Top 10 things to do on Big Island for Jan. 9-15: T.S.O.L. live, more Volcano Awareness Month events, the Java experience and more

The Big Island is once again teeming with events, activities, shows and more for everyone to enjoy.

You can rock out with hardcore 1980s punk band T.S.O.L. in Kona during its first show on the island.

What about taking in a live demonstration by renowned artist Patrick Ching at Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel during the Banyan Drive Art Stroll, which returns this weekend after a 4-year hiatus. He’ll also be creating drawings for keiki to paint and showcasing some of his exceptional artwork.

Oh! Don’t forget Volcano Awareness Month continues, and there are a couple of more events to help you learn about the volcanoes we all call home.

This weekend’s discussions are about the summit of Kīlauea and some of the changes that have happened there during the past several years, including that water lake that appeared in the caldera in 2019.

There are even a couple of chances for you to get involved in the entertainment on the island.

The historic Palace Theater in Hilo is looking for a few Island Stars, with the brightest shooting to the top and winning a grand prize of $1,000, and Hilo Education Arts Repertory Theatre is having auditions for the youth musical production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”

So get out, go and have a ton of fun — 2025 is waiting.

Here are our top 10 things to do on the Big Island for Jan. 9-15.

No. 1 — T.S.O.L. live (Kailua-Kona, Jan. 10)

When: 6 to 10 p.m.

Location: Kona Elks Lodge, 75-170 Hualālai Road

Get ready for the true sounds of liberty as iconic 1980s hardcore American punk band T.S.O.L plays the Big Island for the first time, featuing special guests Cutrate Druggist , Kauz of Affliction and El Sancho.

T.S.O.L. came together in 1979 and hails from Long Beach, Calif., developing from ealier bands. The band is most commonly associated with the burgeoning West Coast hardcore punk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, but has recorded and released punk and hard rock music.

This show is for all ages. Tickets are just $25, and the it is sure to sell out, so grab your tickets now!

For more info or to purchase tickets: Visit the Eventbrite page.

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Volcano Awareness Month spotlight

No. 2 — What Have We Learned about Kīlauea Volcano’s Summit Water Lake? (Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Jan. 11)

When: 9:30 a.m.

Location: Kahuku Unit Visitor Contact Station, Kahuku Unit, about an hour from the park’s main entrance, near the 70.5-mile marker on Highway 11 in Kaʻū

The summit of Kīlauea volcano collapsed in 2018 as lava erupted at lower elevations from the East Rift Zone. A water lake, unprecedented in the written record of the volcano’s history, appeared in late July 2019 at the bottom of the deepest part of the caldera in Halema‘uma‘u Crater. The lake steadily rose, with temperatures above boiling and changing colors, until its demise when an eruption started Dec. 20, 2020, in Halemauʻmaʻu, quickly replacing the lake with lava.

What were the potential hazards associated with the water lake at Kīlauea summit? What did we learn about the water? How was it sampled and monitored? Join Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Tricia Nadeau pilot, as she answers these questions and more. 

For more info: Call Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park at 808-985-6011.

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No. 3 — Walmart Wellness Day (Hilo and Kailau-Kona, Jan. 11)

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Locations: Hilo Walmart, 325 Maka‘ala St.; Kona Walmart, 75-1015 Henry St.

Embrace a healthier you this year. A variety of free health screenings will be offered, including body mass index and blood pressure, as well as affordable immunizations such as flu, COVID-19, HPV, mumps, measles and more.

Families and community members also have the opportunity to chat with pharmacists about topics ranging from maintaining a healthy lifestyle and medications to recommended vaccinations and more, including health journeys for women currently or hoping to become pregnant.

For more info: Visit the online Walmart Wellnes Hub.

No. 4 — Interactive experience with artist Patrick Ching (Hilo, Jan. 11)

When: Noon to 6 p.m.

Location: Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, 71 Banyan Drive

Art enthusiasts and ‘ohana are invited to enjoy this renowned artist at work in the hotel lobby in honor of the 5th Banyan Drive Art Stroll. The event returns Saturday for the first time in 4 years, bringing back an afternoon of creativity and inspiration along Hilo’s iconic Waiākea peninsula shoreline thoroughfare.

