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The days are getting shorter and the excitement is mounting as the countdown to the holidays continues.
Here is our second curated list of things to do, places to go and entertainers to see around Oahu this coming week.
If your plans involve buying tickets or making reservations, we suggest making that commitment as soon as possible.
MUSIC
Most of us are probably familiar with the “Hallelujah” chorus of Handel’s Messiah, but here’s a rare chance to hear the entire oratorio performed in Hawaiian. Central Union Church presents “Handel’s Messiah i ka ‘Olelo Hawai‘i” this evening at 7 p.m. Conductor Jace Kaholokula Saplan will lead soloists Emily Vidler (soprano), Blythe Kelsey (mezzo soprano), Keith Wallace (tenor) and Christopher Kelsey (bass), the Na Wai Chamber Choir, the Hawai‘i Nui Chorale, and members of the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, as they perform one of the best-known choral works in Western music. Central Union Church is on the corner of Beretania and Punahou streets.
Cost: Admission and parking are free; donations accepted.
Info: centralunionchurch.org
PARADES
Here’s where they’re happening this week:
>> 65th Annual Kapahulu-Moiliili Christmas Parade, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, starting at Kuhio School
>> 20th Annual Haleiwa Christmas Parade, 6 p.m. Friday, starting at Weed Circle
>> Waianae Coast Christmas Parade, 10 a.m. Saturday, starting at Waianae Boat Harbor
>> Manoa Christmas Parade, 4 p.m. Saturday, starting at Noelani School
STAGE
Two popular local entertainers are returning Saturday to Waikiki for separate shows at Blue Note Hawaii. At the Holiday Brunch with Frank De Lima, catch the comedian singing his “Filipino Christmas Song.” His signature pidgin parody of “Lucille” — “Wat! Luceel! You gon’ leave me now?” — never gets old. The showtime is noon; doors open at 10:30 a.m.
Horace K Dudoit III, Glen Smith and Chris Kamaka present “Ho‘okena for the Holidays” at 4:30 p.m. (doors open at 3 p.m.) and 8 p.m. (doors at 7:30 p.m.). Joining them are Louis “Moon” Kauakahi, a founding member of the original Makaha Sons of Ni‘ihau, and Eric Lee, a Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning entertainer whose musical roots go back to the ’00s.
Cost: $35-$45, plus $10 food/drink minimum a person
Info: 808-777-4890 or bluenote hawaii.com
ART & CRAFTS
Ben Franklin Crafts presents its Winter Keiki Camp at all Hawaii stores for a week of projects from Dec. 19 to 23. There will be four projects; the hourlong sessions begin at 10 a.m. daily. The projects are “Shiny & Brite Ornaments” (Dec. 19); a “Book Nook” (a two-day build Dec. 20 and 21); a snow globe (Dec. 22); and a “T-Light Gingerbread House” (Dec. 23). Participants are welcome in person and virtually. The deadline for online participants to register is Friday; craft materials will be mailed Dec. 12. Advance registration is recommended for in-person campers as well.
Not a keiki? Ben Franklin has projects and classes for crafters of all ages, check the website below.
Cost: $75, in person; $85, for virtual; additional virtual campers are $75 each.
Info: benfranklinhawaii.com
CRAFT FAIR
Your gift will kindle thoughts of the islands when chosen from among items reflective of Hawaiian cultural traditions in fashion, music, hula and the fine arts. This year’s two-day Ho‘omau Hawai‘i Market in the Hawai‘i Convention Center brings together more than 50 isle merchants, crafters, artisans and chefs in a “pop-up makeke (market)” with a Hawaiian theme. The event runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 11. Find a full list of vendors at the website below.
Cost: $3 admission; children under 12 free
Info: hoomauhawaiimarket.com
FESTIVE LIGHTS
Now through Dec. 31, Show Aloha Land returns to Aloha Stadium — bigger and more exciting than ever. Experience the light shows from your own car, onboard a fancifully lit train or on foot. New this year: a 3,900-square-foot tent with real snow; a bubble tent filled with nonstaining, nontoxic bubbles; a 100-foot zip line, complete with an air bag underneath for safety; and Bouncer Town, with more than 20 full-sized inflatable bouncers and an obstacle course for kids of all ages.
Cost: $39.95 a person (children 2 and under free); hours vary by day. Aloha Stadium charges $9 per car for entry to the parking lot.
Info: showalohaland.com
Everybody knows about the Honolulu City Lights attraction, but “Westsiders” know that Kapolei has city lights too. This year’s Kapolei City Lights party starts at 5 p.m. Saturday with a block party near Kapolei Hale, at Ala Kahawai and Ulu‘ohi‘a streets. Expect entertainers and food booths, and the unveiling of holiday decorations inspired by life underwater. A parade takes off from Kapolei High School at 6 p.m. The 45-foot Kapolei Christmas tree on the mauka side of Kapolei Hale is already up but will be “dark” until the lights go on at 7:30 p.m. Decorations inside and out of Kapolei Hale will be up through Jan. 3.
Cost: Free; food for purchase.
Info: 808ne.ws/kapoleicitylights
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