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 see 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!
Hey there, Social Clubbers!
First off, I will shamelessly plug an event I am producing tomorrow for the Live from the Atherton Storytellers' series, Stories From the Top! ft. Taiga Benito and Joshua Nakazawa, with Sharene Taba! A few tickets remain — come join in the fun!
Outside of these walls this week, I’m highlighting for you two Oʻahu events that come with built-in fun: one for your townie taste time, and one for your crafty side.
Last month I went to FishCake Hawaii for their monthly food-themed night, and we had a heck of a time eating… cabbage, cabbage, cabbage! I love exploration events where you show up ready to try something new, and you end up having a great time doing it. This Thursday we will forage into the Mushroom Sunset Festival on August 6 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. It's a haven for mushroom lovers, with local chefs getting creative and turning fungi into yummy memories. It's helpful to RSVP here if you'll be attending.
As we scootch into the weekend, let's switch from dinner in town to north country chilling. I grew up thinking YMCA Camp Erdman was the peak of summer joy; this one helps
me chase the nostalgia: Art Market at the Camp on August 8, from 3 to 8 p.m. This is a relaxing afternoon of art, music and community that feels like an exhale. You’ll get to be surrounded by local artists and one-of-a-kind creations, plus live music! It's the kind of event where you can wander, browse and actually enjoy the experience instead of rushing through it. Fun for the family: bring a friend or maybe make a friend! Or become a fan of someone new at a booth!
Got something fun happening in your corner that you want us to know about? Submit it to our community calendar!
Cheers!
Kyla
HPR Social Club's Picks of the Week:
Please note: Event details may change.
Check organizer or event websites for the most up-to-date information.
HAWAIʻI ISLAND: CULTURAL MOVEMENT - Dangal: Filipino Dance of West Hawaii
Dangal: Filipino Dance of West Hawaii
Old Airport Park (Walking Path Grass Lawn)
74-5053 Kealakaa Street in Kailua-Kona
Weekly on Thursdays, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Join the West Hawaii Filipino Association in this cultural preservation project that safeguards and celebrates the rich heritage of the Philippines with tradition in every step through the power of Filipino dance. Dance to honor the legacy of the Sakadas and build a stronger Filipino community in Kona. Rehearsals take place weekly on Thursday afternoons. Visit their Instagram for the latest information. Free to join; separate fees apply for costumes
OʻAHU: WONDROUS WATERCOLOR - Forest Bathed in Watercolor
Forest Bathed in Watercolor
Kahaluʻu Gallery and Gardens
47-754 Lamaula Rd. in Kāneʻohe
Saturday, August 8, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Enjoy a restorative guided forest bathing walk, then further your discovery of your creative spirit in a watercolor workshop. Reconnect with nature on a journey through the lush, private garden created by the late painter Hiroshi Tagami. Artist Tamara Moan will then guide you in expressing the sounds of the forest with watercolor paints. No previous art experience necessary. All materials provided. Ages 16+ welcome, $110-$130, register online
SPONSORED EVENT LISTING
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN LIVING WONDER
Maui Ocean Center connects you with the wonders of Hawaiʻi's marine life, whether it's walking through an underwater tunnel surrounded by sharks and rays or coming eye-to-eye with a humpback whale in an immersive 3D film experience. New this year is an expanded octopus (heʻe) habitat within the Living Reef exhibit, which also features stunning displays of native and endemic corals. Take a deeper dive at mauioceancenter.com.
MAUI: KEEP KUPUNA INFORMED - AI And Disinformation
AI And Disinformation
Kaunoa Senior Center
401 Alakapa Place in Pāʻia
Tuesday, August 11, 10 to 11 a.m.
AARP volunteer Speaker Larry Black shares an informative lecture discussing today's AI-powered tools and disinformation. Explore how AI is used to create convincing deepfakes and clone voices, and review best practices for evaluating information. Gain a better understanding of the tech tools that help identify content created with AI. Open to all; find sign-up details here
KAUAʻI: KEIKI KICKBACK - Back To School Fun & Movie Night
Back To School Fun & Movie Night
Kukui Grove Center
3-2600 Kaumuali‘i Hwy. in Līhu‘e
Saturday, August 8, 4 to 8 p.m.
Kukui Grove Center invites the community to its Back to School Fun & Movie Night for an evening of family fun activities, live entertainment, and a movie to celebrate the new school year. Enjoy crats and fun activities beginning at 4 p.m., followed by a performance by Kapaʻa Middle School Choir & ʻUkulele Band at 5:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., enjoy a screening of "Hoppers." Bring blankets and lawn chairs for comfortable seating. The center will also be distributing remaining unclaimed backpacks and school supplies starting at 5 p.m., while supplies last. Free and open to all
Hawaiʻi Craftsmen
KAUAʻI: CRAFTY CONVERSATION - Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Juror's Public Lecture
Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Juror's Public Lecture
Līhuʻe Library Meeting Room
4344 Hardy st. in Līhuʻe
Wednesday, August 12, 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.
Jonathan Yukio Clark, Director of Schaefer International Gallery at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, shares insights from his work as a curator, multidisciplinary artist, and his role as juror for the Hawaiʻi Craftsmen Annual Statewide Exhibition 2026. The exhibition features works of traditional and contemporary craft selected from across the state, and opens on Oʻahu on Sept. 4 before traveling to Maui on Oct. 20. Free and open to all, potluck welcome
Live from the Atherton — Stories From the Top!
You're invited to this week's Live from the Atherton Storytellers event, “Stories From the Top." The young musicians' showcase has brightened our Saturday mornings on HPR-2. Classical Pacific's Sharene Taba leads a conversation with Joshua Nakazawa and Taiga Benito as they reflect on their experiences as young musicians featured on From the Top at the start of their musical journeys. This free event is tomorrow at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30.
- August 6 @ 6 p.m.: Stories From the Top! ft. Taiga Benito and Joshua Nakazawa - GET TICKETS
Live from the Atherton is sponsored by HMSA.
Watch past Live from the Atherton performances here
ICYMI: Rare centuries-old Iranian ceramic tiles debut at Shangri La
Behind a dark room in Shangri La, ceramic tiles shimmer with gold. They're fragments from a sacred shrine in Iran, art created more than 700 years ago.
The exhibit, “Fragments of Light: Ilkhanid Lusterware,” brings together six rare ceramic tiles. It's the largest surviving collection of lusterware tiles in the world.
Navid Najafi, a curator and associate director of programs and social practice at Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, said the exhibit isn't about the objects themselves but the story behind them and why they’re at the museum. He hopes visitors will get to see them.
“They get to learn about this idea of fragmentation and how they were removed from their original context,” he said to HPR. “They also have an opportunity to learn about the research project that's telling the story for the first time of how these tiles were actually removed and dispersed throughout the world.” The exhibit will be on display until next July. HPR's Cassie Ordonio shares more — listen on demand.
