Every Wednesday, one of our awesome HPR besties will keep you posted on happenings across our Islands that we're most stoked about. While each of us has a different perspective and set of interests, we all share a goal of helping you stay curious and connected across our Hawaiian Islands. Not yet subscribed? Subscribe today.
This week, we hear from Kyla Herrmann, HPR's On-Air Campaign & Community Events Producer.
HPR’s Social Club — it's your guide to unique, can't-miss events across the islands. Sign up for the HPR Social Club.
Have an event to share? You can submit it to our HPR Community Calendar for consideration. We might feature it in a future newsletter or on the air!
Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou, Social Clubbers!
I love New Year's! It has always felt less like a moment to criticize where I lack, and more like a chance to notice where I can give a little more TLC. That's why I've never been one for rigid resolutions — I prefer a gentler goal: get weirder (2016), go to bed earlier (2021) or dance more (2024). The world is tough enough; why bring one more abrasive thing into my own life?
So, I'm holding this new year tenderly. I don't want to burden myself with unrealistic goals. You shouldn't either! I want to keep company with light-hearted goals — intentions that feel more like permission than pressure. Here's a loose list of where I want to explore or deepen my community for 2026:
January 1st isn't just one grand reset; there are many new years throughout the year: Lunar New Year, Nowruz, Matariki, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali and maybe one of yours? Perhaps it's a quiet reset that comes when the rains return or when the light shifts and we notice ourselves breathing differently. We are forever being allowed to try again. So do it!! Try again!
This season reminds me how much meaning lives in gathering, large and small, formal and fleeting. This weekend, the 2026 New Year's ʻOhana Festival is one such moment. Celebrate this Sunday, Jan. 11, with a free, family-friendly community event featuring live entertainment, delicious food, local craft vendors, cultural demonstrations and more!
As a reminder: please be gentle with yourself this year. Reach out if you need support. Be there for someone who might need it. Break free from cycles of solitude where can, and build community where you want to fit in! Make room for softness, for weirdness, for dancing, and for trying again.
Keep scrolling for more whimsically curated events below. If you have something you'd like to share with the HPR team, submit it to our community calendar. We might feature it in a future newsletter. I love learning what you're up to.
Optimistically planning,
Kyla
HPR Social Club Picks of the Week
WORDS IN BLOOM: Writer’s Garden: Featured Speaker Megan Kakimoto
Writer’s Garden: Featured Speaker Megan Kakimoto
Hale Lihue
4286 Rice Street in Līhuʻe
Kauaʻi
Friday, Jan. 9, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Free and open to all
Meet author Megan Kakimoto and learn about her writing journey in an evening designed to inspire and connect. Enjoy guided writing prompts, conversation, and light food and beverages in a welcoming, creative space. Megan joined "The Conversation" in 2023 to talk about her collection of short stories. Listen here. Free and open to all
CLEAN, MEND & CONNECT: New Year, Fresh Gear
New Year, Fresh Gear
Laulima Nature Center
18-1325 Old Volcano Rd. in Mountain View
Hawaiʻi Island
Sunday, Jan. 11, 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Free and open to all, donations suggested for select activities
Start the new year by refreshing your hiking gear and connecting with Hawaiʻi’s conservation community. Learn gear decontamination, participate in a rummage sale, get items mended or embroidered, and enjoy a community potluck while discovering ways to protect our natural spaces. Free and open to all, donations suggested for select activities
COOL THREADS: Bhutan Slide Show & Talk with Jennifer Dang
Bhutan Slide Show & Talk with Jennifer Dang
Kaimukī Public Library
1041 Koko Head Ave. in Honolulu
Oʻahu
Sunday, Jan. 11, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Free and open to all
Join textile enthusiast Jennifer Dang of the Hawaii Handweavers' Hui for a one-hour slide show and talk exploring her recent textile journey through Bhutan. Learn about traditional weaving, cultural exchange and get a preview of upcoming Bhutan trips planned for May 2026. Free and open to all
SINGING INTO COMMUNITY: HIMF & Chamber Orchestra of Kona
HIMF & Chamber Orchestra of Kona
Working Session - Open to the Public
Kona United Methodist Church
74-4960 Palani Road. in Kona
Hawaiʻi Island
Monday, Jan. 12, 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Free to attend; donations graciously accepted
Hawaii International Music Festival is hosting a collaborative working session with the Chamber Orchestra of Kona and singers participating in a vocal workshop. The public is invited to attend this session that features Hawaiʻi soprano Nadari Hockenhull. Conductors Eric Silberger and Yuxin Dai will guide this engaging, behind-the-scenes music experience open to all. Free to attend; donations graciously accepted
MUʻUMUʻU MONTH BEGINS: Muʻumuʻu Exhibition Launch
Muʻumuʻu Exhibition Launch
Various Locations
Oʻahu
Monday, Jan. 12, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at Honolulu Hale
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at Kapolei Hale
Free and open to all; exhibits on view throughout January
Celebrate the beauty, history, and cultural legacy of the muʻumuʻu with the opening of two special exhibits curated in partnership with DeStash Hawaiʻi showcasing exclusive styles from Aunty Lei's collection and the legendary Bete Muʻu. Enjoy music from the Royal Hawaiian Band Glee Club, keynote remarks from Mayor Blangiardi, Aunty Lei Batty, and Nola Nahulu, and learn about the evolution of the muʻumuʻu in Hawaiʻi. Free and open to all; exhibits on view throughout January
BARYTON BRILLIANCE: The Valencia Baryton Project with Early Music Maui
The Valencia Baryton Project with Early Music Maui
ProArts Theatre
1280 South Kihei Rd. in Kihei
Maui
Monday, Jan. 12, 7:00 p.m.
Tickets from $21.20 - $37.10, available online
Experience the musical resonance of the Baryton, a unique and rare instrument similar to a bass viol that also includes sympathetic plucked strings behind the neck. The Valencia Baryton Project ressurects it from obscurity to play compositions written for it by Joseph Hayden. Early Music Maui and the Maui Madrigale open the performance. Tickets from $21.20 - $37.10, available online
Listen on demand: Hawaiʻi Kulāiwi
Last Sunday, DJ Mermaid kicked off a new series exploring mele that carry us to wahi pana across each island, beginning with songs honoring Pele,
her arrival in Hawaiʻi, and her many forms. Through these chants and melodies, we start a journey of listening our way into place — where music becomes a map, and moʻolelo guide us island by island. See the playlist and listen on demand
Share your input: Discussing cesspool conversions
"The Conversation" will be hosting a live call-in show to assess Hawaiʻi's progress on cesspool conversion. Are we on track to eliminate cesspools by 2050? Or do we need to reevaluate our priorities? Our expert panel will be taking your calls live, Jan. 9 at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Have a question or comment? Join the discussion by calling 1-877-941-3689 or leave a voicemail on the Talkback Line ahead of the show: 808-792-8217.
In case you missed it, "The Conversation" spoke with comedian Ben Miller, who is bringing his one-hour stand-up comedy show about volcanoes to to Maui and Hawaiʻi Island this week. He performs tonight in Kīhei, and on Jan. 9 in Hilo and Jan. 10 in Kona. Listen to the interview
