Your Ultimate Guide to the Best Weekend in Honolulu: September 16–18

Lei Chic’s guide to the weekend’s best events.

September 15, 2016

Bianca Sewake,

Play: Mini Okinawan Festivities

Friday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 17, craft fair is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and bon dance is 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Photo: Courtesy of Okinawan Festival

We were all pretty bummed when the Okinawan Festival was canceled earlier this month, but, fortunately, Mayor Kirk Caldwell designated September Okinawan Festival Month and the festivities will take place over two days this weekend. On Friday, Sept. 16, stop by Honolulu Hale for a mini Okinawan cultural fair where you can finally get your fill of fresh andagi and check out cultural displays. On Saturday, Sept. 17, head to the Hawai‘i Okinawa Center, where you can browse craft fair vendors, grind on andamisu and purchase an Okinawan Festival shirt. The craft fair runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but you’ll want to come back at 5 p.m. for the Autumn Okinawa Dance Matsuri, where you can say goodbye to summer with the last bon dance of the year, complete with all your favorite bon dance foods and live music.
Various locations. For more information, go here.

Attend: The Music of Queen

Friday, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Photo: Courtesy of Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra

Mama Mia! This is real life. It isn’t just fantasy. The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra will hit the stage and bring Queen’s music to life. Hear your favorite Queen songs, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You” and “Somebody To Love.” The performance will be conducted by Brent Havens and feature vocalist Brody Dolyniuk. This is the first event of the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra’s musicthatROCKS program.

$29–$89, Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall, 777 Ward Ave. To purchase tickets, go here.

Shop: Nohea Beauty Bar at Global Village

Saturday, Sept. 17, 1 to 4 p.m.

Photo: Courtesy of Nohea Beauty Bar

The chic shop in Kailua that sells clothing, jewelry and accessories from around the globe will be hosting a special meet and greet with Christie Robello of Nohea Beauty Bar. Meet the woman behind the all-natural line of bath and body products, including beauty bar soaps made with coconut and olive oil, calming and tropical-scented bath bombs and luscious body creams. Pamper yourself and your body with these luxurious products that are safe on sensitive skin. Plus, receive 20 percent off your purchase when you buy four or more Nohea Beauty Bar products.

Global Village, 539 Kailua Road, Kailua. For more information, go here.

Shop: Pop Shop in Downbeat Lounge

Saturday, Sept. 17, 2 to 6 p.m.

Looking for something unique to add to your wardrobe or home? Support local artisans at this monthly pop-up shop, where you can peruse an assortment of handcrafted goods. Think boho dream catchers from The Conscious Sea, tie-dye shirts from Gabi Sanehira, and vintage cards from Shakazine. Other vendors will be selling everything from soaps to patches to apparel.

Downbeat Lounge, 42 N. Hotel St. For more information, go here.

Give: Hui o Ko‘olaupoko Mauka Fundraiser

Saturday, Sept. 17, 4 p.m.

Enjoy an elegant dinner on the ranch while supporting Hui o Ko‘olaupoko. This nonprofit is a watershed management group that works with communities to improve water quality through ecosystem restoration and storm water management. Proceeds will go toward watershed protection. The evening’s festivities include a cocktail hour with pūpū and Jeep tours to see the nonprofit’s Hakipu‘u Stream Restoration Project. A delicious farm-to-fork dinner menu will be prepared by local chefs Mark “Gooch” Noguchi and Kealoha Domingo. Plus, there’s an open beer and wine bar, a dessert bar and a silent auction.
$95, Kualoa Ranch, 49-560 Kamehameha Highway, Kāneʻohe. For more information and to purchase tickets, go here.

Attend: Sublime with Rome

Saturday, Sept. 17, doors open at 5 p.m.

Celebrate the return of popular ska punk band Sublime with Rome to Hawai‘i. Get ready to rock out to hits like “What I Got” and “Santeria.” General admission is $39. VIP admission is $75 and includes a VIP area, private bar and private bathrooms for those who are 21 or older. If you are 21 or older and want to meet the band, get an autographed poster, a collectible laminate, plus get access to a VIP area on the stage side and enjoy the perks of the private bar and private bathrooms, then purchase a meet-and-greet VIP ticket for $185.

$39–$185, must be 18 or older, Aloha Tower Marketplace, 1 Aloha Drive. To purchase tickets, go here.