Summer weather prevails nearly year-round in Hawaii; but if visitors need to open an umbrella, it’ll likely be from November through March. Even when it’s drizzling, however, there’s plenty to see and do on Oahu.
Rainy days are a great time to visit attractions such as the Bishop Museum; Iolani Palace; the Waikiki Aquarium; Queen Emma Summer Palace; the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design; and Capitol Modern, formerly known as the Hawaii State Art Museum.
And that’s just a short list. From art and cooking classes to concerts and museums, we’ve rounded up perfect options for keeping the whole family entertained on a rainy Oahu day.
Art Classes
Art enthusiasts of all ages can find something to stoke their creative spirit on Oahu, whether it’s a still-life painting class, a sculpture session or a metalwork and jewelry-making workshop.
Honolulu Museum of Art: Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA) each season for creatives — even for kids as young as 3 years old. The topics of one- and two-day workshops might include printmaking, sketching and ceramics. Sessions are held at HoMA’s main campus on Beretania Street and at the recently renovated Honolulu Museum of Art School.
Students of all ages can channel their creativity at HoMa’s art classes.
Credit: 2023 Honolulu Museum of ArtPrices for short workshops start at $35, and clients can register in advance online or in person at the HoMA School’s front desk during hours of operation (Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Registration for one- and two-day workshops closes two days prior to the session.
Concerts
Jazz, pop, blues, folk, rock, reggae, country, contemporary Hawaiian and more — whatever a visitor’s preference, there are opportunities to enjoy concerts throughout the year on Oahu. Here are three of the island’s top venues for live music; check their websites for information about upcoming performances.
Blaisdell Concert Hall: The Blaisdell Concert Hall is currently undergoing an extensive renovation. When construction is completed in early 2025, the venue will again be a hot spot for plays, concerts, opera and symphony performances, as well as Broadway hits — “Wicked,” “Hamilton,” “The Lion King,” “Les Miserables” and “Phantom of the Opera” are among the award-winning musicals that have been staged here over the years.
Blue Note Hawaii: Located at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Blue Note Hawaii offers table seating for 326 people, a gift shop and a full-service bar and restaurant in a chic dinner-club setting. Kealii Reichel, Henry Kapono, Paula Fuga and Amy Hanaialii Gilliom are among the local greats who have performed here, and Grammy winners who have drawn crowds include Dionne Warwick, Christopher Cross, Manhattan Transfer and Blood Sweat & Tears. Blue Note has also hosted top comedy acts such as Patton Oswalt, Rob Schneider and Amy Schumer.
The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra performs at Hawaii Theatre.
Credit: 2023 Hawaii Symphony OrchestraHawaii Theatre: Built in 1922 as an elegant movie house, Hawaii Theatre featured gilded Corinthian columns, a 75-foot-high domed ceiling and a 40-by-12-foot Lionel Walden mural over the proscenium. A victim of television’s growing popularity, it closed in 1984 and was in danger of being demolished. Concerned citizens launched a campaign to save and restore it. Reopened in 1996, the theater is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Community Theater
Community theater productions spotlight impressive local talent, many of whom are also volunteers or in roles ranging from ushers and dressers to stagehands and box-office staff. Check venue websites for more detailed information about performances.
A scene from Diamond Head Theatre’s production of “Anything Goes.”
Credit: 2023 Brandon MiyagiDiamond Head Theatre: Founded in 1915, Diamond Head Theatre (DHT) is the third-oldest continually operating community theatrical company in America. Its productions were presented in various venues until it landed a permanent location in 1952: a movie house built in the 1930s at Fort Ruger, then an active army base on the slopes of Diamond Head. That was its home for 70 years. The old building was razed in November 2022, and DHT’s brand-new facility opened on an adjacent parcel in January 2023.
Kumu Kahua Theatre: This nonprofit organization exclusively stages original plays written by Hawaii residents that are set in the islands and reflect the values, concerns, experiences and lifestyles of local communities. The theater’s cozy, 100-seat playhouse in downtown Honolulu was built in 1871 as the King Kamehameha V Post Office, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Manoa Valley Theatre: Construction of the famed Kawaiahao Church in downtown Honolulu — the oldest church on Oahu — was completed in 1842. Few know that in the 1800s, worshippers also gathered at Kawaiahao’s chapel in Manoa Valley, about 3.5 miles away. In 1969, the Stiehl Manoa Chapel became the home of the Manoa Valley Theatre (MVT), and in 1987, a new theater was constructed on the site of the old chapel, whose original bell and bell tower is displayed outside. Although MVT has been dubbed “Honolulu’s Off-Broadway Playhouse,” its productions also include Broadway musicals and mainstream contemporary works.
Cooking Classes
Foodie clients can take shelter indoors from the rain and channel their inner chefs with local cooking classes.
Wellness Kitchen offers cooking classes that end with students eating the delicious results of their efforts.
Credit: 2023 Wellness KitchenWellness Kitchen: Registered dietitian Lisa Matsunaga welcomes visitors into her home for hands-on, three-hour cooking classes, where participants eat the delicious, healthful meal that they prepare. Guests can choose from a dozen different menus featuring dishes such as seasonal salad with pluots, avocado and a shallot vinaigrette; Asian-style crab and shrimp cakes; creamy braised chicken with garlic sauce; seared scallops with saffron-asparagus risotto; and fudgy vegan sweet potato brownies. Matsunaga shares valuable nutrition and food-shopping tips throughout each class, which includes a gourmet gift to take home. Prices begin at $385 for two guests.
Ukulele Factory Tours
In August 1879, after a four-month journey, the British ship Ravenscrag arrived in Honolulu with more than 400 passengers from Madeira, Portugal, who were about to begin new lives as contract workers on sugar plantations. Upon arriving at the island, Joao Fernandes picked up his braguinha (a small guitar) and began strumming and singing on the dock. His fellow passengers included Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias and Jose do Espirito Santo, skilled craftsmen who would go on to develop the braguinha into the ukulele, a Hawaiian icon. Today, visitors can see firsthand how raw wood is transformed into beautiful ukuleles at these three factories.
Kamaka Hawaii: Kamaka Hawaii’s free guided factory tours, which last around 45- to 60-minutes, begin at 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday through Friday. Groups larger than five people must schedule in advance.
A worker finishes assembling the body of an ukulele at the Kanilea Ukulele factory.
Credit: 2023 Kanilea UkuleleKanilea Ukulele: Daily tours (Monday through Friday) at the Kanilea Ukulele factory start at 9:30 a.m. and run 90 minutes. Each tour, which costs $30 per person, is limited to 10 people, and reservations can be made in advance. VIP Factory Tours can also be arranged.
KoAloha Ukulele: From Monday to Friday at KoAloha Ukulele, clients can watch world-class luthiers at work during complimentary 30-minute tours, which begin at 1 p.m.
