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 to se what's on around town, and to learn about our Social Club contributors.
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!
Hello Social Clubbers,
Yes... I LOVE love. Though I don’t particularly love the commercial, transactional, single-serving, flash-in-the-pan version of love that is often associated with Valentine's Day. I’m talking about the the steadfast, sturdy kind, the one you can celebrate on any random day. Because there are so many types of love, from romantic, friendship, familial and practical, to self-love (arguably the most important one), there are lots of things/ways to celebrate!
You can curl up and ignore this weekend entirely, or you can declare your affection in whatever way feels true: celebrate your friends, your family, your pet, your community. Heck, HPR can be your valentine because you love us like that. It’s always nice to do something special... especially if it involves something handmade, ethically sourced, or locally supported! Be sure to open up our station updates newsletter (subscribe here if you don't get it yet — it goes out tomorrow!) for HPR-inspired valentines you can send to the public radio lovers in your life!
If you’re feeling like leaning into the drama of the weekend, something that absolutely tickles my fancy would The Vampire’s Ball: Be Still, My Heart, presented by Dies in the Light and DJ Nocturna (pictured) at NextDoor in Honolulu on Friday, Feb. 13, from 9 p.m. into the witching hours. It’s gothic elegance, romantic longing, and the bittersweet beauty of embracing your own company. A celebration of heartache, empowerment, and the kind of love that feels dark, poetic, and a little immortal.
ALSO we absolutely cannot forget: Lunar New Year! This year, Oʻahu's Chinatown Festival & Parade celebrates 50 years, which feels enormous. Their Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, Feb. 14, features lion and dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations, food and craft vendors, keiki activities, live entertainment and all the traditions that invite good luck and prosperity into the year ahead.
Either way, on Saturday, you are going to be seeing A LOT of red. Whether it’s romance or bright lanterns, I hope you find yourself somewhere warm with other people, remembering that love is bigger than a holiday! It’s community, it’s culture, it’s celebration, and it’s something we get to practice again and again.
Keep scrolling for more date ideas for your cutie or yourself 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.
With Love,
Kyla
HPR Social Club's Picks of the Week
BUGS, BIRDS & DARWIN: Darwin Day at the UH Insect Museum
Darwin Day at the UH Insect Museum
UH Insect Museum
3050 Maile Way, Gilmore Hall Rm. 607 in Honolulu
Oʻahu
Thursday, Feb. 12, 1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Free and open to all
Celebrate the birthday of Charles Darwin with an afternoon of discovery at the UH Insect Museum. Marvel at marine critters, mantis shrimp, planthoppers and all kinds of fascinating birds and insects up close. Free and open to all
LOVE, LAUGHS & WLW: Queer Women Initiative Presents:Paint the Hearts Red After Party
Queer Women Initiative Presents:Paint the Hearts Red After Party
Po‘ai by Pono Potions
1119 Smith St. in Honolulu
Oʻahu
Thursday, Feb. 12, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.
After party is free and open to all
Celebrate Valentine’s with Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation’s Queer Women Initiative. Their paint night is sold out :(, but join in the Valentines After Party where you can mix and mingle in this fun and safe space for queer women to interact and build connections. Drag queens Marina Del Rey and Eden Simon grace attendees with their presence in this evening filled with community love. After party is free and open to all
MELODIES MEET HEARTS: The Music of Love
The Music of Love
Kapaʻa United Church of Christ, Community Room
1315 Ulu St. in Kapaʻa
Kauaʻi
Friday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
$55.20 tickets, available online
Celebrate romance with an evening of live string quartet music, vocals, champagne and sweet treats with musicians Kimberly Hope and Alina Evanoff (violins), Daniel Welch (viola), Karen Hall (cello) and Mary Ellen Kopitsky (vocals). Stay cozy, sip something bubbly and enjoy optional dancing as the night fills with love-themed melodies. $55.20 tickets, available online
LAUGHTER & LETTERS: Love Letters
Love Letters
Aloha Theatre
79-7384 Mamalahoa Hwy in Kealakekua
Hawaiʻi Island
Feb. 13 - 14, 7:00 p.m. and Feb. 15, 1:00 p.m.
$35 admission, tickets available online
Aloha Theatre presents a special Valentine’s weekend fundraising performance of "Love Letters," starring John Holliday and Kerry Matsumoto. This tender, funny and deeply moving two-person play traces a lifetime of friendship, dreams and heartache through decades of correspondence. $35 admission, tickets available online
PASSION ON THE KEYS: Maui Piano Amateurs Festival
Maui Piano Amateurs Festival
Iao United Church of Christ
2371 W. Vineyard St. in Wailuku
Maui
Saturday, Feb. 14, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Free and open to all
Do not miss your opportunity to hear passionate pianists Niko Nemoto, Maki Murakami Rickard, Maurice Sprenger, Naoko Curry, Margaret W. King, Ivy Fioretti and Christophe Javon in an exciting, wide-ranging program of solo piano works by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Granados and more. The Maui Piano Amateurs Festival invites the community to gather in support of live classical music flourishing on Maui. Free and open to all
JAZZ, TAIKO & HIDDEN HISTORY: Swingposium
Swingposium
Pukalani Community Center
91 Pukalani St. in Makawao
Maui
Sunday, Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m.
Free and open to all — donations are welcome, reserve your spot online
Swingposium is a powerful immersive performance blending taiko, jazz, swing dance and theater to illuminate the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Created by San Jose Taiko and collaborators, this acclaimed production honors resilience and sparks dialogue through music, movement and audience participation. Free and open to all — donations are welcome, reserve your spot online
Swingposium also performs in Hilo on Feb. 18. Their Honolulu shows (Feb. 21 and 22) are sold out.
Matchmaking on "Classical Pacific"
On Friday the 13th, tune in to "Classical Pacific" for a special Valentine's Day edition. Sharene Taba hosts "Musical Matchmaker," featuring three contestants who will be wooing
our operations department colleague, Krystal, with romantic music selections and a Q&A session.
The winner gets a romantic tour of HPR (and maybe a lifetime of happiness). Listen live, Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. on HPR-2, your home for classical love.
While you wait, listen back to last year's Valentine's Day episode, where Krystal talked about dating apps and music compatibility. Listen on demand
In case you missed it:
The show, a retrospective of her ceramics, is titled "Worlds Within" and features a multi-sensory experience that tapped sound artist and musician Leilehua Lanzilotti. She helped to curate the show and shared with HPR how Takaezu influenced her own childhood. Listen on demand
