Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend in Honolulu: April 21–27, 2021
It’s all about celebration this weekend, with Earth Day, National Volunteer Week and Independent Bookstore Day. Plus, check out new art, learn about Filipino cuisine and more.
Photo: Shangri La Museum; “Ascendants” by Kamran Samimi
Sanctuaries by Kamran Samimi
Online now through Saturday, October 2
After almost 20 years as a museum, Shangri La finally got its first local artist in residence, Kamran Samimi, in 2020. Throughout the pandemic he’s been creating mixed-media works and sculptures around the ideas of self-discovery, relationships with the natural world and ancestors, and culture. Explore images and descriptions of the works here. The museum is closed to visitors right now with plans to reopen in July. In the meantime, you can see his exhibit In Stillness in person at the Honolulu Museum of Art.
SEE ALSO: Check Out Hawai‘i Artists in Their Home Studios in This New Quarantine-Inspired Series
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Celebrate Earth Day
Thursday, April 22
The outdoors have really been there for us the past year. Show some love back by checking out the virtual Mauka to Makai Expo, with info on plogging, landscaping tips, coloring activities for kids and more. Check out a list of events here. Sea Life Park is also hosting a Celebrating Limu event with the Waimānalo Limu Hui on April 24, where you can learn about the importance of the local algae and buy cups of limu for $4 to feed the turtles. Since Earth Day coincides with National Volunteer Week (April 18–24), either join up with a local organization for other cleanups, such as Our Kaka‘ako’s Mālama ‘Āina Earth Day Community Cleanup with the Surfrider Foundation or the Rotarians at Work Day, or head out on your own to #cleanyobeach.
Find more tips to live sustainably here
Navian Hawai‘i’s Hot Pursuit
Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to Friday, April 30, 6 p.m.
Who’s up for a challenge? Navian Hawai‘i’s annual fundraiser goes virtual again this year, with teams of two to five people completing activities while they raise funds for the nonprofit’s hospice and integrated care programs. The more you raise, the cooler the prizes: $500 gets you a Fitbit, $1,000 a pair of wireless Bluetooth earbuds, and if you raise $1,500 you can win a virtual reality system. You can also win prizes for raising the most money, having the best team spirit, being a social media master, having the best face mask or being a “Lucky Team Finisher.” You’ll have a week to complete the tasks, which in the past included stacking apples, doing squats while balancing books on your head and other wacky assignments you can do from home or the park with a few friends. Registration is free with a commitment to raise $50 by April 30.
To register, click here
SEE ALSO: The Best Things to Do on O‘ahu in April 2021
Short-Plays Reading Festival
Saturday, April 24, 2 p.m.
Creative Lab Hawai‘i, with state-supported programs for screenwriting, producing, web series, music and animation, debuted its first cohort of the Playwrights Immersive this month: Lee Cataluna, Sean-Joseph Choo and Sean Dunnington, who join CLH Ideation fellows Jessie Ren Marshall, Lin McEwan and Ryan Okinaka for a live reading of their latest plays. The two-hour Zoom festival will feature plays with the theme pu‘uhonua (much like Kamran Samimi’s exhibit mentioned above—in fact, Okinaka’s play is called Sanctuary). If you’re intrigued by the idea of playwriting, there will be a how-to webinar on Wednesday, April 28, at 1 p.m. Find more info here.
Free. To register, click here
Other Ideas
Photo: Courtesy of Blue Note Hawai‘i
En Vogue
Saturday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 25 at 9 p.m.
Four of the six En Vogue shows at Blue Note this weekend are sold out, but even if all the tables fill up or you don’t want to head to the indoor club, you can livestream the Saturday show at 6:30 p.m. for $25; it will continue to be available online through May 1. See the trio that, for decades, has been wondering, in perfect harmony, who’s loving you?
In-person tickets start at $130 for two, bluenotehawaii.com
Mga Kwentong Pagkain (Pinoy Food Stories) Season 2
Fridays, April 23 to May 21
Learn about the evolution of Filipino cuisine through this series, which is a collaboration between Mama Sita Foundation and UH’s Filipino and Philippine Culture Program. The free Zoom courses cover a range of topics, from pre-colonial Filipino food to how interactions with foreign traders influenced the cuisine over the years. See the schedule here.
Independent Bookstore Day
Saturday, April 24
Support your local indie bookstore this weekend! At Da Shop, get a free tote when you spend more than $60. The store has a great selection of books for National Poetry Month and Native Hawaiian Plant Month, as does Nā Mea Hawai‘i. We also love BookEnds in Kailua, named Best Independent Neighborhood Bookstore in our 2018 Best of HONOLULU awards.
SEE ALSO: 7 Must-Read Hawai‘i Poets
Inspiration Livestream by Samadhi Hawai‘i
Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
Though aerial studio Samadhi Hawai‘i hasn’t yet reopened for classes, you can get an idea of what students learn in two free online showcases this weekend. On Saturday, click here to see young performers (teens and under), followed by adults on Sunday here. The free livestreams will feature performances based on the theme of inspiration.
Looking for fun new ways to experience the city? HONOLULU’s got you covered with HNLTix, your brand-new local resource for all things social—fundraisers, concerts, comedy shows, expos and everything in between. Discover your next can’t-miss event, share your favorites with friends, or promote your own event and sell tickets online. To see what’s coming up next in Honolulu, visit HNLTix.com.
