Fourth of July revelers eager to claim picnic spots at Ala Moana Regional Park will once again be allowed to set up canopies in the hours leading up to the holiday, city officials say.
Canopies must be set up before the park closes at 10 p.m., and up to two people will be permitted to stay in the park with the canopy overnight. Vehicles, however, must be removed from the park when it closes at 10 p.m. and won’t be allowed to return until the park opens at 4 a.m.
Tents, alcoholic beverages, fireworks and animals are not permitted in the park at any time.
Oahu’s Fourth of July festivities kick off Wednesday at Aloha Tower Marketplace and continue Thursday around the island. Major fireworks displays include:
» Aloha Tower Marketplace, 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. Free. Fireworks begin at 8:45 p.m. Entertainment will include Pimpbot, Jason Alan and hypnotist Greg Gabaylo. Call 528-5700 or visit alohatower.com for more information.
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ON THE NET:
For a complete list of Independence Day events around Oahu, including parades, concerts and festivals, visit honolulupulse.com.
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» Ala Moana Center, 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Fireworks will be launched from Ala Moana Beach Park to a synchronized soundtrack on Krater 96 FM starting at 8:30 p.m. There will be an outdoor concert on the level 2 makai-Ewa parking deck of Ala Moana Center from 5 to 8 p.m. that will include John Cruz, Ho‘okena and Nesian N.I.N.E. Island music acts Candy Diaz and Shar Carillo will perform from 3 to 5 p.m. on level 3 of the center’s Nordstrom wing. For more information, call 955-9517 or visit alamoanacenter.com.
» Kailua Bay, 6 to 6:30 p.m. air show Thursday followed by fireworks starting at 8 p.m. Both shows are best seen from Kailua Beach Park. For more information, call 478-5230 or visit kailuafireworks.com.
» Maunalua Bay, 1 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Fireworks begins at 8 p.m. The event will feature barbecue food for purchase, a watermelon-eating contest, and a keiki-decorated bike parade and contest at 3 p.m. Live entertainment will include Maunalua and Steven Inglis. For more information, visit idmbf.org.
» Schofield Barracks, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday. Free. Department of Defense identification is required for entry. Fireworks show starts at 8:30 p.m. Live entertainment includes Switchfoot (4 p.m.), OneRepublic (5:30 p.m.) and other acts. For gate entry information, call 655-0002 or 655-0113, or visit himwr.com.
» Turtle Bay Resort, 10:45 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday. Free or $5 cover at Surfer, the Bar. Fireworks begin at 8 p.m. Live entertainment from 2 to 8 p.m. will include John Cruz, Kapena and Typical Hawaiians. The event will also feature food booths, a beer garden, bounce houses and a water slide. Blankets and low-back chairs are OK for fireworks viewing, but no coolers allowed. Call 293-6000 or visit turtlebayresort.com for more information.
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PERMIT SALES INCREASE FROM 2012
The city has issued 43 individual firecracker permits for this year’s Fourth of July holiday. That’s 15 more permits than last year but 52 fewer than 2011 — the year fireworks laws changed — and 131 permits fewer than 2010.
Licensed retailers began selling firecrackers to permit holders on Oahu on Saturday, and sales will continue until 8 p.m. Thursday, Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Terry Seelig said.
Firecrackers can be set off Thursday from 1 to 9 p.m.
Seelig said permits for setting off firecrackers — the only legal kind of fireworks on Oahu — can be obtained up to 10 days before the holiday for which they will be used. It is illegal to shoot off any kind of aerial firework.
The fireworks ordinance, which went into effect in 2011, allows residents to buy up to 5,000 firecrackers per permit but bars fountains, sparklers and other types of “novelty” fireworks.
Seelig said the Department of Health’s Injury Prevention Program reported no fireworks-related injuries at hospitals on Oahu in 2011, compared with an annual average of 17 fireworks-related injuries from 2003 to 2010 and a high of 37 injuries in 2005. Numbers for 2012 were not immediately available.
— Star-Advertiser staff
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