Aloha Big Island Now readers. Each week on Thursday, we will publish a Top 20 list of things to do around the Big Island for the upcoming week. We also are ramping up our Events Calendar, which features a more comprehensive listing of happenings for the upcoming week and beyond.
The Events Calendar includes concerts, shows, entertainment, community events and outdoor/farmers markets.
Here is the Top 20 list of things to do for June 15-21.
No. 1 — See Kīlauea volcano erupt (Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park)
Diners talk story at Uncle George’s Lounge at The Volcano House on June 7, 2023 while Kīlauea was erupting. (Megan Moseley/Big Island Now)
The Kīlauea volcano continues to erupt on the Big Island, spewing lava into Halemaʻumaʻu crater. This latest eruption began at 4:44 a.m. on June 7, 2023. Nobody knows how long the eruption will last, but the previous lava show went on for about three months.
To see the eruption, go to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, which is open 24/7. Just make sure to follow the rules and stay within the park boundaries. The Volcano House is also a perfect spot to watch the glow, safely, from afar.
Looking for a fun evening out for the Father’s Day weekend. The Mākaha Sons are performing a one-night only benefit concert for the historic Palace Theater in Hilo. The concert will be at the theater from 7 to 9 p.m.
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For 40 years, the local band has perpetuated traditional Hawaiian music throughout Hawai‘i and the world. For tickets, click here.
No. 3 — Hawaiʻi Community Climate Fair (June 19, Hilo)
The Hawaiʻi State Climate Commission partnered with the Hawaiʻi County Planning Department to host the first Community Climate Fair in Hilo. The event will take place on Saturday at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This is a great opportunity to talk story with organizations and gain more information on what is happening on the Big Island and across the state. About 45 organizations are participating. There will be keiki games, activities and raffle prizes. The grand prize is a new bike.
No. 4 — Ekaterina Shelehova performs at The Pyramid House (June 17, Kailua-Kona)
Ekaterina Shelehova
Ekaterina Shelehova — a singer, performer and composer who started her career at age 4 — will perform on Saturday at The Pyramid House. She performed an original composition on “Italy’s Got Talent” that has 500 million views and counting.
Gates open at 5:30. Guest artist Kristin Aria will play her angelic Celtic harp. Shelehova’s concert begins at 6:30. For more information and tickets, click here.
No. 5 — Drag Brunch at My Bar (June 18, Kona)
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Pride celebrations are occurring all month and on Friday there will be a special drag brunch event, beginning at 1 p.m. and hosted by Sabel Scities, at My Bar in Kona.
For only $10, you can watch the show and enjoy an Ala carte brunch menu. Event is for individuals 21 and up. For tickets, click here.
No. 6 — Free traditional Japanese comedy Rakugo at Palace Theater (June 18, Hilo)
Rakugo a traditional Japanese comedy, will be held at the Palace Theater in Hilo, Hawai’i on June 18.
A free performance of the traditional Japanese comedy Rakugo, literally meaning “story with a punchline,” will be held at the Palace Theater in Hilo on June 18 at 3 p.m. It will be in Japanese.
Rakugo is similar to stand-up comedy, but the storyteller (rakugo-ka) remains seated on a raised platform. Using small accessories such as a paper fan (sensu) as a prop, the rakugo-ka tells funny, sometimes sentimental stories as he portrays multiple characters.
For this show, three rakugo-ka from Japan will perform this traditional Japanese art. The performers names (including one of the most popular in Japan for a special surprise!) will not be revealed until the day before the show. To learn more, click here.
No. 7 — “Legacy of Pāʻū” documentary premieres at Kahilu Theatre (June 16, Waimea)
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Kahilu.TV will premiere its first original documentary film, “Legacy of Pāʻū with Barbara Nobriga,” at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea on June 16.
The film showcases the legacy of Barbara Nobriga and the art of pā’ū wrapping. Nobriga has devoted 55 years to preserving and perpetuating the art of pā’ū, always organizing the King Kamehameha Day parade in Kona. It is a 23-minute documentary featuring details of the pā’ū wrapping process, an in-depth interview with Nobriga, and footage from the King Kamehameha Day parade. For more information, click here.
No. 8 — Oral Histories of Civilians in World War II Hawaiʻi (June 20, Waimea)
Nora Kaʻaua and Hisao Kimura
The oral histories of Waimea’s Hisao Kimura and Kukuihaele’s Nora Ka’aua will be among those featured in “An Era of Change: Oral Histories of Civilians in World War II Hawaiʻi.” The free program will be at the Thelma Parker Memorial Public Library meeting room at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Waimea. It is appropriate for older elementary students and up.
The World War II years, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, were an era of dramatic transition and change culturally, socially, economically, environmentally and politically. For more information, click here.
No. 9 — Regatta in Hilo Bay
Several canoe crews get ready for their race. Photo by Jamilia Epping.
The Moku O Hawaiʻi Outrigger Canoe Racing Association 2023 race season continues on Saturday in Hilo Bay. The regatta is hosted by the Kailana Canoe Club.