Ching, known for his vivid depictions of Hawai‘i’s natural beauty, will offer live demonstrations, create drawings for keiki to paint and showcase some of his exceptional artwork as part of this unique celebration featuring art displays, silent auctions and activities for all ages.

This year’s art stroll theme, “The Legacy of the Cherished Gardens” (“Ka Ho‘oilina o Nā Māla Ho‘oheno”), reflects the enduring impact of Queen Lili‘uokalani’s vision and the importance of preserving Hawai‘i’s cultural and natural heritage.

For more info: Call Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel at 808-935-9361.

No. 5 — Stars of Broadway, Opera and Ballet (Ocean View, Jan. 11)

When: 12:30 to 2:15 p.m.

Location: Ocean View Community Center, 92-8924 Leilani Circle

Join the Hawai‘i International Music Festival and the South Hawai‘i Symphony for a concert event that will feature some of the best musical and theatre talent in the world.

Featured will be star of Broadway’s “Phantom of the Opera” Carlton Moe, internationally renowned virtuoso violinist Eric Silberger, acclaimed soprano with the Metropolitan Opera Amy Shoremount-Obra, renowned Kaua’i pianist Monica Chung, Hawai’i pianist and music director Maika’i Nash and Ocean View’s own trumpet virtuoso Farley Sangels.

Plus, opera stars of the future from The Garcia School also will perform. Suggested donation to attend is $10 to $40. This is a show you don’t want to miss.

There also will be “A Celebration of Music!” at 7 p.m. later that night at Pāhala Plantation House hosted by the festival.

For more info: Read more about the festival here.

No. 6 — Auditions for A Night of Island Stars (Hilo, Jan. 11-12)

When: Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 2 p.m. Sunday

Location: Saturday auditions at Palace Theater, 38 Haili St.; Sunday auditions at The Airhouse (aerialists only), 108 Kalākaua St.

Calling people of all talents. Do you have what it takes to be an Island Star and win $1,000?

The Palace Theater is looking for 10 unique local acts with incredible talent for the third annual Night of Island Stars variety show competition set for March 1. If you can capture the hearts of Hilo, you’ll take home the top cash prize.

Those who want to audition should fill out the online registration form prior to auditions.

For more info or to find the online registation form: Visit the Palace Theater website.

No. 7 — Makana: Slack Key Sounds of 1960s Waikīkī (Waimea, Jan. 11)

When: 3 p.m.; doors open at 2 p.m.

Location: Kahilu Theatre, 67-1186 Lindsey Road

Kahilu welcomes Makana to the stage and take a trip back in time while he pays tribute to Don Ho band director Sonny Chillingworth and other legends such as Kui Lee who performed at Honeyʻs Lounge during the 1960s in Waikīkī.

The slack key virtuoso will perform on a restored 1964 Chet Atkins 6120 guitar — the same model used by his mentor Chillingworth — for this special performance, producing a sound he says is “incredible and just like Uncle Sonny’s!”

So pull out your vintage aloha wear and immerse yourself in the charms of a Hawaiian musical era prior to Hawai‘i’s music renaissance of the 1970s! Plus, get to the theatre early and enjoy the pre-show festivivites to embrace the vintage vibes in the lobby. Tickets start at $40.

For more info or to purchase tickets: Visit the Kahilu Theatre website.

No. 8 — A Surakarta Sunday (Hilo, July 12)

When: 3 p.m.

Location: East Hawai‘i Cultural Center, 141 Kalākaua St.

Surakarta is located on the Solo River on central Java, Indonesia, and while it is a trade center for tobacco, rice and sugar producers as well as textiles, leather work and machinery manufacturers, among others, it is particularly noted as a cultural center.

The Big Island community is invited to get the Surakarta experience for a couple of hours this weekend in downtown Hilo with renowned visiting artists Wakidi Dwidjomartono and Kathryn “Kitsie” Emerson, whose stellar musical accomplishments have been heard around the globe.

