Things to do in Oahu Archives - Epic Hawaii Homes

2020 is in full swing, and Spring is just around the corner! If you’re looking for some fun things to do on Oahu, check out a selection of my favorite events happening in the next few months. From art events to food events, sports events to Mariah Carey at Blaisdell, there’s no shortage to awesome times ahead.

POW! WOW! Hawaii 2020

Image courtesy of Facebook/Visit Hawaii

POW! WOW! Hawaii 2020 is happening in Kakaako on February 7th and 16th. This year, they’re celebrating their 10th annual event in Hawaii. The event brings together over a hundred international and local artists to create murals and other forms of art. There’ll be lots of art, live music, food vendors, block parties, and more surprises for the community. Local artists include: 7Sketches, Asalt, Bethany Georges, Cheyne Gallarde, Ckaweeks, CME, Cory Taum, Dak1ne, Devour, East3, Flip, Gary Draws Fish, Gavin Murai, Solomon Enos, Wooden Wave, and more. Go online to see a map of events.

For more information, visit POW! WOW! Hawaii

OHM Expo at Blaisdell Center

Image courtesy of Facebook/OHM Expo

The OHM Expo will be at Blaisdell Center from February 21st-23rd. It’s Hawaii’s largest wellness, health, spiritual, and metaphysical trade show. The event features public speakers and practitioners from Hawaii and around the world. Attendees can shop and explore yoga, vegan foods, healing arts, inspirational speakers, workshops, tarot, astrology and psychic readings, health and prosperity training, light alchemy, crystal and gemstone jewelry, intentional candles, metaphysical supplies, and more.

For more information, visit OHM Expo

Beauty & The Feast in Haleiwa

Image courtesy of Unsplash/Patrick Malleret

Check out Beauty & The Feast in Haleiwa on February 22nd. The event is a women’s event created by women and is completely focused on self care. It features women owned businesses, instructors, entrepreneurs, and artisans. Enjoy yoga, workouts, meditation, exclusive vendors, and workshops throughout the day. There’ll also be locally sourced organic food and drinks with options for all types of diets. The event will take place at a private North Shore estate, and shuttle service is available for an additional fee to and from Kailua, Honolulu, or Kapolei.

For more information, email [email protected] or go to Eventbrite

Mardi Gras Bar Crawl

Image courtesy of Facebook/Next Door

The 2020 Mardi Gras Bar Crawl is happening on Hotel Street in Honolulu on February 25th. Participants are encouraged to dress up in theme of NOLA and get ready for a community party like no other. Event tickets include a wristband that allows you drink specials at participating bars, a custom Honolulu Mardi Gras t-shirt, a reusable Mardi Gras cup, and lots of Mardi Gras beads! Participating bars include Nextdoor, Bar 35, Manifest, Downbeat, Royal, and JJ Dolans. 21 and over. Happy Mardi Gras!

Find tickets on Eventbrite

26th Annual Honolulu Festival

Image courtesy of Facebook/Honolulu Festival

The 26th Annual Honolulu Festival is happening from March 6th-8th. Anxiously awaited every year, it’s Hawaii’s premier cultural event. By bringing the community together, the event promotes mutual understanding, economic cooperation, and ethnic harmony between the people of Hawaii and the Pacific Rim region. There’ll be lots of activities, live music, cultural events, and an always stunning fireworks show. See performers from Japan, Australia, Tahiti, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Hawaii, and the mainland United States. Admission is free!

For more information, visit Honolulu Festival

Mariah Carey at Blaisdell

Image courtesy of Facebook/Mariah Carey

The Butterfly Returns to Hawaii! Mariah Carey will perform at Blaisdell Arena on March 10th. The event is one night only, so be sure to grab your tickets asap. With more #1 hits than any other solo recording artist in history, Mariah promises to give the audience a thrilling showcase of her extraordinary career. To reward her legions of loyal Hawaii fans, the concert marks Mariah’s first return to Hawaii after she triumphantly took the stage for three sold-out shows in 2016 (selling more than 21,000 tickets). Wow!

