This is the Konan High School Brass Ensemble from Ashiya, Japan. It’s a rocking ensemble. Check out this clip of the band playing today in Bishop Square, downtown Honolulu, outside the HAWAII Magazine offices. Honolulu has become a crossroads for East and West, so it’s no surprise that Konan High does a yearly band exchange […]
The Merrie Monarch Hula Festival—for many practitioners, the World Series of hula—opened on the Big Island this weekend. Hula troupes from around the state and worldwide are still arriving daily in Hilo, to compete. Yesterday, Hilo’s Civic Auditorium saw the festival’s traditional opening hoolaulea (celebration). But yesterday afternoon, our friends at Kilauea, photographers Stephen and
Today, we’re celebrating Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Piikoi’s birthday in the Islands. Much of the Hawaii the world sees today can be traced to the work of Prince Kuhio. His determination and passion for the Islands and its people led him into a life of public service. He served as Hawaii’s second congressional delegate from
If you’re interested in Barack Obama’s Hawaii roots, take a look at this story by Honolulu-based AP writer Sudhin Thanawala. The AP story focuses on Obama’s years at Punahou—the private school founded in 1841 by missionaries. The AP article makes a great deal about how the school (yearly tuition $16,000) is elitist. To its credit,
It raised our eyebrows. The Corvallis, Ore., Gazette-Times published a piece called “The Buzz: Holy Hawaii!” Its reporter, Jake Tenpas, was just back from a trip to Maui and the Big Island. Tenpas took it upon himself to make up a few new Hawaiian gods. Lokikapi, who sneaks giant cockroaches into your bedding. Wakiluau, patron
HAWAII Magazine readers will remember Donna O’Meara of Volcano Watch International. In words and pictures, she commemorated the 25th anniversary of the current Kilauea eruption for our Jan./Feb. edition. O’Meara lives in Volcano. When we finally caught up with her on the phone, she’d had three hours sleep in the last four days, so mesmerized
Vents at Kilauea Volcano’s summit aren’t the only things coming to a head today. Primo is back!!! That is, bottles of Primo beer will again be on store shelves across Hawaii on Monday. Primo was one of Hawaii’s first beers, brewed here starting in 1898 by long gone Honolulu Brewing & Malting Company. It stayed
If HAWAII Magazine took your photo at the Arizona Aloha Festival, the pictures are now posted in our photo gallery. If you had your photo taken at the HAWAII Magazine booth on Saturday, click here. For Sunday photos, click here. The HAWAII Magazine team traveled more than a 1,000 miles to the Grand Canyon state.
One of the state’s signature cultural festivals kicks off in Honolulu this weekend. The annual Honolulu Festival is three days of music, art, dance, games, demonstrations and workshops aimed at spotlighting the cultures of Asia and the Pacific. Artisans from Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Tahiti, the U.S. Mainland and, of course, Hawaii are
If you’re in Phoenix, Ariz., this weekend, look for HAWAII Magazine at the Arizona Aloha Festival. Stop by our booth (near the marketplace stage) between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Our folks will sporting their brand-new “We’ve Got Issues” HAWAII Magazine T-shirts. They’ll be giving away freebies, and holding a drawing for a $500 gift
Today’s the 49th anniversary of statehood for Hawaii. On March 12, 1959, both houses of Congress passed the Hawaii Admission Act. President Eisenhower signed it into law five days later. Almost 95 percent of Hawaii residents voted to accept the statehood bill that June, and the Hawaiian archipelago became the 50th state two months later.
Congratulations to John and Marilyn Turner of Gaffney, SC! A copy of the autobiography Don Ho: My Music, My Life—signed by more than 20 of the late vocalist’s family and friends—is headed to both of them. A couple of months back, we asked HawaiiMagazine.com readers to send us a great Don Ho story. We decided
