Catch football, surf contests, Henry Kapono, and ʻOlympics of the piano’ : Friday, Aug. 22 to Sunday, Aug. 24

FRIDAY, AUG. 22

Birthday Bash! Catch live music at FM100’s Birthday Bash! Featured music on the first night includes Henry Kapono, Kapena, and more. The second night features Ekolu, Ooklah the Moc, Kanaka Fyah and more. The two-day music festival takes place at the Wai Kai Events Lawn in ʻEwa Beach. Tickets are $29 - $79.  Details.

Duke Kahanamoku OceanFest. The annual festival is underway! Still ahead is a parent-assisted keiki surf fest, the ocean mile swim, the Na Koa Wounded Warrior Canoe Regatta, surfboard water polo and more. The week-long festival draws local and international contestants. The event raises funds for scholarships and grants for Hawaiʻi athletes. Details.

Watch “Chief of War.” Want to enjoy a night in? Turn on “Chief of War,” which stars Jason Momoa, on Apple TV+. The series features the story of Kaʻiana, played by Momoa, as he tries to unify the Islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century. The first two episodes dropped Aug. 1, with an additional episode appearing every Friday through Sept. 19. The show was written and executive produced by Momoa and Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett. Check it out on Apple TV+.

SATURDAY, AUG. 23

Football. Catch the first football game of the season, where the Rainbow Warriors take on Stanford University at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Tickets start at $22. Matt Elliott, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s new athletic director, announced that Spectrum Sports will stream the games for free in the 2025-2026 season. The game will also be aired nationally by CBS.

Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival. Enjoy an evening of live music from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Waikīkī Aquarium. Children 12 years old and younger get free admission. Featured performers include Ledward Kaapana, Kalaʻe Parish, Darrell Aquino and more. The event benefits the Waikīkī Aquarium. General admission is $20. Details.

SUNDAY, AUG 24

Keʻalohi International Piano Competition. The top three performers will play with the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra at 4 p.m. at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall. The winner of this competition takes home a $10,000 cash award. The contest draws pianists from around the world to O’ahu this month. Aloha State Daily spoke with Lisa Nakamichi, the founder of competition, about the contest she calls “the Olympics of the piano.” Buy tickets. 

Henry Kapono pays tribute to Jimmy Buffett. Join the Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning singer and songwriter Henry Kapono, who will perform a tribute to his friend Jimmy Buffett. Kapono performs regularly from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Duke’s Waikīkī as part of a series called “Duke’s on Sunday.” For the last hour of each performance, music is livestreamed on Facebook. Read more about Kapono’s new extended play “Summertime,” which features six songs. It is free to watch the livestream, or get dinner at Duke’s Waikīkī to catch the show in person.

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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.