For more information, visit TicketMaster

2020 North Shore Triathlon

Image courtesy of Facebook/North Shore Triathlon

The North Shore Triathlon will happen on March 14th. It’s Hawaii’s first Triathlon for the season and features both adult and youth events. Check-in will take place at 5am at Mokuleia Beach Park, a race briefing will begin at 6am, the race starts at 6:15am, and continues with a Sprint and Youth Triathlon. The Sprint Triathlon features a 400m swim, 12-mile bike, and a 3-mile run. The Youth Triathlon features a 200m swim, a 6-mile bike, and a 1.5-mile run. The awards ceremony will follow at 8am.

For more information, visit North Shore Triathlon

Honolulu On Tap Beer Festival at Blaisdell

Image courtesy of Facebook/Honolulu On Tap Beer Festival

Ale-loha! The Honolulu On Tap Beer Festival will be at Blaisdell’s Exhibition Hall on March 28th. Guests will schmooze, learn more about Hawaii craft beers, and have a chance to sample over 130 releases from America’s top craft breweries. There’ll also be live music, tasty food available for purchase, and lots of amazing local and visiting vendors.

For more information, visit America on Tap- Honolulu

Healthy Kids Running Series in Kailua

Image courtesy of Facebook/Healthy Kids Running Festival Kailua

The Healthy Kids Running Series will be in Kailua on March 29th, April 5th & 26th, and May 3rd. Healthy Running Series is a nationwide non profit that promotes fun, health and activities in order to combat childhood obesity. Get your kids off of the devices and the couch, and head to Kailua for community building events that are focused on kids ages 2-14 years old.

Details:

Pre-K (2/3 Year Olds): 50 yard dash
Pre-K (4/5 Year Olds): 75 yard dash
Kindergarten-1st Grade: 1/4 mile run
2nd-3rd Grade: 1/2 mile run
4th-8th Grade: 1 mile run

For more information, visit Healthy Kids Running Series

93rd Annual Lei Day Celebration at Kapiolani Park

Image courtesy of Facebook/Vive Hotel Waikiki

The 93rd Annual Lei Day Celebration will be at Kapiolani Park on May 1st. The all day free event celebrates Lei Day and Hawaiian culture with a variety of family-friendly events. By honoring Hawaii’s people and their rich heritage, see the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association’s lei exhibit in the Kulana Lei area, and join the Lei Contest Exhibit between the bandstand and the shell. There’ll also be contest entries with adult, children, and lipine (ribbon/yard) lei contests, crafts, live music, lei and food vendors.

For more information, visit City & County of Honolulu

If you’re looking for more resources, Oahu real estate advice, or things to do on Oahu, check out the rest of my blog articles here. Mahalo for reading!

When people think about traveling to and adventuring through Oahu, the first sights that usually come to mind are Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, the North Shore of Oahu, and all the glorious beaches. When people live on Oahu, they quickly realize that West Oahu is a Hawaii gem in it’s own right!

West Oahu’s coastline is decorated with a handful of the most beautiful Hawaii beaches from Iroquois Point all the way to the North Western tip of Ka’ena Point State Park. Throughout West Oahu, there’s also a huge array of incredible neighborhoods with Old Hawaii planation-style homes, newly built homes, townhouses, and fantastic resort-style properties. For Oahu real estate, opportunity knocks in areas like Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo, Mililani, Waikele, Ko Olina, Waianae, Makaha, and more.

One of the greatest advantages of living in West Oahu are the daily life conveniences that support an active, healthy, fun, and inspiring island lifestyle. Whether you’ve just moved to Oahu, or if you’re a longtime resident, please enjoy this list of the Best Things To Do in West Oahu.

Eat & Explore Restaurants

Photo courtesy of Facebook/Tina Marie Garcia

Across the globe, and no matter where you find yourself, exploring restaurants and local cuisine is a favorite past-time. One of the best things about adventuring through Hawaii’s restaurants and cafe’s is the food diversity.

