Thousands loll on beach to enjoy flicks, food

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Those waiting for the start of the movies at Sunset on the Beach Saturday were treated to a beautiful Hawaiian sunset. Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser Movie schedule Sunset on the Beach takes place from 4 to 9:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. Movies start at 6 p.m. Saturday — "Star Wars" Sunday — "Titanic" Jan. 5 — "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" Jan. 6 — "American Graffiti" Jan. 12 — "Superman" Jan. 13 — "Hawaii" Jan. 13 — "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"

Toes in the sand, pizza in hand and, of course, a kickin' live band. This was cool.

Drake, 2, and his father, Mike, happened by the weekly gathering during their late-afternoon bike ride around Kapi'olani Park.

"I've seen this when I've been out surfing, but I never actually stopped by and stayed," Mike Sapp said.

Seated comfortably amid a few hundred tourists and kama'aina at Queen's Beach, the elder and younger Sapps bobbed their heads in time with the music and watched the last rays of the day shining through the low purple clouds on the horizon.

The city started the Sunset on the Beach program in November as a way to encourage interaction between visitors and the local community. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly favorable, with crowds regularly numbering in the thousands.

And what's not to like? Food from local restaurants such as Furusato, Davey Jones Ribs, Auntie Pasto's and Royal Hawaiian Hot Dog and Shave Ice, live music and a feature film shown on a 30-foot screen right on the sand. The food is reasonably priced ($4 to $8 for most dishes) and everything else is free.

Earlybirds get the cafe-style tables and chairs, but many others prefer a blanket on the sand.

"This is kind of a neat scene," Mike Sapp said. "I didn't think he'd like it this much. I'm probably going to get my wife and come back next week."

That's just what Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris wanted to hear. Harris, who was on hand to greet the crowd, said he wants to reintroduce Waikiki to island families and, in the process, give Hawai'i's visitors what they most want.

"All of the surveys the visitor industry conducts show that the one thing visitors want is to meet the people who live here and learn about the culture," Harris said. "Here, they can sit on a blanket next to someone who lives here and find out what it's like to live here."

Harris said the weekend crowds are about 80 percent local — a positive sign in his eyes.

"It's great because people are coming back to re-experience Waikiki," he said. "People who grew up here, surfed here as children, have not felt welcomed. They felt Waikiki had become sort of a tourist enclave. Now they feel welcomed."

Doug Wong of 'Aina Haina came to see his son's band, Kahua, perform. He said the weekly gatherings are "a great idea."

"It's so beautiful here with the sunset," he said. "I would never come here except for an event like this. I might come (to Waikiki) for dinner or something, but not to the beach like this."

Imagine: Waikiki as Hidden Hawai'i.

Dale Matsumoto said she can't even remember the last time she ventured into Waikiki.

Members of the Young family like to sit on the grass and watch the movie during Sunset on the Beach. Most people in attendance watch the movie from the other direction, on the sand.

"We decided to stick around," Matsumoto said. "It's a nice family thing. I didn't expect to see so many local people."

By the time "Star Trek — The Wrath of Khan" started rolling, at least 500 people had taken positions — prone, supine, head-back-and-snoring — on the sand. Fifty yards off shore, a pair of teenagers straddled their surfboards as the Starship Enterprise hit warp speed on the big screen.

Pete Gaines of Manoa came equipped with a beach chair, a thermos of hot coffee, something other than cream and sugar to add to the coffee (we're not telling) and a book in case the movie didn't measure up.

Elaine Fleet and her son, Kevin, visitors from Victoria, British Colombia, saw an advertisement for the event and decided that seafood and Star Trek outdoors sounded like a great idea — particularly in the middle of December.

"We're coming back for 'Forrest Gump' tomorrow," Fleet said.