Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend in Honolulu: Feb. 1–2, 2019
Ring in the year of the pig, celebrate 20 years of Taking Back Sunday and brave the rain at Punahou School’s annual fundraiser.
PHOTO: Brent Wong
Night in Chinatown
Saturday, Feb. 2, 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
If you missed walking through Chinatown during Chinese New Year last year, get ready because Night in Chinatown is back. The popular all-day street festival, which draws about 10,000 people, will feature about 100 food and craft vendors, live entertainment from three stages and a keiki zone. Starting at 4:30 p.m., a colorful procession of lion dance troupes, public figures and cultural performances will make their way down Hotel Street for the Chinese Lunar New Year Parade. Use our guide to the 2019 Night in Chinatown and Lunar New Year Parade to find out where to park, what to eat and other tips to help you plan your day.
Free, Chinatown along Smith, Maunakea and Pauahi streets. For more information, go here.
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SEE ALSO: Your Ultimate Guide to the 2019 Night in Chinatown and Lunar New Year Parade
First Friday
Friday, Feb. 1, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Celebrate the end of the work week and the start of a new lunar year with the second First Friday of 2019. The artsy block party adds some cultural flavor this month, with Chinese lion dancers, live drums and fireworks throughout Honolulu’s historic culture and arts district. Other First Friday events will be taking place throughout the neighborhood as well, including: A fashion show by secondhand boutique Barrio Vintage and an art display featuring works by Jamie Allen and Licia McDonald, hosted on the first floor of the Hawai‘i State Art Museum; a speakeasy-style poetry slam and wine tasting party at HI Design Barber & Lounge; and the opening night of The Arts at Marks Garage’s new She Currents exhibit, featuring Ran Noveck’s art inspired by the ocean and the feminine form.
Free, various locations throughout Downtown. For more information, go here.
SEE ALSO: Your Ultimate Guide to the 2019 Punahou Carnival
photo: David Croxford
Punahou Carnival
Friday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 2, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
In case the rain hasn’t clued you in, Punahou School’s annual financial aid fundraiser is back, with “The Greatest Show on Earth” as the school’s theme for 2019. Head to the school grounds for your fill of fresh malassadas, Hawaiian plate lunches, E.K. Fernandez entertainment and secondhand White Elephant treasures, plus live entertainment and silent auction items to bid on. Bring an umbrella or rain jacket, keep cash on hand and don’t forget to snag a jar of Punahou’s coveted mango chutney.
Free, Punahou School, 1601 Punahou St. For more information, go here.
SEE ALSO: Super Bowl Sunday 2019: 8 Spots to Watch the Game vs. 9 Takeout Options on O‘ahu
Taking Back Sunday
Friday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 2
American rock band Taking Back Sunday first stormed onto the music scene in 2002 with the emo-rocker album Tell All Your Friends, filled with anthemic, head-banging tracks such as “Cute Without the ‘E’” and “Great Romances of the 20th Century.” Seven albums later, band members Adam Lazzara, John Nolan, Shaun Cooper and Mark O’Connell are celebrating two decades of music-making with a 2019 world tour. Taking Back Sunday stops in Hawai‘i to grace fans with an extra long set featuring the entirety of Tell All Your Friends plus either its second or third album (depending on which night you go), along with other fan favorites.
$35, The Republik, 1349 Kapiʻolani Blvd., #30. For more information and to purchase tickets, go here.
Plus: Coming Up
The Green Room Presents Richard Powers
Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m.
Literature nerds, if there’s one must-attend event for the bookish in town, this is it. Grab your tickets now for a one-night-only talkstory at the Honolulu Museum of Art featuring Richard Powers, author of The New York Times best-seller The Overstory. An intellectual heavyweight with works about A.I. and virtual reality, Powers and his new novel, The Overstory, have spawned comparisons to environmental prophet Bill McKibben—whose The End of Nature started as an entire issue of The New Yorker and basically kicked off the climate change debate. Senior editor Don Wallace shares more about Powers, and why this installment of The Green Room is one you won’t want to miss, here.
$20, Doris Duke Theatre, 901 Kīna‘u St. For more information, click here.
SEE ALSO: The Green Room Keeps Bringing the World’s Best Environment Writers to Honolulu
Looking for more things to do? Check out our events calendar.
Looking for fun new ways to experience the city? HONOLULU’s got you covered with HNLTix, your brand-new local resource for all things social—fundraisers, concerts, comedy shows, expos and everything in between. Discover your next can’t-miss event, share your favorites with friends, or promote your own event and sell tickets online. To see what’s coming up next in Honolulu, visit HNLTix.com.
READ MORE STORIES BY MARISA HEUNG