Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend: Aug. 25–27, 2017

A lineup of the weekend’s best events.

August 23, 2017

Marisa Heung,

Are you ready to geek out? How about Greek out? This weekend, you can do both, with a star-studded comic convention and a decades-old celebration of all things Greek. Plus: Those who missed National Bacon Day last week can still enjoy the versatile ingredient at this month’s Eat The Street, and one nonprofit’s event wants to show you just how awesome Chinatown is.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF Frolic Hawai‘i

Amazing Hawai‘i Comic Con 2017

Friday, Aug. 25 through Sunday, Aug. 27

Prepare to geek out and fangirl (or fanboy) over the celeb guests who will be at this year’s Amazing Hawai‘i Comic Con. In addition to household names William Shatner (Captain Kirk for all you non-Trekkies) and Todd McFarlane (writer/artist for The Amazing Spider-Man, creator of the comic series Spawn), Comic Con’s lineup of guests is packed with enough actors, artists and creative geniuses to fulfill your nerdiest comic fantasies. Go behind the scenes of the OG ’90s Power Rangers with Jason David Frank (if you remember which color Power Ranger he was, you were a true fan), discuss Darth Maul’s on-point face tattoos with actor Ray Park and discover how Alan Tudyk got into character for his role as Heihei in Disney’s Moana (or, like, any of the other 20-some blockbusters he’s been in). Topped off with an artist’s alley, vendors, fan meet-ups and, of course, lots and lots of costumes, this year promises to be the amazing-est and Amazing Hawai‘i Comic Con yet.

$25–$60, free for children 10 and younger. Hawai‘i Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave., Hall A. For more information and to purchase tickets, go here.

This month’s Weekend Picks Sponsored by:

Taste of Chinatown 2017

Saturday, Aug. 26, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Seven years ago, Chinatown was mostly a destination for those seeking dim sum, Haw Flakes or a sidewalk to pass out on after a night of debauchery. Now, while some things haven’t changed (the bars, and sidewalks, are as crowded as ever), new restaurants and boutiques have given the rest of Honolulu a lot more reasons to hang out in C-town. Safe to say, the neighborhood’s quirky, eclectic vibe has grown on us. This Saturday, Taste of Chinatown, a free, family-friendly event taking place at Smith-Beretania Park, showcases the neighborhood’s very best with restaurant and store pop-ups, entertainment, a keiki area and more. We’re going for the food (HASR Bistro, Kan Zaman and Wing Ice Cream, anyone?), but it’s the shopping, martial arts demonstrations and giveaways we’ll be sticking around for.

P.S. Love Chinatown and want to volunteer? Head to Chinatown Improvement District’s website for more opportunities to make the neighborhood even better with park cleanups, free historic preservation seminars, citizen sidewalk repairs and more.

Free. Smith-Beretania Park, 37–49 N. Beretania St. For more information on this event, go here.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Eat the Street

Eat the Street: Bacon

Friday, Aug. 25, 4 to 9 p.m.

If you missed National Bacon Day this past Sunday, don’t feel sad. Loosen that belt, whip out your napkin and throw that diet out the window, because there’s one final chance to bring home the bacon. The savory cured meat will take over this month’s Eat The Street, this Friday at Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park. Local food trucks and vendors will show you all the creative (and gut-busting) ways to enjoy the star ingredient (you can check out the list of food vendors at Eat The Street’s event page). Bacon malassada burger? Bacon cheesecake? Bacon-wrapped enoki? What bacon creations are the other 30-plus vendors dishing out Friday evening? Only one way to find out. Shh, don’t think about calories, health or how many miles you’ll have to run tomorrow.

Free, Kaka‘ako Waterfront Park, 102 Ohe St. For more information on this event, visit Eat The Street’s Facebook page.

36^th Annual Greek Festival

Saturday, Aug. 26 and Sunday, Aug. 27

Gyros aside, how much do you really know about Greek culture? (And, no, owning a My Big Fat Greek Wedding DVD does not make you an expert, except perhaps on the versatility of Windex.) Maybe it’s time to school yourself at the annual Greek Festival, all weekend long at Ala Moana Beach Park’s McCoy Pavilion. In addition to an offering of your favorite Greek foods (we’re looking at you, baklava), you’ll also have a chance to explore the culture in other ways. Mythos, for example, will perform traditional and contemporary Greek tunes and blues. And, if you’re not sure how one should dance to Greek music, the Nisiotes Dancers will show you how it’s done from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on both days. At the festival’s marketplace, peruse imports—things like worry beads, pottery beads, Greek fisherman hats and clothing—straight from Greece. Opa!

$3, Ala Moana Park, 1202 Ala Moana Blvd., McCoy Pavilion. For more information on this event, go here.

Looking for more things to do? Check out our events calendar.