Enjoy some Waikiki entertainment for free

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Ten freebies, for day or night excursions:

1 — Pau hana outdoor sounds: Friday afternoon shows, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Kapi'olani Park Bandstand. Local names perform blues, Hawaiiana, ki ho'alu, salsa, reggae and pop. 523-4674.

2 — Up in the sky ... fireworks: Every Friday, off the Hilton Hawaiian Village beach. Fireworks at 8 p.m. April through September, 7:30 p.m. October through March.

A King's Jubilee Show, on the hotel grounds, precedes the sky show. 949-4321.

3 — No cover, no minimum, no seats: If you don't mind standing, you can soak up island music at several spots. You need to approach these sites from the public beach right-of-ways. Check out:

• The Mai Tai Bar, at the Surf Room, Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Here, you can savor the sounds of Keith and Carmen Haugen, Kelly "Boy" DeLima, Augie Rey Trio, Leon and Koa Siu, Tino Berinobis. Hours vary, but music happens from 4:30 p.m. some days, 7:30 p.m. others, till 9:30 or 10:30.
• Duke's Waikiki, Outrigger Waikiki Hotel. Music from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, with Koa'uka, Simplisity, Henry Kapono, and Jonah Cummings; if you're a late-nighter, Makana and Haumea Warrington perform from 10 p.m. to midnight.
• House Without a Key, Halekulani Hotel. The setting's perfect — Diamond Head over yonder, the ocean right there, the sun ready to sink into the horizon. And from 5 p.m. daily, there's old-fashioned hula and steel guitar, from Po'okela, Pa'ahana, The Islanders and Aloha Serenaders.
• Banyan Veranda, at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel. Music from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. most days.

4 — Learn about a princess: The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel, named for Princess Victoria Ka'iulani, sits on the former Ainahau Estate where she lived. The hotel offers guided weekday tours, from 4 p.m., starting at Lloyd Sexton's portrait of the princess. 922-5811.

5 — Street fleet: When the sun goes down, a motley crew of street performers dots the sidewalks of Kalakaua Avenue, between Ka'iulani and Royal Hawaiian avenues. See Silver Man, Gold Man, a saxophonist, and occasionally an ensemble of Hare Krishna devotees. They work for tips.

6 — Take a hike: If you think you know Waikiki, think again. A Waikiki Historic Trail Tour (with guides), pointing out landmarks that give the area its legacy, has been expanded into two free walks.

The Queen's Tour, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. weekdays and from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturdays, starts at the Visitor Information Station at Kalakaua and Kapahulu avenues. The trek snakes through Waikiki, between Kapi'olani Park and the International Market Place, and you can discover where Prince Kuhio, Princess Ka'iulani and King Kalakaua lived. 841-6442, 843-8002.

The Kalia Tour, from 9 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, starting at Bishop Museum at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Kalia Tower, scours the Kalia district, considered Waikiki's place of healing and rest, and includes a trek to Fort DeRussy. 841-6442, 843-8002.

7 — Bench warming: At sundown, park your 'okole on a bench along the Ala Wai, or grab a seat along the wall at Kuhio Beach or on a bench. See babies in carriages, being pushed by working moms trying to get into the fitness track. Watch paddlers in the canal, or surfers off shore. Pack a quickie dinner, and you have a front-row-center glimpse of humanity in action.

8 — Visit Elvis and The Beatles: Free Elvis. Free Beatles. Sort of. Elvis impressionist Bill Burgher interprets The King, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. every Thursday, at the Rock Island Cafe, the hideaway soda fountain and memorabilia shop, tucked in the King's Village in Waikiki. And every other Saturday (with one Sunday adjustment soon), from 7 to 10:30 p.m., Rubber Soul, Hawai'i's Beatles impersonation act, make like the mop tops, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. (next times are April 13 and April 28). Rock Island Cafe serves sodas and shakes, but there's no required purchase. 923-8033.

9 — Life's a beach — with hula: Kuhio Beach torch lighting and hula show, 7 to 8 pm. daily, at Kuhio Beach Park Hula Mound, near the Duke Kahanamoku statue, on Kalakaua Avenue at Uluniu St. Hula show with hula lessons, Mondays through Thursdays; hula performances only, Fridays through Sundays. 523-4674.

10 — Window shop: Waikiki is a wonderland for window-shopping. Between the merchandise glimpses, you may want to meander to a show spot or two, to rest your feet, or simply discover a new entertainment favorite. Check out:

• DFS Galleria show. "Aloha Waikiki" Boat Day Show, 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.
• International Market Place stage. Entertainment from 6 to 9 p.m. daily.
• Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center stage. Beaucoup entertainment, various times day and night.
• Waikiki Town Center second floor stage. Polynesian show, 7 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday.