Aloha State Daily has compiled a guide to entertaining activities on Oʻahu from Friday, March 6, to Sunday, March 8. Highlights include live music performances, a whale watching cruise and cultural festivals. These family-friendly options cater to diverse interests across the island.
The weekend kicks off on Friday, March 6, with several options in Honolulu. U-Kitchen Hawaiʻi opens a new location at 700 Bishop Street, offering bentos, musubi and chicken katsu near Komala Curry and Bar Leather Apron. The Ballet Hawaiʻi Performing Ensemble presents classical and contemporary ballet from Friday through Sunday at the Ballet Hawaiʻi Honolulu Studio, with tickets priced at $24.
At 5 p.m., First Friday at Capitol Modern provides free entry to the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum, where visitors can browse galleries and enjoy live music by Keahi Delovio and Aolani starting at 6 p.m. Food purchases are available during the event, which runs until 9 p.m.
On Saturday, March 7, an all-women captain and crew lead a two-hour whale watching cruise departing at 7:45 a.m. from Kewalo Basin Harbor, in collaboration with Honolulu Snorkel Co. and Oʻahu Boat Cruises. Tickets cost $45 plus fees and taxes, with complimentary Irish coffee, mimosas or non-alcoholic refreshments. The Kualoa/Hakipuʻu Canoe Festival, organized by the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation and nonprofits like the Polynesian Voyaging Society, runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kualoa Regional Park. Activities include hands-on paddling and ocean experiences for all ages, as noted by PVS education director Mark Ellis. A donation-based Vinyasa yoga session welcomes all levels at Kakaʻako Waterfront Park; participants should bring a mat and towel.
Sunday, March 8, brings Mele Haliʻa featuring Kumu Hula Maelia Carter and her hālau, Ka Pā Hula O Ka Ua Noe O Waʻahila, at 5 p.m. on the Waikiki Beach Walk stage, free to attend. Kamaʻāina Sunday at ʻIolani Palace offers free tours in English or ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, plus hands-on activities such as lauhala weaving with Keoua Nelsen, Kōnane lessons, floral kūpeʻe making with Maxeen Shea and lauhala earring workshops by Naomi Nascimento at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Performances include Hālau O Nā Pua Kukui with Kumu Hula Ed Collier, Ke Kula Kaiaupuni ʻo Ka Waihona o ka Naʻauao and ʻOhana Krug. Sign-ups for workshops begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Kīnaʻu Gate on Richards Street.
