Editorial
Brunch at the beach an idea long overdue

The Harris administration and the Waikiki Improvement Association have come up with an idea that should prove to be a winner: "Brunch on the Beach." Well, actually, it's more of a food festival with entertainment on a blocked-off portion of Kalakaua Avenue, but you get the point.

For years it has been obvious that one way to revitalize Waikiki is to get more local folks back in the area. But how?

What Waikiki needed was something special, something that only it could offer.

The plan is to close a two-block stretch of Kalakaua fronting the Duke Kahanamoku statue one Sunday morning a month. Tables and umbrellas would be set up and restaurants and hotels would set up food booths. Local entertainers would perform.

Think of it as a form of Taste of Honolulu, fronting world-famous Waikiki Beach.

This event should be an important test of two things: Can Kalakaua be converted, even temporarily, into a pedestrian-friendly open-air venue for visitor and resident alike?

And is there something that will draw Islanders into this tourist enclave?

Resort areas around the world have discovered that tourists most enjoy doing something that attracts and involves local residents. From Tokyo's Ginza Sundays to the Champs Elysee, these experiments in strolling, eating, shopping and mixing with the locals are big successes.

It should work here, too. And if it does, why not every Sunday?