Sep 7 – Sep 21, 2026#events#festivals#food
Okinawan FEASTival 2026 on Oahu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Okinawan FEASTival runs September 7–21, 2026 across Oʻahu with specials at Okinawan-owned restaurants following the Convention Center festival weekend.
Culture Calendar
Asian culture events in Honolulu
Korean Festival, Okinawan Festival, Chinatown Mid-Autumn, MegaBon, Aloha Festivals, and HIFF across Honolulu, Waikiki, Pearl City, and the rest of Oʻahu.
Use the city guide for neighborhoods and meal starts, then this calendar for Korean Festival, Okinawan Festival, MegaBon, Chinatown Mid-Autumn, Aloha Festivals, and HIFF.
Upcoming in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Sep 12, 2026#events#festivals#food
MegaBon 2026 at Leeward Community College
Pearl City, Hawaii
The fourth annual MegaBon returns Saturday, September 12, 2026 from 3:45 to 9 p.m. at Leeward Community College with bon dance, taiko, food, games, and a beer garden.
Image: MegaBon Hawaii
Sep 19, 2026#events#festivals#food
Aloha Festivals Waikiki Hoʻolauleʻa 2026
Honolulu, Hawaii
Aloha Festivals’ 72nd Annual Waikiki Hoʻolauleʻa lands Saturday, September 19, 2026 on Kalakaua Avenue with local food, music, and entertainment for Hawaiʻi’s largest annual block party.
Image: Aloha Festivals
Sep 19, 2026#events#festivals
Autumn Okinawa Dance Matsuri 2026 at Hawaii Okinawa Center
Waipahu, Hawaii
Hawaiʻi United Okinawa Association hosts Autumn Okinawa Dance Matsuri Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 5–9 p.m. at the Hawaii Okinawa Center in Waipahu with club food booths and bon dance.
Sep 19, 2026#events#festivals#food
Honolulu Mid-Autumn Festival and Parade 2026
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu Mid-Autumn Festival and Parade returns September 19, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Chinatown Cultural Plaza with lion dance, vendors, lantern contest, and a 5:30 p.m. Maunakea parade.
Image: Chinatown808
Sep 26, 2026#events#festivals
Aloha Festivals Floral Parade 2026
Honolulu, Hawaii
The 78th Annual Aloha Festivals Floral Parade runs Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 9 a.m. to noon from Ala Moana Park through Kalakaua Avenue to Kapiolani Park.
Image: Aloha Festivals
Oct 22 – Nov 1, 2026#events#festivals
HIFF46 Fall Festival 2026
Honolulu, Hawaii
HIFF46 Fall Festival runs October 22 through November 1, 2026 at Consolidated Theatres Kahala, with a kickoff on October 21, as Hawaiʻi’s Asia-Pacific film showcase.
Recently ended
Past Honolulu listings stay live for recaps and next-year bookmarks.
Sep 5 – Sep 6, 2026#events#festivals#food
44th Okinawan Festival 2026 at Hawaii Convention Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
The 44th Okinawan Festival runs September 5–6, 2026 at Hawaii Convention Center in a scaled Convention Center edition with Uchinanchu food, crafts, and cultural programming.
Image: Okinawan Festival / HUOA
Sep 5, 2026#events#festivals
Aloha Festivals Royal Court Investiture and Opening Ceremony 2026
Honolulu, Hawaii
Aloha Festivals opens Saturday, September 5, 2026 from 4–6 p.m. with the Royal Court Investiture at Helumoa Gardens and the Royal Grove in Waikiki, kicking off the 80th anniversary season.
Aug 29, 2026#events#festivals
Autumn Matsuri by Senwa Kai 2026 at Palama Settlement
Honolulu, Hawaii
Senwa Kai hosts Autumn Matsuri Saturday, August 29, 2026 from 5–9 p.m. at Palama Settlement in Kalihi-Palama, an Okinawan-style bon dance night on the statewide Obon calendar.
Aug 8, 2026#events#festivals#food
22nd Annual Korean Festival Hawaii 2026 at Kapiolani Park
Honolulu, Hawaii
Korean Festival Hawaii returns Saturday, August 8, 2026 to Kapiolani Park with Korean food, dance, music, and family programming for the 22nd annual edition.
Image: Korean Festival Hawaii
Beyond events
Film, TV, music, and culture coverage from Goldscene. Not just what's on the calendar.
What to Watch
Summer 2026 culture calendar: festivals, film, and what to queue
A practical June-through-August guide to Asian and diaspora culture on the calendar: NYAFF and AAIFF dates, West Coast night markets, BTS Festa streaming, and the Goldscene watchlist picks worth queueing now.
Today's Radar
Velveting, explained as a Chinese kitchen technique
Velveting is the Chinese prep step that keeps stir-fry chicken and shrimp tender instead of rubbery: a cornstarch-and-oil coat, a rest, then a quick par-cook before the wok. Here is how it works and why diaspora cooks are finally seeing the name match the method.
Brand Watch
Helen of Troy wears a Karachi sculptor’s broken-statue bronze for The Odyssey
Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick called Misha Japanwala’s bronze collar for Lupita Nyong’o’s Helen of Troy a “broken statue.” The Karachi-raised sculptor got the job the old-fashioned Hollywood way: a friend who already trusted her work brought her in.
Get Friday's concise edit of Asian entertainment, a finished watch queue, and culture dates worth saving.