Oahu restaurants fill their menus with locally grown, sustainable, and Hawaii-made ingredients and products. From delicious island produce to tropical fruits, freshly caught seafood to free range meats, all will find West Oahu restaurants that they love. In West Oahu, residents can enjoy dining at large chain establishments, locally owned eateries and cafe’s, and incredible Hawaii based Pacific Rim restaurants.

Favorite West Oahu Restaurants:

Kapolei– Limon Rotisserie, Plantation Tavern, Assaggio, Brick Oven Pizza, Takumi Japanese Restaurant & Bar, The Cheesecake Factory, Aloha Salads, Down to Earth, La Tour Cafe, Ono Steak & Shrimp, Koa Pancake House, Da Cove Health Bar, Johnny Rockets

Ewa Beach– Royal Thai Garden, Ono Thai, Saito & Pho, Buffalo Wild Wings, Bangkok Chef, Daiichi Ramen, Teddy’s Bigger Burgers

Ko Olina– Monkeypod Kitchen, Roy’s, Mina’s Fish House, Ama Ama, Off The Hook, Makahiki, Little Opihi

Waikele– Mod Pizza, Waikele Country Club Restaurant, Quick Thai, Genki Sushi, Restaurant Kunio

Mililani– The Shack, Assaggio, Wingstop, Ba-Le Sandwich Shop, Rajanee Thai Cuisine, Sakura, Poke Stop, Rise and Shine Cafe

Waianae– Kahumana Organic Farms Cafe, Coquito’s Latin Cuisine, Beach House by 604, Aloha Poke, Sun Sushi, Spinners Cafe

Go Shopping with Friends

Photo courtesy of Facebook/Waikele Premium Outlets

If you’re looking for great shopping on Oahu, you do not need to head to Town! Honestly, West Oahu is probably one of the very best places to shop in all of the Hawaiian Islands.

Throughout the area, you can enjoy shopping at boutiques, shopping malls, big chain stores, and even outlet stores. If you’re looking for fashion, head to the newly built Ka Makana Ali’i Shopping Center, Pearl Ridge, or the Premium Outlets in Waikele.

Besides large shopping centers, there’s also an abundance of smaller outdoor shopping malls like Kapolei Village Center, Kapolei Commons, Kapolei Marketplace, and Ko Olina Center. You can find everything under the sun including clothing, beauty, home accessories, appliances, furniture, and grocery stores.

In the past 5+ years, Kapolei has become a real hub for all sorts of shopping with additions like the new Ka Makana Ali’i Shopping Center, Costco, Target, Ross, T.J. Maxx, Pier 1, Marshalls, Ulta Beauty, Sally Beauty Supply, Petco, and more.

One thing is for sure, shopping in West Oahu is super convenient and fun!

Biggest West Shopping Centers:

Take a Hike

Photo courtesy of Unsplash/Jeremy Bishop

Whether you’re visiting or living on Oahu, one of the hands-down-best-things-to-do is to go hiking. Throughout the Island of Oahu, there’s an incredible array of hiking trails– from mild to adventurous. A common misconception about hiking is that it’s always strenuous. In fact, many Oahu hikes are more like a trail walk.

When hiking in West Oahu, you can hike along the coastline, find scenic vistas, enjoy tropical scenery, and see wildlife. Without a doubt, hiking in Hawaii is always a rewarding, magical, and inspiring experience!

Although hiking boots are not always necessary when hiking through Oahu, a pair of sneakers with tread is highly recommended. Wherever you choose to hike in Hawaii, always remember to hike with a buddy, check the weather, where sturdy shoes, bring water, and sun protection. Safety should be your #1 priority.

