Kauai visitors have a host of Kauai entertainment options to choose from throughout January to begin the New Year.
The Garden Isle outside of resort hot-spots like Poipu and Princeville can be considered, generally and accurately, as quiet and pastoral. Its lush vegetation and pristine beaches are what come to mind when describing Kauai, not music festivals and performances by world class entertainers.
But that is exactly what Kauai offers in January 2019. On Friday January 18, the Neil Diamond tribute band that attracts massive crowds all over the US. The concert will be held at the Historic Waimea Theater. What better way to spend an evening after a hike in Waimea Canyon, the Alakai Swamp Trail, or a day lazing on the beach? Sing along with hundreds of other fans to the strains of “Sweet Caroline”!
The following night, Saturday, January 19, Kauai’s beloved 50+ member choral ensemble Kauai Voices will perform some of Broadway’s most legendary shows. Wicked, Hello Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom of the Opera, and Hairspray, and many others are certain. It is hard to imagine the ensemble not performing a number or two from South Pacific. The performance will be at the Anaina Hou Porter Pavilion in Kilauea.
Kauai Voices are working hard in January, with three weekends of performances. They will be at the St. Michael and All angels Episcopal Church from January 25-27. The demanding schedule concludes at the Waimea Theater on Saturday, February 2.
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A busy weekend in Kauai entertainment continues Sunday January 20 with the Hawaiian Reggae Concert. Hawaiian reggae, or “Jawaiian” music has been enormously popular since it jangled onto Hawaii’s radio airwaves back in the early 1990s. Festivals like the Hawaiian Reggae Concert have come to embody a uniquely Hawaiian spirit and musical identity. This one is for 21 and over only, with adult beverages on offer for the general admission crowd.
You might not associate Kauai’s sublime tropical lifestyle with the writing of acclaimed author and humorist David Sedaris. But, he has long been known for his affinity for the Aloha State. He has performed to packed houses in Hawaii before, multiple times, and has written dryly hilarious accounts of his exploits and foibles here. His shows at the Blaisdell Center Concert Hall and the opulent and historic Hawaii Theatre teemed with adoring fans.
In many ways, literal and figurative, he has been adopted by fans in Hawaii. His urbane and sardonic humor are imminently relatable. Even an independent small farm owner can probably see the absurdity of some electronic device invaluable and accessible only to themselves being stolen by an opportunistic thief.
On Wednesday, January 30, the Hawaiian Slack Key & Guitar Concert will highlight Doug and Sandy McMaster, both highly acclaimed Hawaiian music scholars and musicians. Hawaiian slack key guitar is perhaps Hawaii’s most significant contribution to mainstream world music. No other musical genre captures what Hawaii feels like sounds like so beautifully and accurately.
January’s concerts and festivals on Kauai offer a variety of opportunities to experience the culture and community that makes Kauai unique, even in Hawaii.
Click here for more information on upcoming Kauai festivals and events.