A Javanese music performance from 3 to 3:45 p.m. by Gamelan of the Molten Blossom, with Dwidjomartono Emerson, is up first in the Bob Brown Gamelan Studio, followed by the “Illuminating Shadow Puppetry: A Look at Contemporary Wayang Trends in Central Java” presentation from 4 to 5:30 p.m. by Emerson, author of the award-winning book “Innovation, Style and Spectacle in Wayang: Turbo Asmoro’s Evolution of an Indonesian Performing Art.”

For more info: Visit the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center website.

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Volcano Awareness Month spotlight

No. 9 — Kīlauea Volcano’s Changing Summit (Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Jan. 14)

When: 10 a.m.

Location: Meet at Uēkahuna parking lot

Kīlauea saw the largest collapse of Kaluapele, the volcano’s summit caldera, in the past 200 years during the 2018 eruption of the lower East Rift Zone. The collapsed pit hosted a water lake from 2019-20, which was replaced by lava in December 2020 during the first of a 3-year series of caldera-filling eruptions. Eruptive activity returned to the volcano’s rift zones in 2024 for the first time since 2018.

Join Mike Zoeller, geologist with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, as he describes how this sequence of events provides a snapshot into the volcano’s long-term history and the morphology of present-day landforms within Kaluapele. Zoeller will also provide a summary of the current status of Kīlauea and discuss what might be coming next.

For more info: Call Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park at 808-985-6011.

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No. 10 — Auditions for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” (Hilo, Jan. 14-15)

When: 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday (ages 8 to 12); 6 to 8:30 p.m. (ages 13 to 18)

Location: Palace Theater, 38 Haili St.

Hilo Education Arts Repertory Theatre is looking for a few good mermaids for its upcoming I HEART YOUTH THEATRE musical production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” based on the iconic animated film and classic Hans Christian Andersen story.

This tuition-free, 10-week musical theatre program is open to all Big Island youth ages 8-18 and offers a unique opportunity to engage in a comprehensive curriculum of classes, workshops and rehearsals, culminating in a full-scale production at the historic Palace Theatre. The show will run March 21-30, with the possibility of an extended week of performances.

You only need to attend one of the audition days. Callbacks will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 20. Those who want to audition should prepare a 1-minute song (bring a karaoke track on your device cued up at the start) and be ready to tell a joke. They will also learn and perform a simple dance routine. No experience or training is necessary.

For more info: Visit the Hilo Education Arts Repertory Theatre website.

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Want to check for yourself what’s going on around the island?

We admit. We can’t fit everything going on each week in our top 10. So here are websites for some popular Big Island venues that you can peruse to discover other events, activities, shows, festivals or workshops that pique your interest.

• Aloha Theatre, Kealakekua: https://apachawaii.org/
• Blue Dragon Tavern, Kawaihae: https://www.bluedragontavern.com/
• Donkey Mill Art Center, Hōlualoa: https://donkeymillartcenter.org/
• East Hawai‘i Cultural Center, Hilo: https://ehcc.org/
• Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm
• Hilo Town Market, Hilo: https://hilotownmarket.co/events
• Hilo Town Tavern, Hilo (on Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100041333509786
• Honoka‘a People’s Theatre, Honoka‘a: https://www.honokaapeople.com/
• Kahilu Theatre, Waimea: https://kahilu.org/
• Keauhou Shopping Center, Kailua-Kona: https://keauhoushoppingcenter.com/experience/
• Kona Commons, Kailua-Kona: https://www.konacommons.com/events
• Lava Shack, Pāhoa (on Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/lavashackpahoa/?hl=en
• Lyman Museum, Hilo: https://lymanmuseum.org/
• MyBar Kona, Kailua-Kona: https://www.mybarkona.com/
• Palace Theater, Hilo: https://hilopalace.com/
• University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Performing Arts Center, Hilo: https://artscenter.uhh.hawaii.edu/
• Volcano Art Center, Volcano: https://volcanoartcenter.org/
• Wailoa Center, Hilo: https://www.wailoacenter.com/
• Willy’s Hot Chicken, Kailua-Kona: https://willieshotchicken.com/