Make Music day is a worldwide music celebration held every year on June 21 in more than 1,000 cities and 120 countries. Every kind of musician, old and young, amateur and professional of every musical persuasion pours onto the streets, parks and plazas to share music with friends, neighbors and strangers.
This year, Hawai’i will celebrate Make Music Day on the Big island in Kona on Wednesday at The View Restaurant & Grill at the Kona Country Club from 4 -8 p.m.. The event features Kona’s own Keola Grace and friends, Kailiwai and Clyde Kindy Sproat Jr. and falsetto winner and Nā Hōkū Hanohano artist Kekahi Young. This event also will be Live Streamed on KAPA radio FB!
No. 11 — Kūpuna Line Dance at Afook-Chinen Auditorium (June 16, Hilo)
Hawaii County Elderly Recreation Services is hosting this year’s line dancing roundup for 11 kupuna dance groups from the Big Island, Kauaʻi, Maui and Oʻahu.
This will be the first roundup since COVID-19 and will run from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo.
No. 12 — Watch “Yes Man” at free movie night (June 16, Kailua-Kona)
Unity of Kona is hosting a free movie night, showing the PG film “Yes Man,” starring Jim Carrey and co-starring Zooey Deschanel.
Popcorn and water will be availablee for purchase, with all funds supporting the Unity of Kona and more events. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the movie starting at 6:45 p.m.
No. 13 — Big Gay Snorkel Cruise with Kona Pride (June 17, Kailua-Kona)
Hop on board the Kona Style catamaran with Kona Pride for a snorkeling trip of the beautiful Kona Coast. Cash bar is available on the boat. There is free use of snorkel gear. Dancing and music is included.
The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday. For tickets and more information, click here. Tickets also available at konapride.com.
Payton Sullivan has performed in some of the world’s most iconic cities, including Paris and London, and she has appeared on Season 19 of “The Voice.” Her music reflects her unique journey, blending elements of pop, soul and gospel to create a sound that is truly her own.
She will perform at 6 p.m. at the Coronatio Pavilion at the Queens Marketplace in Waikōloa as part of the Kanikapila Monthly Concert Series sponsored by KWXX.
No. 15 — Kingside playing at Big Island Brewhaus (June 16, Waimea)
Kingside — Higgs, Brad Bordessa and Alan Ku — will play at the Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea on Friday from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
No. 16 — Mark Yamanaka in Concert at Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium (June 21)
Come and enjoy the sweet nahenahe (soft and melodious) music of Mark Yamanaka. A 14-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner, Yamanaka is a local entertainer who has produced albums including “Lei Puakenikeni,” “Lei Maile,” “A Gift of the Heart,” and his latest, “Lei Lehua.”
The concert is part of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park’s ongoing Nā Leo Manu Hawaiian cultural programs and is co-sponsored by Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association. The event is free, but park entrance fees apply. The concert is from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
No. 17 — MidSummer Art Celebration at the Wailoa Center (Through June 28, Hilo)
The MidSummer Art Celebration is an open invitation to Hawaiʻi artists with no restraint on medium or subject. This year’s exhibit features more than 100 works from 65 Hawaiʻi artists selected by juror Carl F. K. Pao.
The exhibit runs through June 28 at the Wailoa Center in Hilo. For more information, click here.
No. 18 – Maku’u Farmers Market (June 18, Pāhoa)
Maku’u Farmers Market.
The local Maku’u Farmers Market will run 7 a.m. to noon on Sunday at 15-2131 Keaʻau-Pāhoa Road in Pāhoa.
More than 90 vendors sell fresh produce, arts & crafts, specialty items and food. For more information, click here.
No. 19 — Queer & Questioning: An LGBTQIA2S+ Variety Show (June 16, Hilo)
Come one, come all to the fabulous “Queer & Questioning LGBTQIA2S+ Variety Show,” hosted by the one and only drag queen sensation, Palehua. It is being held on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are available at www.hiloplayers.org. A portion of the proceeds benefits Hawai‘i Island LGBTQ Pride.
No. 20 — Enjoy the day with your dad (June 18, anywhere)
Happy Fatherʻs Day.
Editorʻs Note: Send inquiries or event listings with attached photographs about Big Island entertainment, arts and community events to [email protected]. To add events directly to the Big Island Events Calendar, click here.
Megan Moseley Megan Moseley is a full-time journalist for Pacific Media Group. Her experience ranges from long and short-form reporting to print, digital, radio and television news coverage. In Hawaiʻi, she's worked for local media outlets and has covered a wide range of topics including local and state politics, environmental affairs, Native Hawaiian issues, travel, tourism and education. She covers the West for Restaurant Hospitality.
She's a 2010 graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Magazine Journalism and specializations in Geology and History. She's currently working on her master's degree from New York University and Ohio University and is focused on conflict resolution and peace practices in indigenous cultures in the Pacific.
Megan can be reached at [email protected]. Read Full Bio
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