Your Weekend: The Best Family Events-March 20, 2019

Go on a scavenger hunt downtown, join a big art experience for free, watch a movie from the wave pool or say "Happy Anniversary" to a favorite family spot.

Photo: 2019 Honolulu Biennial

Walk on the Wild Side

Walk around Downtown Honolulu for this annual event by the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai‘i. Kids can listen to taiko drums, pick up a balloon animal, get their faces painted or play games or the entire family can go on a scavenger hunt, for a $25 fee, to learn about some of the city and Chinatown’s historical landmarks and for the chance to win a prize bag. You can find live entertainment at Fort Street Mall and Sun Yat Sen Park and eight food vendors ranging from Fat Cheeks sandwiches to Bo’s Kitchen and Sticky Sweets. Keep in mind, the event is most busy from noon to 2 p.m. 

• All ages
• Free
• Saturday, March 23. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Fort Street Mall and various streets around Chinatown. The Keiki Zone will be near the main stage, at the intersection of Pauahi Street and Fort Street Mall.
• kidneyhi.org/wows

Free Day at the Honolulu Biennial

Next Tuesday is a day off for Prince Kūhio Day, and it’s a great day to finally stop by the Honolulu Biennial Hub. That’s because admission to the center of the months-long interactive art experience will be free for that day. We asked the Biennial’s education coordinator which installations were the biggest hits for students who have toured the hub. Hannah Craft mentioned Chiharu Shiota’s work, Crossroads, which connects historical maps through intricate weavings of red yarn, was popular as was Makai‘i Tubbs’ Toy Stories, sculptures of toys created from shards of bottles and other debris, and Solomon Enos’ Polyfantastica, 200 drawings of symbolic book covers, each that tells a century-long story of what might have happened if Polynesian communities had never encountered Western civilization. 

• All ages
• Free
• Tuesday, March 26. The hub is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• 1200 Ala Moana Blvd., Ward Village
• honolulubiennial.org

Twilight and Dive ‘n’ Movie

Don your swimsuit for the first movie night of the year at Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawai‘i. The park will stay open until 9 p.m. for kids to slip and slide. At sunset, Ralph Breaks the Internet will play at the wave pool. Arrive in the late afternoon to get in for a discounted admission price. The next Dive ‘n’ Movie will be in June.

• All ages
• Admission after 4 p.m. is $19.99.
• Saturday, March 23. 4 to 9 p.m. The park will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawai‘i, 400 Farrington Highway, Kapolei
• wetnwildhawaii.com

Waikīkī Aquarium 115th Anniversary

Join the celebration with extra entertainment for the kids at the aquarium. The list of activities was still being worked on when we last checked, but we do know the aquarium staff will have make-and-take arts and crafts along with local artists, other groups including the American Cetacean Society will offer educational activities while kids can jump in bouncers, get an ocean animal-themed haircut from Pigtails & Crewcuts, or take photos with characters from Storybook Entertainment. Live hula and ‘ukulele performances will be on stage.

• All ages
• $8 kama‘āina adults, $5 for kids 4 to 12, kids 3 years and younger are free.
• Sunday, March 24. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Waikīkī Aquarium, 2777 Kalākaua Ave.
• waikikiaquarium.org

Star Party with the Hawaiian Astronomical Society

Make a drive out to the North Shore to stare at the sky with local astronomers. The Hawaiian Astronomical Society’s monthly parties bring together experts (along with their telescopes and star-gazing equipment) to help people of all ages view galaxies, nebulae and even globular clusters. Make sure to be there by 6:30 p.m. to get in before the gate to the airfield is locked at 7 p.m. And make sure to remind the kids not to touch the telescopes and leave the bright flashlights at home.

• All ages, but better for elementary-school age kids and older
• Free
• Saturday, March 23. The party goes from 6:45 p.m. to midnight, but you are free to leave when the gates open about two hours after sundown, then again at 10:30 p.m.
• Dillingham Airfield, Mokulē‘ia
• hawastsoc.org, email peter@besenbruch.info with any questions.