Waikīkī

Honolulu city officials have removed a Waikīkī lifeguard tower that was damaged by large swells in August 2020. The city is taking the opportunity to reevaluate its coastline infrastructure as sea levels rise. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports that one approach is mobile towers on sleds or skids that can be moved back as the sand erodes.

This week, the composer and musical director behind the upcoming Cirque du Soleil show was in town. Evan Duffy is based in Los Angeles but was on the island to begin the process of hiring local musicians for the show.

Yakuza in Waikīkī? Why not? Leave it to the Japanese company SEGA to create a video game about a former underworld figure in Hawaiʻi. Players control a former Yakuza member as he brawls his way through Honolulu, taking odd jobs and singing karaoke along the way. The Conversation's Maddie Bender has more.

It's been about a month since the city and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement announced a plan to bring back a free hula show at the Waikiki Shell Amphitheater. But the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society has raised concerns that the event is a prelude to a commercial lūʻau show.

The latest effort to provide more evening family entertainment in Waikīkī involves two longtime companies: a Canada-based entertainment juggernaut and a Hawaiʻi-based hotel chain. An upcoming Cirque du Soleil residency will take over the 20,000-square-foot theater at the Outrigger Waikīkī Beachcomber. The Conversation's Catherine Cruz has more.

A new report says large portions of Hawaiʻi affordable housing are set to expire; Plans for a commercial lūʻau show may conflict with the Kapiʻolani Park public trust rules

If you're a resident of Honolulu — or a longtime visitor — and you like diners, chances are you miss the Wailana Coffee House. But that commercial space in Waikīkī is heading for a new life — and soon. We get details from Pacific Business News Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier.

The City and County of Honolulu has assumed ownership of a condemned apartment building in Waikīkī. The city says the three-story building at 1615 Ala Wai Blvd., across from the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, has been abandoned for two decades. It also reported that the dilapidated building has been subjected to squatting, graffiti, and other illegal activity.

The Kilohana Hula Show, inspired by the Kodak Hula Show, will feature up to 18 dancers, including the past winner of the Merrie Monarch hula competition. The Kodak Hula Show was discontinued in 2002 after 65 years of performances. The new show debuting Feb. 15 will have a modern twist. HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports.

The event highlighted everything from the warnings about break-ins at popular visitor sites from the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaiʻi to alerts from the Honolulu Police Department.