Incredible West Oahu Hikes:

Ka’ena Point Trail
Ka’ala Hiking Trail
Kealia Trail
Kolekole Hike
Waimano Valley Ridge Trail
Maili & Westside Pillboxes

For more information about hiking in West Oahu, visit All Trails

Beach Hopping

Photo courtesy of Unsplash/Britta Harris

Well, this is an obvious point…

Whether you live on Oahu part-time, full-time, or just visiting – Go to all the beaches! Throughout the Hawaiian Islands, gorgeous beaches decorate the coastlines. Truly, it’s amazing. On Oahu, you’ll find an array of beaches that differ from the rest. Surfing beaches, snorkeling beaches, beaches that are perfect for a sunset stroll, and more.

No matter your purpose, there’s a beach in West Oahu that’s perfect for all and any occasion. One of the coolest things about beach hopping in West Oahu is that there’s a variety for all activities: sunbathing, a picnic, surfing, surf lessons, playing with kids in the sand, picking shells, and more. Enjoy!

For a full list of West Oahu beaches, and to learn about specific amenities particular to each (lifeguards, restrooms, showers, BBQ pits, parking, water sports equipment rentals, etc), please visit Go Hawaii

Fitness & Working Out

Photo courtesy of Facebook/24 Hour Fitness-Kapolei

On Oahu, spending time outdoors is a given. With the warm Hawaiian sunshine, and plentiful land and ocean activities, a dose of Vitamin D and a need for a healthy lifestyle is naturally encouraged.

Working out in Hawaii is fun with access to year round activities like water sports, hiking, yoga, dance, boxing, running, cycling, and more. There is no lack of fitness opportunities– so, if you’re craving health and wellness, integrate a sport or the gym into a consistent routine. It’s fun, and it’s a great way to meet new friends and promote an active lifestyle in your family.

Top West Oahu Fitness Centers:

Staycation at Ko Olina Resort

Photo courtesy of Facebook/Ko Olina Resort

Ko Olina is located just North of Kapolei on the West Oahu coastline. Here is where you’ll find gorgeous properties (homes and townhouses), fantastic resorts, shopping, restaurants, ocean activities, golfing, boating, and beach life at Ko Olina’s oceanfront lagoons.

Treat yourself to a staycation in paradise at Ko Olina! Take your family to Disney’s Aulani Resort for a few days, or book some time with your favorite friends for a relaxing spa or golf weekend.

If you’re a Hawaii resident, inquire about kama’aina (local HI resident) discounts. If you’re a military family, look into special military rates. Don’t forget to hashtag #luckywelivehawaii where you’re poolside! There’s nothing like a staycation in Hawaii…

For more information about Ko Olina, go here

Get Pampered & Relax

Photo courtesy of Unsplash/Kris Atomic

Life can get busy, and sometimes we forget to treat ourselves and make the time for self care. West Oahu offers plenty of opportunities for pampering at a variety of health and wellness business. Find massage studios, acupuncture professionals, meditation and yoga classes, nail and hair salons, medical aesthetics, estheticians, and so much more.

A Few Places to Get Pampered and Relax in West Oahu:

Tiffany’s Nail Salon
Kapolei Mehana Salon
Envy Eyes & Wax
Color Box Hair Studio
Massage Envy Kapolei
Amita Holistic Spa
Kapolei Massage Institute
Core Power Yoga
Hot Yoga Kapolei
Pua Mana MedSpa
Hoala Salon & Spa
Royal Thai Massage & Spa

More Fun Things To Do in West Oahu

Throughout West Oahu, there’s a plethora of activities to enjoy from the land to the sea!

No matter the weather, you can also catch a flick at a movie theater, take your kids to the indoor I-Trampoline Park, or head to Wet N’ Wild Hawaii for a fun day in the sun with waterslides, floating lagoons, and more family-friendly activities. West Oahu residents can also find restaurants that offer daily dinner music with local musicians, Hawaiian culture, concerts, sports games, and daily sunsets.

Living in Hawaii is a dream come true, and offers the opportunity to find inspiration, relaxation, and health on a daily basis. Love the life you live, get outside, enjoy nature, and find your community!

For more information about West Oahu resources, and things to do, check out the rest of my blog articles here. Mahalo for reading!

Category: Things to do in Oahu (Page 1 of 2)

Top 10 Things to Do on Oahu This Spring