Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend in Honolulu: November 20–26, 2019
Pair restaurant week with a fashion pop-up, plant sale at Lyon Arboretum, and some blood, sweat & tears.
CAULIFLOWER RISOTTO AT PAI HONOLULU
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PAI HONOLULU
Restaurant Week
Started Friday November 15, continues through Sunday, November 24
Take your pick of more than 75 participating O‘ahu restaurants that are offering fixed menus at a range of lower prices. Try the big boys (Alan Wong’s, Merriman’s, Roy’s, Nobu, 53 By the Sea, Stripsteak, etc.) or head to local faves (Chef Chai, Fête, Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, etc.). Or do both, or even all, because it’s a deal with benefits: A portion of the proceeds go to the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head, which prepares our new generations of chefs and restaurant staff.
Prices vary by restaurant, various locations, restaurantweekhawaii.com
SEE ALSO: 13 Reasons Why You Should Go to Restaurant Week Hawai‘i This Year
Act II – Fashion Reprise Pop-Up for Hawai‘i Opera Theatre
Preview shopping party Thursday, November 21, 5 to 9 p.m.; public shopping Saturday, November 23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and November 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you’ve attended a Hawai‘i Opera Theatre performance, you know one of the pleasures is seeing the impromptu fashion show put on by many HOT patrons. Now here’s a chance to upgrade with their couture and designer apparel, handbags, shoes (pray for Choos!), jewelry, art and perhaps something for the home, too. Attend the VIP Preview Party for $50 and you get an early bird shot at the newly donated items (and some Christmas décor), plus discount coupons—and you can sip wine and nosh on pūpū as you contemplate the new you.
Hawai‘i Opera Plaza, 848 S. Beretania St., RSVP at (808) 596-7372
Plant Sale at Lyon Arboretum
Saturday November 23, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The popular biannual plant sale at the University of Hawai‘i’s Lyon Arboretum is upgrading to a full craft fair that will include handmade local products such as wreaths, jewelry, honey, natural cosmetics, apparel and wearable art. Food trucks and tents (malassadas!) plus keiki activities and garden tours turn the day into a full holiday outing. And don’t forget the plants: from succulents to ornamentals to orchids to those creepy-but-beautiful carnivores …
3860 Mānoa Road; no parking at the arboretum except for those with handicap placards and license plates. Shuttle buses run continuously from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting where Nipo and Puela streets meet at Mānoa Road; (808) 988-0456, manoa.hawaii.edu
SEE ALSO: The 26 Best Events on O‘ahu in November 2019
PHOTO: COURTESY OF Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears at the Blue Note
Thursday, November 21, through Sunday, November 24; shows at 6:30 and 9 p.m.
For live listening nirvana, you can’t beat a big-voiced singer fronting a tight horn section working off burning guitar licks and soulful Hammond B-3 organ vamps. It’s a formula pioneered by ’60s breakthrough bands such as Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Sly and the Family Stone, and War, and nobly carried on by Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. The current BS&T ought to strike sparks at the Blue Note thanks to a catalog of heart-wringing ballads—“I’ll Love You More than You’ll Ever Know,” “Spinning Wheel,” “And When I Die”—that will showcase the club’s acoustically intimate setting.
$35–$45, Blue Note Hawai‘i, 2335 Kalākaua Ave., (808) 777-4890, bluenotehawaii.com
Janet Jackson’s Special 30th Anniversary Celebration of Rhythm Nation
Wednesday, November 20–Thursday, November 21 & Saturday, November 23 | 8–10 p.m.
The Dead Kennedys 40th Anniversary Concert
Friday, November 22 | 10 p.m.–1 a.m.
XTERRA Trail Run World Championship
Sunday, November 24 | 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Blue Note Hawai‘i Comedy Series: Jamie Kennedy
Tuesday, November 26 | 6:30 p.m. & 9 p.m.
Looking for more things to do? Check out our events calendar.
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.
Read more stories by Don Wallace
