Your Weekend: The Best Family Events-Nov. 14, 2019

Visit an aquarium for free, watch a film fest and meet local authors of keiki books.

ANA Honolulu Music Week

Treat your family to a weekend of free outdoor concerts by top musicians from Japan, Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Mainland. It’s all part of ANA Honolulu Music Week, a festival with performances in Waikīkī, downtown Honolulu and Ala Moana. The free concerts are at Royal Hawaiian Center, International Market Place, Kapi‘olani Bandstand and an early evening one Saturday at Hawaiian Mission Houses. The three-day event ends with a final concert on Sunday afternoon at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, featuring Kalapana, three local symphonies, Joseph Stepec and Japanese singer Kiyotaka Sugiyama. Click here for the schedule of events and here for frequently asked questions about venue parking and event tickets.

• All ages  
• Free for outdoor concerts; indoor concerts range in price; $30 to $100 for ANA Gala Celebration on Friday; $35 to $100 for Leo Pasifika Voices of the Pacific and Engelbert Humperdinck concerts on Saturday; and $5 for final concert on Sunday.   
• Friday, Nov. 15 to Sunday, Nov. 17; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 
• (808) 321-3198
• hnlmusicweek.org/en

Waikīkī Laulima 

Kids ages 12 and younger get free admission to the Waikīkī Aquarium’s Waikīkī Laulima this  weekend—if they bring three canned goods for the Hawaiʻi Foodbank and are accompanied by at least one adult who pays full admission. Keiki can visit marine life exhibits, play with LEGOS and get their Keiki IDs made with the Honolulu Police Department. Before leaving, don’t forget to visit SWAT and canine units and take a quick tour of the police cars on display. 

• All ages
• Free
• Nov. 16, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
• Waikīkī Aquarium. 2777 Kalākaua Ave. 
• (808) 923-8642
• waikikiaquarium.org

Keiki Swap Meet 

If your children have gently used toys, clothes, books and gear that they want to sell, bring the items to the Keiki Swap Meet this Saturday at Kakaʻako Waterfront Park. Get there by 9 a.m. to fill out a registration form, pay the fee and set up your own tent and tables. The event happens, rain or shine. Click here to print and fill out the registration form ahead of time.

How much money did our families make when we sold old toys to other families? Read “We Tried It: Keiki Swap Meet.”  

• All ages 
• $5 
• Nov. 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (setup begins at 9 a.m.) 
• Children’s Discovery Center, 111 ‘Ohe St.  
• (808) 524-5437
• discoverycenterhawaii.org

Barnes & Noble Local Author Meet and Greet

Meet local children’s book authors this weekend at a special event at Barnes & Noble! This is a great way to get autographed copies of newly released books and stock up on kids’ gifts for the holidays. The featured books and their authors are Kai Goes to the Farmers Market by Catherine Toth Fox (editor of our sister publication Hawai‘i Magazine), Milo’s Endless Drawing Pad by Sheri Tamamoto, Saving the Fairies by Leslie Hayashi and Shark Patrol: A Discovery Adventure in Hawaiʻi by Ron Hirschi.  

How does author Catherine Toth Fox encourage her preschooler to eat all his veggies? Read “ New Book For Keiki: Kai Goes To The Farmers Market.” 

• All ages
• Free; book prices range from $13 to $20
• Saturday, Nov. 16. Noon to 2 p.m. 
• Barnes & Noble. 1450 Ala Moana Blvd. 
• 808-949-7307
• stores.barnesandnoble.com 

Family Sunday 

The longest-running, monthly program of free art workshops for kids happens this Sunday. Bring your keiki to the Honolulu Museum of Art for Makahiki-themed (Hawaiian New Year) activities, including lauhala weaving, constellation spotting, ti-leaf ribbon making, films in the Doris Duke Theatre, hula programs in the courtyard, and a scavenger hunt in the galleries. Spalding House in Makiki Heights offers a similar program for keiki, as well! Make sure to catch the free shuttle to Spalding House, which the Honolulu Museum of Art plans to sell next year, where kids can hear stories by Nancy Kulp, eat sweet treats and learn how to make kapa print tote bags.  We took three kids to this popular monthly event! Read about their artsy adventures at “Our Guide: Family Sunday at Honolulu Museum of Art.”

• All ages 
• Free
• Sunday, Nov. 17. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (workshops end at 2 p.m.)
• Honolulu Museum of Art. 900 S. Beretania St.; Spalding House, 2411 Makiki Heights Drive
• (808) 532-8700
• honolulumuseum.org