Events & happenings on Oʻahu
What’s on this week, from Lanikai to Honolulu
Shows, museums, concerts, Rainbow Warrior games, North Shore surf contests, the week’s weather, and the Hawaiian anniversaries worth knowing. Everything here is a short drive from your Lanikai or Kailua stay.
Lanikai & Kailua
Weather · Week at a glance
A live 7-day forecast for the Lanikai shoreline, updated automatically.
On the calendar
Coming up on Oʻahu
Hand-picked dates across the island. Past dates drop off automatically; always confirm times with the venue before you go.
Downtown Honolulu · Chinatown
Hawaiʻi Theatre Center
Called “The Pride of the Pacific” when it opened on September 6, 1922, the restored theatre on Bethel Street hosts concerts, comedy, Broadway-style touring shows, film premieres, and hula. A night here pairs perfectly with dinner in Chinatown.
- Where1130 Bethel Street, Honolulu
- From LanikaiAbout 25–35 minutes by car via the Pali Highway
- TipArrive early for municipal parking and a pre-show bite on Hotel Street
Coming up
Makiki · Beretania Street
Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts)
Opened as the Honolulu Academy of Arts on April 8, 1927, and now known as HoMA, the museum’s courtyards and galleries span Hawaiian, Asian, European, and contemporary art. The Doris Duke Theatre screens independent and world cinema, and HoMA Nights bring music and food after dark.
- HoursOpen Wednesday through Sunday
- Now showingVital Connections: Art & the Brain (through Jan 10, 2027); Fellow Travelers: Joseph E. Yoakum & Ray Yoshida (through Feb 7, 2027); Divine Disruption: The Art of Tsherin Sherpa (through Jan 31, 2027)
- From LanikaiAbout 25–30 minutes by car
Coming up
Lāʻie · Windward & North Shore
Polynesian Cultural Center
Dedicated on October 12, 1963, the PCC brings six Pacific island cultures together around a lagoon: village presentations, the Huki canoe celebration, the Aliʻi Lūʻau, and the evening show HĀ: Breath of Life with more than 100 performers. It’s a scenic drive up the windward coast from Lanikai.
- HoursNoon to 9 pm; island villages 12:15–5:30 pm
- ClosedSundays and Wednesdays, except open Wed Nov 25, Dec 23 and Dec 30, 2026; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day
- Evening showHĀ: Breath of Life runs 7:15–8:35 pm on the current seasonal schedule
- From LanikaiAbout 50–60 minutes along Kamehameha Highway
Good to know
- Huki: A Canoe CelebrationDaily on the lagoon around 1:00 pm; arrive early for a lagoon-side seat.
- Make a day of itStop at Kualoa, Kahana Bay, and the Hukilau Marketplace food trucks on the way.
- ReservationsAll evening-show seats are reserved; book ahead in busy weeks.
Kalihi · Honolulu
Bishop Museum
Founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the State Museum of Natural and Cultural History holds the world’s largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific cultural treasures. Don’t miss Hawaiian Hall, the Watumull Planetarium, and the lava-melt demo in the Science Adventure Center.
- HoursOpen daily, 9 am to 5 pm
- Now openAloha Bricks ’26: Stories of Hawaiʻi (LEGO®) and Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice
- From LanikaiAbout 25–30 minutes via the Likelike or Pali Highway
Coming up
Live music
Concerts
Where the island’s big shows happen, plus the next headliners on the calendar.
Blaisdell Arena & Concert Hall
Honolulu’s main stage for touring headliners, comedy, the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra, and Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre.
Blaisdell calendar →Tom Moffatt Waikīkī Shell
Open-air concerts under the stars at the foot of Diamond Head, from reggae to island favorites.
Waikīkī Shell shows →Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra
Classical, pops, and Hawaiian-music programs, mostly at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
HSO season →Go ‘Bows
U.H. live athletic events
Rainbow Warrior football at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex and Rainbow Wahine volleyball at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, both on the UH Mānoa campus.
Home games only. Kickoff and first-serve times are Hawaiʻi time and can shift for TV.
