Posts Tagged ‘Fundraisers’

One of the many treats residents of O’ahu have come to welcome is the annual Honolulu Festival. Celebrating its fifteenth year, this celebration of ethnic harmony, economic cooperation and cultural understanding returns to Honolulu March 13, 14 and 15th with a wondrous variety of fun activities and things to do.

The Honolulu Festival features dance performances, educational programs, traditional art demonstrations from artist/artisans from Japan, as well as Australia, The Philippines, The Republic of China (Taiwan), Korea and Hawai’i and mainland US of A. It is like taking a tour around the Pacific without leaving Hawai’i, and what is even more amazing is that most of the fun is free and open to all who wish to attend.

Officially the Honolulu Festival kicks off with a trio of by invitation events on Friday March 13th 2009, but those with school age children should be aware of a special Educational Program at the Hawai’i Convention Center running from 9:30AM to 1 PM. The festival organizers say it best, “Hawaii students from elementary to high school are invited to an exclusive behind-the-scene tour of exhibits brought to Honolulu from various countries of the Pacific for the Festival. This is a wonderful opportunity for the young people of Hawaii to get a close-up look at the displays as well as interact with the Festival artisans and performers. It is also a great opportunity for the participating groups to share their culture and traditions with the children of Hawaii.”

As for the rest of us the real fun begins on Saturday March 14 2009. Performance Stages will be set up at Ala Moana Shopping Center, The Hawai’i Convention Center, and the Waikiki Beach Walk. Throughout the day from 10AM to 5PM various performers will showcase their talents. There will be singers, musicians, dancers celebrating & sharing their diverse cultures. Recalling past Festivals there will be representatives from various Japanese Prefectures, Philippine Provinces, and Pacific Islands showcasing regional treasures. The Performance Stages will be open from 10AM to 3PM on Sunday the 14th.

The Hawai’i Convention Center at 1801 Kalakaua Avenue plays host to a Craft Fair on Saturday March 14th from 10AM to 5PM and 10AM To 3PM Sunday March 15 2009. There will be more than a hundred booth featuring crafts from Japan, Hawai’i and a panoply of Pacific nations. Many of the booths will be interactive affording everyone the opportunity to create crafts under the guidance of artisans happy to display their regional specialties & unique traditions.

All of this fun activity ends with a colorful parade through the heart of http://www.honolulufestival.com/eng/gala2009.php . For additional info about the Honolulu Festival one can call 808-926-2424 or check out their colorful website http://www.honolulufestival.com/index.php .

There are a lot of terrific things to do on O’ahu but few are as exhilarating & exciting as the Chinatown Chase, now in its third year raising funds for the historic Hawai’i Theatre.  Scheduled for Saturday, February 28, it is an opportunity for you and nine of your best friends to have lots of fun while raising funds for the Hawai’i Theatre.  Many Hawai’i businesses have found this to be an excellent opportunity to promote their companies while giving their staff an incentive to have fun, literally letting their hair down since the organizers of the event encourage “creative team names & costuming.”

The theme for the Chinatown Chase is “Red Light / Red Carpet.”  Let that be an inspiration as well as a challenge.  The Chinatown Chase involves teams of ten who will gather at 5:30 PM to check in at the Hawai’i Theatre to warm up and to get hydrated.  At 6:30 the Chase begins.  Teams are given challenging clues, sending them through the Arts & Cultural District & Chinatown in search of more clues.  Along the way there will be an “evening of brilliant adventure, code cracking, daring feats, and pure fun.”

The Chinatown Chase is an excellent opportunity to reacquaint yourself with Chinatown and the Arts & Cultural districts, as participants visit art galleries, watering holes, restaurants, and landmarks in search of clues and challenges.  Teams should be back at the finish line (the Theatre) by 7:30 PM for nourishment and rehydration.  Neighborhood restaurants will be providing food & drink for the event, while a live band will perform and dancing is strongly encouraged.

There are three levels of sponsorship.  For $5000, “Barefoot Buddhas” are treated to a private bar & lounge in the VIP Red Light Lounge, private pours (premium liquors), a private after party at ThirtyNineHotel, a company logo placement on ChinatownChase.com, and ten complimentary tickets to an HTC performance.  For $2,500, “Kung Fu Fighters” will be treated to a private bar & lounge in the VIP Red Light Lounge, private pours, and that wonderful after party.  $1,500 gets you into the “Drunken Dragons,” with perhaps none of the perks listed previously, yet still entry into the event and all ensuing fun.

Speaking of ‘perks,’ the Hawai’i Theatre is encouraging and accepting Sponsors for their third Chinatown Chase.  It’s a great way for a company to get its name out there (hint, isn’t there a new airline flying around and a few terrific pet service venues?).  Among the Sponsors who have had the foresight to participate are The Honolulu Magazine, ThirtyNineHotel, Events International, ProServices Hawai’i / HR Administration, Ravenchase Adventures, and Wall to Wall Studios.

Though the fun, excitement, pupus, and drinks ought to be enough, there will be prizes for the winners: 1^st Prize, for a team of ten, wins five nights at the Four Seasons Resort The Lodge at Koele on the island of Lanai.  Another awesome prize will be dinner for ten at PF Chang.

To get your team registered, visit http://www.chinatownchase.com/ or call Charlotte at 808-791-1397.