with Anuhea
November 25 through 28, shows at 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Blue Note is back, with some precautions in place, for Anuhea’s annual Thanksgiving concert. For her only shows on O‘ahu this year, the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning vocalist shares the stage with other artists, including Kush County (Thursday). Only full tables are available (for four or five people) and tickets are going fast. The Wednesday show with Izik and the Friday and Saturday shows with Paula Fuga have all sold out, but you can catch the 6 p.m. livestreams on Friday and Saturday from home for $20.
$40–$45, Blue Note Hawai‘i, bluenotehawaii.com
SEE ALSO: What to Watch at the 2020 Hawai‘i International Film Festival This Month
Other Events
Flattery Designs. Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives
Hawaiian Mission Houses Holiday Craft Fair
November 27 through January 10
The 49th annual craft fair lets you shop in person or online this year (just be sure to place Christmas orders by Dec. 14 to be shipped on time).
553 S. King St., (808) 447-3910, missionhouses.org
Give Big Hawai‘i
December 1 through 31
Donate to a local nonprofit on Giving Tuesday through our online database, which will remain open through the end of the year.
SEE ALSO: 50-plus dine-in and takeout menus for Thanksgiving 2020 on Frolic Hawaiʻi
New Normal: Contemporary Photography from a Pandemic in the Pacific
Through December 31, open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.
The Arts at Marks Garage’s latest exhibit showcases photographs taken over the past eight months in Hawai‘i.
1159 Nu‘uanu Ave., (808) 521-2903, artsatmarks.com
Makers & Market
November 28–29 and December 5, 12–13, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The new Arts & Letters Nu‘uanu, a cultural co-op that currently houses Nā Mea Hawai‘i and Waiwai Collective in the old Pegge Hopper Gallery, hosts its first holiday shopping experience with local goods.
1164 Nu‘uanu Ave., @artslettersnuuanu
