‘Halloween in Waikiki’ offers games, food and family-friendly fun this weekend

Kids and Halloween go hand in hand, but in Waikiki the decidedly adult Halloween scene is better known.

A Saturday event called Halloween in Waikiki might change that as the nonprofit Friends of Creations of Hawaii Association stages a family-focused Halloween event with games, rides for keiki and their parents, a costume contest and — get this — toilet racing.

Attendees will need to fuel up for activities, of course. “We’re having quite a variety of foods,” said Creations of Hawaii President Mela Kealoha-Lindsey. Among them will be Flo’s Kitchen, one of the longest-running food vendors at Creations of Hawaii’s events.

“They have been there every time we need their help,” Kealoha-Lindsey said.

Flo’s serves local favorites from many ethnic cultures including Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese and Thai, said co-owner Flo Harding. For Halloween in Waikiki, Flo’s will offer pancit, pork and chicken adobo, pork guisantes, teriyaki chicken, popcorn chicken with sweet chili sauce, kalua pork and cabbage, vegetable-and-pork and banana lumpia, and barbecued pork skewers, at $7 for a miniplate and $9.50 for a two-choice combo.

Flo’s serves lunch every Monday through Friday at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Fort Shafter and Schofield Barracks but also does special events, said Albert Leyendecker, Flo’s husband and co-owner of the business. Flo’s also will be at Aloun Farms for its pumpkin patch events.

Other food available: vegetarian pizza from What It Dough; gluten-free baked goods from Not Just Dessert; crepes by Fantastic Frosting; Heart to Table’s slow-smoked turkey legs; and other choices.

All the vendors will be giving out candy for trick-or-treating, Kealoha-Lindsey said.

Now, about the toilet racing: “There are two toilets (each) with a motor, and you race around the track” against an opponent, said Kealoha-Lindsey. Also, keiki and parents can ride around in pedal-powered or motorized boats in a “huge pool of water,” she said.

Among other activities, the event offers archery, mechanical bull-riding, a fishing game, a petting zoo and pony rides, as well as horse-drawn carriage rides for parents and their children.

The event benefits education programs at Jefferson Elementary school that don’t receive regular funding, including programs for language, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and aquaponics.