Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend in Honolulu: May 24–28, 2018

All the best things happening this Memorial Day weekend.

By Marisa Heung

Catching those summer vibes? There’s plenty of time to celebrate sun and fun with the long weekend ahead. Update your wardrobe with warm-weather staples, learn about the Philippines’ vibrant arts culture, take the family on a rollercoaster ride and celebrate life by honoring those who have passed.

PHOTO: courtesy of lantern floating hawai‘i

Lantern Floating Hawai‘i

Monday, May 28, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Each year since 1999 the Shinnyo-en school of Buddhism hosts the Lantern Floating Ceremony. Individual lanterns will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on which you can write remembrances and then place in the water with other lanterns. Then, you can personally place in the water with other lanterns the evening. You can also go to the website and write a note to go on a collective remembrance lantern. The event is a blend of Buddhist and Hawaiian practices, beginning with a pū or conch shell to start the event, followed by taiko, hula and traditional offerings. It concludes with the lighting and floating of more than 7,000 lanterns in the evening light at Ala Moana Beach Park.

Free, Ala Moana Beach Park, 1201 Ala Moana Blvd. For more information, go here.

Eat the Street: Garlic

Friday, May 25, 4 to 9 p.m.

Bring friends (or a date, if you’re feeling brave) to enjoy one of Eat the Street’s most popular themes. This Friday’s garlic fest will have more than 26 local food vendors cooking savory and sweet creations featuring the ingredient. The event will also have a handful of retail pop-ups, live music and games, plus pau hana specials starting at 4 p.m.

Free admission, Kaka‘ako Makai Gateway Park, 461 Cooke St. For more information, go here.

photo: david croxford

50th State Fair

Starts Friday, May 25

For many, it’s just not a Hawaiian summer without a family trip to the 50th State Fair. Opening this Friday at Aloha Stadium, the event offers six weekends of rides, games, special attractions and “my diet starts tomorrow” carnival eats. Along with the return of Techno Power and Speed, E.K. Fernandez will debut three brand-new, heart-pounding rides: Zero Gravity, Rockin’ Tug and Black Out (starting on June 15). The Anastasini Circus, led by ring master Giovanni Anastasini, will also make its Honolulu debut at the fair. Anastasini is an eighth-generation member of the world-renowned Anastasini circus family, and his eclectic group of daredevil motorcyclists, graceful wire-walkers and gravity-defying acrobats will keep your jaws dropped and your hands clapping.

$5–$20, free for children shorter than 40 inches. Aloha Stadium, 99-500 Salt Lake Blvd., ‘Aiea. For more information, go here.

ARTafterDARK: Halo-Haloha

Friday, May 25, 6 to 9 p.m.

Mabuhay! Head to the Honolulu Museum of Art for an ARTafterDARK that celebrates one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant, diverse cultures. This Friday, guests can learn about costuming, gong dance and more through fun activities led by the Filipino Association of University Women, check out The Tekniqlingz’s best hip-hop moves and enjoy modern and traditional folk dances by Wayland and Desiree Quintero of ILI Dances. And since no fiesta Filipina is complete without it, the event will have a karaoke station for guests eager to showcase their singing chops. Then peruse the museum’s latest art exhibitions, nibble on Filipino-inspired bites by EAT Honolulu and call it a night.

$25, free for museum members. Honolulu Museum of Art, 900 S. Beretania St. For more information, go here.

Looking for more things to do? Check out our events calendar.