Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend in Honolulu: August 5–11, 2020
Indoors or outdoors, with friends (nine or fewer!) or without, cooking at home or dining out alfresco, here are four of the best events on O‘ahu plus four ways the HONOLULU team spends its weekends.
Aloha Friday Beach BBQ at Barefoot Beach Café
Friday, August 7, 5:30 p.m.
Picture this: live music at sunset, a cool breeze on a hot summer evening, a smoky barbecue dinner and beachfront seating in a quieter-than-usual Waikīkī. Can you think of a better way to end a long week? Every Friday, Barefoot Beach Café hosts a #WelcomeBackHawaii beach barbecue with a chef on the grill and live music by Art Kalahiki & Friends. Book a table for a 5:45 p.m. dinner package ($25 per person includes an entrée and unlimited sides; 10 guests per group max) so you can reserve a seat out on the lānai, which overlooks Publics beach. If you’re not quite ready for the dine-in experience, tune in to the restaurant’s Facebook and Instagram pages to catch the live set and for grilling lessons from the chef.
Barefoot Beach Café, 2699 Kalākaua Ave., (808) 924-2233, barefootbeachcafe.myshopify.com
SEE ALSO: The 7 Best Places To Eat Outside in Waikīkī Right Now
Sunset Serenade Drive-in Concert Series: “It’s a Grand Night for Singing”
Saturday, August 8, 6–6:45 p.m.
Drive-in entertainment is defining the summer of 2020. And Diamond Head Theatre is not going to miss out on the trend. As part of the August series this Saturday night in the Diamond Head Theatre parking lot, local stage veterans (including Loretta Ables Sayre, Shari Lynn, Andrew Sakaguchi, Drew Niles and Laurence Paxton) will perform classics from the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook. So pack up a car picnic, warm up those vocals and spend a safe socially distanced evening singing and dancing to legendary Broadway hits. Think of it as an open-air karaoke night out, alfresco style.
Diamond Head Theatre, 520 Makapu‘u Ave., (808) 733-0274, diamondheadtheatre.com
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
Summer Saturday Markets
Saturday, August 8, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
The teams behind Ten Tomorrow and Foterra Jewelry have brought together small local businesses for a series of outdoor markets. Every Saturday in August, up to four Hawai‘i-based brands and artists will set up from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the open-air space fronting Ten Tomorrow in Kaimukī. Those looking to stay in this weekend can join in on the deals too, during a virtual happy hour starting at 10:30 a.m. During this online shopping experience, vendors will offer discounted items in an auction-style sale.
Ten Tomorrow, 1114 11th Ave., (808) 591-6219, tentomorrow.com
SEE ALSO: We Tried It: What It’s Like at These 6 Popular O‘ahu Hikes and Gardens During the Pandemic
Comedy Squared
Thursday, August 6, 7–9 p.m.
Captain’s log, quarantine day 142: It was 10 days into lockdown when I totally understood a dog’s excitement about going outside. And it’s been 10 days since I realized my mask hides an annoyed face whenever strangers get closer than 6 feet from me. 2020 is a mood, people, and I think it’s safe to say that we could all use a little laugh. This Thursday night, head Downtown to Square Barrels for a night of much-needed giggles with a lineup of local comedians (Erika Swartzkopf, Shannon Canton, Coe Snyder, Clarisse Lee, Jose Dynamite and Ian Shippen).
$10. Square Barrels, 1001 Bishop St., Suite 108, (808) 524-2747, eventbrite.com
Weekend Adventures
Photo: Katie Kenny
To Market, To Market
Almost every Saturday morning (before and during quaran-times) I can be found lingering around the Local I‘a, Onda Pasta and Forage Hawai‘i booths at the Kaka‘ako Farmers Market. Depending on my mood I’m either picking up a hunk of local sashimi-grade fish (aku, marlin and monchong are my top picks), freshly made gnocchi or Hawai‘i-raised steaks. But on special days I’ll grab a whole J. Ludovico chicken from Forage Hawai‘i, potatoes, onions, lemons and vegetables from one of the many farm stalls scattered around the market (carrots specifically from Gabe Sachter-Smith’s Counter Culture booth when he’s there) and butter from Naked Cow Dairy. Fast forward to Sunday night and I’m watching the new Perry Mason series on HBO, sipping on a Kona Light Blonde Ale (got to keep it light since it is a school night) and prepping my chicken for the oven.—Katie Kenny, HONOLULU digital editorial specialist
On the Farm
My family and I drove out to Kahuku Farms. The café closed its seating area recently when case numbers spiked, but you can still wander through the nearby gardens and grab a spot on the lawn for a picnic. My husband and I enjoyed wandering through the different spice and fruit trees while my daughters found big sticks to brandish at each other. But the best part was finding a shady place under the ʻulu tree for veggie pizza/bruschetta; vegetable panini; a grilled peanut butter, pineapple-papaya jam and apple banana sandwich; and smoothies for all. My 4-year-old didn’t even notice we snuck kale into her papaya smoothie, despite the telltale green color. Kahuku Farms is likely the only place here that grows its own acai for the acai bowls, which is drizzled with the farm’s house-made haupia sauce. That alone is worth the trek. Go at 11 a.m. or after 1:30 p.m. It gets busy by noon and picnic areas under the shade go fast. So does the super affordable fruit. (I saw a sign for $2 dragon fruit!) Preorder at kahukufarms.com to skip the line or for ultra-fresh takeout.—Christi Young, HONOLULU editorial director
Open Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Kahuku Farms, 56-800 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, (808) 293-8159, kahukufarms.com
SEE ALSO: Farm Friday: Locally Grown Acai at Kahuku Farms
Photo: Katrina Valcourt
Beach, Please
I went to Kuli‘ou‘ou Beach Park with my family for about an hour or so on Saturday morning, since my 2-year-old niece likes to splash around and look at crabs. As usual the parking lot was full—there were groups playing family sports, kids running around on the basketball court and some people just chilling under umbrellas, but each group seemed to keep its distance from others. We parked on the street closer to the court and snagged a shaded picnic table. The tide was pretty low, so we waded out (the water was sooo warm) to look at the fish flying across the surface and stand on a rock peeking above the water. My niece and I drew pictures in the sand, played catch with nuts from the trees and had some snacks before heading home. —Katrina Valcourt, HONOLULU managing editor
Art Attack
My boyfriend and I spent Friday at the Honolulu Museum of Art. It’s free for Hawaiʻi residents and we missed the previous weekend because of the hurricane scare. We cruised through some really amazing exhibits, and the staggered entrance and controlled routes in the museum were really easy to follow.— Carolyn Hyman, Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Home and Remodeling magazines advertising director
Kamaʻāina free Fridays through Sept. 11. 900 S. Beretania St., (808) 532-8700, honolulumuseum.org
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