Category: Hawaii Culture & Happenings

Though Iam Tongi’s American Idol season is fading into the past, he remains a beloved musician throughout Hawaii and beyond. Let’s take a look at the Hawaiian musician’s rise to fame and what he’s up to today. Iam Tong’s American Idol Season I’ve never been much of an American Idol fan. Not even a little. […]

We’re happy to report that the HAT Blog visited the Honolulu Museum of Art (HOMA in brief) over the weekend. We’re also ashamed to confess that we haven’t been there in years. We’re glad we returned to learn about what’s new at HoMA, what’s ongoing, and what is in store for the future of the […]

Every Hawaii vacation has its own soundtrack. You won’t hear it anywhere else. You can’t take the immediate intimacy of the sounds of the surf or the birdsong of the forest home with you, except in your heart and mind (or a low-fi social media clip, perhaps). That internal soundtrack should include live music in […]

We’re a week into the New Year of 2023 and it occurs to us here at the HAT Blog that there is a whole lot of “new” in this Year of the Rabbit. New Governor and Administration. New Legislature. New County Councils. Even a new eruption at Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii Island. We’re hard-pressed to […]

 Aloha Bruce Fisher was kind enough to invite the HAT Blog (me) plus-one (my wife) to a small gathering with some of the Hawaii Aloha Travel ohana at the home office in Hawaii Kai to celebrate Yaling Fisher’s birthday. Sipping tasty sunset cocktails over the lapping waters of the Hawaii Kai marina, I got to […]

The Honolulu on Tap Beer Festival returns to the Blaisdell Exhibition Center on Saturday, October 22, 2022. The event was cancelled in 2020 and moved to the outdoor Waikiki Shell in 2021. The festival’s return to the Blaisdell is another sign of Hawaii’s emergence from the pandemic. It’s wonderful.  There are about 15 craft breweries […]

Since Hawaii’s tourism arrival numbers have rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels, various studies indicate an increase in visitor interest in learning about Native Hawaiian culture during their Hawaii vacation. Having an “authentic” Hawaiian experience is more important to Hawaii visitors than ever before. The HAT Blog was recently pondering suggestions for easy cultural connections to […]

The “Malama Hawaii” program to increase cultural awareness among Hawaii visitors is working. Various studies and surveys are bearing this out, as more and more visitors are expressing interest in experiences that highlight Native Hawaiian culture and Hawaii’s overall cultural diversity. Aside from in-flight videos and hotel/resort efforts at cultural education, places like the nonprofit […]

If you plan on getting a spa treatment or massage in Hawaii, you’ll likely encounter one popular option: a Lomilomi massage.  Though this is a great treatment to enjoy during your time in the islands, it’s more than just a word used to lure in tourists. In fact, it’s a holistic practice that dates back […]

Hawaii is probably not the first place to spring to mind when you encounter to word “archaeology”. That distinction belongs, probably, to places like the great pyramids of Egypt, the Acropolis in Athens, or the Coliseum in Rome. And that’s rightfully so. However, human habitation in the Hawaiian Islands has been dated by researchers back […]

As Aloha Bruce discussed on a recent Hawaii Vacation Podcast, many Hawaii hotels and resorts have undergone significant renovations and remodels during the deserted days of the pandemic. In some cases, these improvements include kitchens or kitchenettes. Wonderful! Making your own meals once or twice during a Hawaii vacation is a great way to stretch […]

Happily, with Summer 2022 comes the return of the Hawaii festivals and a variety of annual fairs and celebrations around the state that were shuttered by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Virtually all pandemic gathering and capacity restrictions are lifted throughout Hawaii. The official start of summer in Hawaii is still more than a […]