There are so many fun things to do here on the island of O'ahu. Many of them are free - my favorite price! These include free lei making classes, free hula classes, free ukulele classes, free Hawaiian quilting, free movies on the beach, free band concerts and a host of other performances. One of the best resources is the events calendar by the City & County of Honolulu. Use the calendar to navigate then scroll down for the listings of events.
You won't want to miss Sunset on the Beach. On many weekends, part of Waikiki beach near Kapiolani park is turned into a giant outdoor movie theater. Food booths with great prices and live entertainment starts at 4pm. The movie starts at 7pm. See the City Calendar of Events for movie listings.
The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center is in the heart of Waikiki. They offer free classes in hula on Monday and Friday at 10am. They teach lei making on Monday and Wednesday at 11am. You'll find lessons in playing the ukulele (10am) and Hawaiian quilting (9:30am) on Tuesday and Thursday. See their web page for updated dates and times. Plan on showing up about 15 minutes early for the lei making lessons as class size is limited. And yes, you get to keep the lei you make. See their Calendar of Events.
Did you know that the State of Hawaii has the only full time, official state band? They are the Royal Hawaiian Band, founded in 1836. They offer a free one-hour concert that includes both Hawaiian classics and Classical Music from around the world. You'll find them on Fridays from noon-1pm at I'olani Palace and on Sundays from 2-3pm at the Kapiolani Park bandstand. See their http://www.royalhawaiianband.com/sked.htm Calendar of Events.
Chances are, you've found your way to Ala Moana Shopping Center, one of the largest malls in the world. While the trend here has been to move away from "local" offerings in favor of nationwide chain stores, you will find some good local entertainment at their amphitheater called "Center Stage". See their Calendar of Events.
You'll also find some great seasonal events including Christmas with Aloha and Aloha Festivals, a statewide celebration.
Other events calendars we'd recommend include: