Your Weekend: The Best Family Fun in Honolulu for May 20-26, 2021

Photo: Enjy El Kadi

Twilight Tours at the Honolulu Zoo

Smaller crowds, cooler weather and an opportunity to see animals who prefer to rest during the day. These are the reasons we’re excited this after-hours tour at the Honolulu Zoo is back. Starting this weekend, the zoo will offer the two-hour visits on Saturday. Educators will take families around the grounds to visit some of the more nocturnal residents and so they can see some of the work that happens behind-the-scenes when the zoo is closed. We Tried It! See our 10 parent tips here.

• All ages
• $20 for kamaʻāina adults, $15 for kids. General admission is $5 more.
• Every Saturday beginning May 22, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• 151 Kapahulu Ave.
• (808) 926-3191
• honoluluzoo.org

Beyond Van Gogh – Miami. Photo: RodrigoGaya.com, @Gayaman_photo, Gayaman Visual Studio

Tickets On Sale: “Beyond Van Gogh: An Immersive Experience”

The presale day we’ve been waiting for is here. On Thursday, May 20, presales begin for tickets to our interactive exhibit, “Beyond Van Gogh: An Immersive Experience,” from HONOLULU Magazine and Beyond Exhibitions and presented by First Hawaiian Bank. Families can begin walking through the art on July 2 through mid August. As a HONOLULU Family reader, you have a week to claim your time slot before ticket sales open to the public.

• All ages
• Tickets
• Presale is Thursday, May 20 through May 27. Public sales open May 27. The exhibit runs July 2 through Aug. 15.
• Hawaiʻi Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave.
• vangoghhonolulu.com

Lunar Eclipse and Lahaina Noon

There are two reasons why next week’s lunar eclipse is especially worth watching. It occurs during a supermoon and one of the best places to see this darkening of the moon is Hawaiʻi. We’re assuming most little ones won’t be up to watch the eclipse at its peak, when the shadow of the earth turns the moon red, since that is about 1:18 a.m. Wednesday, but you can watch video of the event at your leisure online and learn more about the Super Blood Moon on nasa.gov.

For an astronomical phenomenon at a more family-friendly time, Wednesday, May 26 will also be the first chance to see a Lahaina Noon in Honolulu. At 12:29 p.m. the sun will be directly overhead in some spots in noon so tell your kids to look down. Where did their shadow go? Lahaina Noon occurs on different days in Kāneʻohe and Haleʻiwa. See our full list here.

See also: 🌠 2021 Astronomical Highlights: When to Watch the Sky in Hawaiʻi

Inside Keiki and the Pineapple.

Toy Drive and Swap Meet

Declutter your house or just help little entrepreneurs at this first ever event at Keiki and the Pineapple. The family-focused café’s first toy swap features a lot of what we loved at the Hawaiʻi Children’s Discovery Center’s swap meet. (Keiki and the Pineapple did get the center’s blessing, by the way.) Kids will set up shop to sell or swap their gently used toys for new ones. Some are also creating special items including play dough kits and decorated pencils to sell. Swing by to donate a toy or pick up one from the café’s free toy area.

• All ages
• Saturday, May 29, 9 a.m. to noon
• Keiki and the Pineapple, 909 Kapiʻolani Blvd.
• (808) 369-7025
• keikiandthepineapple.com, @keikiandthepineapple

Photo: Courtesy of Honolulu Theatre for Youth

The HI Way: “Bullying”

A huge congratulations to regular Best of HONOLULU Family-winning Honolulu Theatre for Youth. It’s show, The HI Way has been nominated for six regional Emmy Awards! This week’s new episode is about bullying and teaches kids how to deal with challenging situations at school and socially. They’ll also learn what it means to be an upstander to help others. It’s airing on K5 and KGMB while you can continue to watch the episode about Asian-American discrimination, “Stronger Together,” on Youtube.

• All ages, best for kids in preschool through elementary school
• Free
• “Bullying” airs Thursday, May 20 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. on K5. Saturday, May 22 at 2 p.m. on KGMB.