Most towns and cities hold art walks. They generally take place once a month and feature a select group of neighborhood galleries. Honolulu is no different. They hold a gallery walk each month in Chinatown-Downtown. If you love an art party and want to see what is showing in Honolulu, you may wish to schedule your visit so that you can take in the First Friday Gallery Walk.
What better way is there to enjoy an art walk than with your rental car? You can park, stay as long as you want, secure your purchases, and not have to depend on public transportation to get your weary feet back to your lodgings. With your rental car nearby, you may wish to add a few extra stops to your itinerary. There are always surprises to be experienced in downtown Honolulu.
First Friday Gallery Walk is a biggie. As many as 10,000 participants may show up for the festive atmosphere of free music, free food and, oh yes, artist receptions. It is an opportunity to experience the area later in the evening, as most galleries close daily at 5 p.m. Galleries stay open from 6:00 to 9:00 on First Friday evenings. Due to the crowds, this is not known as a family-friendly event. We suggest you plan to come early if you have a serious interest in attending the receptions and seeing the art.
This arts district also promotes local shopping from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. each 3rd Friday of the month at their event known as Slow Art Friday. The event is a recent attempt to cultivate a calmer more relaxed art environment from the First Friday party bash. The Chinatown establishments taking part in this event wish to promote local shopping and dining. This is more of a friendly, island- time paced event.
There are many other monthly art-focused events in Honolulu, including Third Thursday and Third Friday Gallery Night. To see if there is an event that you may be interested in attending, check out the HonoluluAdvertiser.com arts calendar. You’ll also find arts events taking place throughout Oahu, so having a rental car is handy when you wish to take in island artistry.
For your convenience, here is a printable map, provided by the Arts District Honolulu, that will guide you to parking in the downtown arts district.