North Shore season
Pro surfing events
Winter swells turn the North Shore into the world’s surfing stage, about an hour from Lanikai. Contests run inside holding windows and are called day by day on the surf.
Lexus Pipe Masters
Dec 8–20, 2026 · Banzai Pipeline
The World Surf League Championship Tour finale returns to Pipeline, where the 2026 men’s and women’s world titles are decided.
The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational
Winter holding period · Waimea Bay
Runs only when waves reach roughly 40-foot faces. The invitees gather for the opening ceremony in early December, then “The Bay calls the day.”
Watching safely
Go early, park legally, and never cross the ropes or turn your back on winter shorebreak. On contest days, Kamehameha Highway traffic can back up for miles.
NWS surf forecast →Mālama the beach
Beach cleanups
Give an hour back to the shoreline you’re enjoying. Cleanups are free, family-friendly, and need no experience. Bring water, a hat, and reef-safe sunscreen.
Surfrider Foundation, Oʻahu Chapter
Monthly cleanups at beaches around the island, including Kailua Beach Park. Gloves and bags are available to borrow, and volunteers log what they find for ocean-litter research.
Upcoming Surfrider cleanups →Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi
Second Thursday of every month, 9 am–noon, at the James Campbell Wildlife Refuge in Kahuku, plus large community cleanups through the year. Can’t make a date? Pick up a free DIY cleanup kit at their office (Mon, Wed, Fri, 11 am–3 pm).
Cleanup schedule →808 Cleanups
An islandwide volunteer network that adopts shorelines, dunes, and trails, with weekday-evening restoration sessions and weekend cleanups. Sign the waiver once, or use their app to log your own beach cleanup.
Calendar & waiver →Kailua Beach dune restoration
The City’s Kailua Beach Park team holds volunteer planting days for native dune plants such as naupaka and ʻakiʻaki grass, including on the Lanikai side of Kaʻelepulu Stream.
Kailua Parks updates →Kailua Beach Adventures
The Kailua outfitter has hosted beach cleanups every year since 2002 with Surfrider, Sustainable Coastlines, and other partners. Join their list to hear about the next one.
Community & environment →Do-it-yourself in Lanikai
Take a bag on your morning walk and leave the beach better than you found it. Keep a respectful distance from resting sea turtles and monk seals, and stay off the dunes.
Log your cleanup →Give back while you’re here
Volunteer opportunities
Visitors and kamaʻāina alike are welcome. A morning of service is one of the most memorable ways to connect with the islands.
Hawaiʻi Foodbank
Sort and pack food at the Oʻahu warehouse in Honolulu. Weekday shifts run 9 am–noon and 12–2:30 pm, with Saturday shifts at 8–10:30 am and 10:30 am–1 pm. Ages 8 and up; apply online first.
Volunteer application →Kanu Hawaiʻi volunteer board
A statewide listing of current volunteer needs, from native-forest restoration and loʻi kalo (taro patch) workdays to fishpond rebuilding and community events.
Browse opportunities →Mālama Hawaiʻi
The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority’s program connects travelers with volunteer experiences such as tree planting, reef and beach care, and cultural workdays across the islands.
Find a mālama experience →On this day in Hawaiʻi
Significant historical anniversaries
The next milestones coming up, with the anniversary year counted automatically.
See the full year of Hawaiian anniversaries
The year ahead
Upcoming state, national & cultural events
Hawaiʻi state holidays, federal holidays, and the island’s signature cultural celebrations for the next 12 months.
Planning with friends or ʻohana?
Share this page so everyone sees what’s happening while you’re here.
Dates and details come from each venue’s official calendar: Hawaiʻi Theatre, Honolulu Museum of Art, Polynesian Cultural Center, Bishop Museum, Blaisdell Center, UH football, UH volleyball, World Surf League, HIFF, Honolulu Marathon, Surfrider Oʻahu, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi, and Hawaiʻi Foodbank. Forecast data by Open-Meteo. Schedules change, so please confirm with the venue before you go.