Aloha Nights Block Party

It was actually an Aloha Night, in the singular, but nonetheless it was an event that stood out among the many street parties that take place at times throughout the year in Waikiki.  This is true even though in terms of mere size, it was a smaller event than most.  But quality is surely a vital measure, and this one had quality written all over it.

The block party took place on Monday night, January 3, 2011, a week night rather than a weekend night for reasons we don't quite fathom.  Events involving street closings can be pretty disruptive and traffic in Waikiki, perhaps even more than elsewhere on the island, backs up rather quickly.  The venue was Kalakaua Avenue in front of DFS Galleria, so fortunately only a block or so of Kalakaua needed to be closed, rather than long stretches as for events such as the enormous Ho`olaulea that takes place in September.

The event was, in fact, sponsored by DFS Galleria Waikiki.  While we've had some issues with this organization in the past, that's a story for another column; at this moment, we'd like to give them full credit and kudos for sponsoring the block party, and for doing such a good job with it.

So, what made us think it was so special?  Street parties in Waikiki tend to follow a formula: there are zillions of vendors in tents, mostly selling food at prices that aren't exactly low, the rest with some sort of equally costly trinkets and tourist souvenirs; and there are various stages upon which local performers provide entertainment, generally ranging in quality from "good enough" on up.

At the DFS party, the number of vendors was relatively small; after all, you can only fit so many into a single block of Kalakaua Avenue.  But these weren't just any vendors: they were the likes of Alan Wong, Roy's, and Wolfgang's Steakhouse.  No, the prices weren't low, but their offerings provided top notch cuisine and great value for the money. This approach has a lot going for it.

The entertainment followed the same model; there were just a few performers on a single stage (again, there was the space limitation), but they were definitely Hawaii's A-listers.   DFS brought in Jake Shimabukuro, Keola Beamer, and Raiatea Helm.  (Separately, Japanese TV personality "IKKA" was present as well, and we gather she is herself quite a big name.)

As our photo(*) above shows, attendance was in the thousands.  We're not so good at making crowd estimates, but the venue was packed with happy and appreciative tourists and kama`aina alike.

DFS Galleria Waikiki styles itself as a high-end shopping experience at high-end prices.  We can attest that when it comes to throwing this party, they went first-class all the way, and it didn't cost a cent to enjoy the entertainment and the atmosphere.  More is not always better; DFS's focused effort definitely has set a new standard.

(*) We of course kept to our practice of anonymous attendance; but this meant that unfortunately we couldn't obtain the best vantage points for photography.