The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace

Arghhh.
I think the last music venue that was here was Paramour. There were so many people but still the venue closes.
There were concerts off on barges that were so awesome. I remember one New Years how cool it was that there was more than one band playing live to really great music. Covers and originals. Being able to walk around to the normal bars– going bar hopping to see what each place had as specials– compared to the $ 9 single beer at the new Kakaako NYE bash that charged cover tickets.
Yeah I miss the Waterfront.
So beautiful on the water.
Hopefully they will do something that helps both the new owners and the communities that enjoyed going there in the past.

We’ve enjoyed the Aloha Tower 3^th of July fireworks for years. When times are as bad as it is, they put on a spectacular fireworks display. I like that their fireworks show is the night before the 4^th and the kids can enjoy it without having to get to bed early since the next day is the 4^th of July holiday. The 4^th of July fireworks at Ala Moana is much to busy for us to brave the crowd. We’ll stick to the 3^rd of July at Aloha Tower instead. I hope it continues.

Worst outdoor venue ever.
They separated over/​under 21 with an awkward fence in the middle of the crowd.
Security is also horrible, not allowing anyone to crowdsurf or really do anything people would want to do when they drop $ 40-​$ 60 on a concert.

EDM Rave Event Tonight at Aloha Tower: «Univibe feat Adventure Club»

This place has POTENTIAL, but potential unfulfilled is shameful. That’s what I see everytime I attend an event here.
It’s perfectly situated where the sun sets behind the stage, so early evening events get a bright orange hue bouncing off the buildings, the trees, the tent, and the faces of attendees. That’s nice. And when a cruise ship is docked at the pier just behind the stage, that adds something special to the ambiance as well, like a really big hint that you’re in a place that’s worth traveling to.
The unfortunate parts of this facility are many. Firstly, its’ dated. If you take a close look at the adjoining gazebo buildings (for food and for beer), they are dirty and have not been painted in years. The roof to the stage is filthy from the Monkeypod tree poop, so whoever made the million dollar decision to put Monkeypod trees right where all the crap falls over performers and equipment must be CEO of some company by now. Pure brilliance.
Secondly, the audio is almost never good. I don’t think they have permantly installed speakers for performers, so it’s always the portable stuff they bring with them, and that’s usually never enough. It’s really hit-​and-​miss with being able to hear.
Thirdly, the absolutely majestic Royal Palms are placed in the absolutely worst location. There are two, one to each side of the stage, where if you’re unfortunately seated behind them, you’re not going to see the performance. I bet it was the same fool, I mean million dollar decision maker that made this call. Oh, the brilliance is blinding.
Fourthly, the chairs and tables are all buss’ up! Come on, you’ve got a Hawaii view with homeless-​style equipment. Why is it so hard to offer a first class experience? The recent Brown Bags to Stardom event I attended was woefully short on chairs, so many stood for the 4-​hour program. That’s not cool.
Back to the beginning… this place has POTENTIAL! I wish whomever is in charge would make some simple fixes, like moving the trees (although, they’re some huge suckers, so that is quite a task), clean the stage roof, paint the adjoining buildings, and come up with an audio solution so folks can actually hear. Finally, get some new plastic lawn furniture from Home Depot and spruce the place up a bit. You’ve go the hardest part done already… the sunset and the cruise ship!

The Waterfront is only open for special events since it involves closing off the main mall area around Aloha Tower, but it is one of the greatest places for an open air event. In the past year I’ve been to two events here, both with live entertainment and hundreds of guests. The one downer is the bathrooms — 4 stalls and a steaming hot bathroom that gets nasty pretty fast! It was obviously NOT designed to be host to hundreds of patrons abusing the bathroom, so it’s not efficient at all.
Stanky bathrooms aside, the open air venue with the ocean breezes, 360 views of aloha tower and multiple bars makes this a hot spot for a great night. Last year I went to Make A Wish fundraiser and this past weekend Hed Kandi so it is host to a very wide variety of events. The layout depends on the event and promoter, but the VIP areas up on the second floor for Hed Kandi were a great idea for a big event. This confirms «lucky we live Hawaii!»

I really like outdoor venues. My first show I went to was right after high school, Van’s Warped Tour way back when, set me on that path. Maybe it was the performance (FOSTER THE PEOPLE) where they had no opener and played every song in Torches. Maybe it was the weather, beautiful Hawaii with no rain this week. Or maybe it was the good company I kept that night.
The vibe of the crowd was good. I even lost my MackBerry for a few minutes and a girl passed it back. THANKS random girl.
The venue: They split sections one side for the 21+ drinkers and one side for the under 21 crowd. The water wasn’t ridiculously priced like how I am use to (it was only $ 3). BUT well drinks started at $ 6, which I guess is decent especially in Hawaii. The staff was overall friendly. Me and Co. were in the 18+ line, but the staff was gracious enough to call the Super over and clear a few of us with the 21+ band of honor. haha
Parking on the lot to the left as you look at Aloha Tower was $ 5 for the weekends so that was waay better than anywhere in Hawaii.
Overall I had a great experience and I’m definitely looking forward to more events here.

Unilocal 365 Challenge #62/​365
Formerly known as the Pier Bar
Then, it moved onto Kapono’s
Now, it is «The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace»
I remember when it was first opened right after Aloha Tower Marketplace was renovated.
I remember concerts that I went to at Aloha Tower back in the 90’s
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Cyprus Hill
Faith No More
Battle of the Bands (local bands)
I actually remember when the entire Aloha Marketplace was jumping not only with sales but the restaurants AND the night scene (Fat Tuesday’s, Gordon Biersch, etc). This was one of THE places to hang out besides The Row Bar at Restaurant Row.
The Waterfront also holds parties or functions because I had my company Christmas party in the early 2000 (shows my age, yes?)
Now, besides a smattering of restaurants and retail stores, Waterfront is a venue for small concerts that Bamp Army and 101.9 is hosting such as One Republic, Paramore and recently 30 Seconds to Mars.
If you do come here for a concert or eating, I am going to recommend that you valet your car.
For concerts, I would recommend that you come early and stand in line because this venue is small.
Note to Bamp Army and 101.9, the set-​up is poor here and the security is lacking especially when there were a lot of underage peeps being escorted out of the 21 and over section.
Overall, this is a nice place to hold events and small concerts. But, I prefer Kakaako or NBC for concerts over The Waterfront.

One of the many benefits of living on a paradise isle is that you can do so many things outdoors with our near perfect weather. The Waterfront venue makes the most of this … picture it: breezy, open, lots of space to mingle, mulitple food and bar areas and great acoustics make this an awesome venue for large-​scale events. I’ve attended parties here (crazy sexy ghoul), fundraisers (AUW) and finally got to experience a concert here (Paramore! :) last night.
This was the most fun, casual and laid-​back concert experience i’ve ever had (with the exception of bbq’ing behind the shell at bday bash… lol). To avoid the log-​jam of getting in and out of the parking lot at the marketplace as well as to pregame at Bar35, we street parked in downtown (free on King street after 6:30) and walked the few short blocks to the venue thereafter.
Arriving just before the opening act was scheduled, getting in was a breeze and though it was a sold-​out concert, I never felt overly crowded. I agree with Justin U. — get more restroom facilites! I never waited long to use the restroom but really, 4 stalls in the permanent facility and only about 8 porta’s…not sufficient.
I’m not sure where the VIP area was set-​up but I thought general admission was the way to go. In the areas marked 21 & over, there were chairs and tables with still a decent view of the stage. From that area you’re still able to maneuver your way closer to the stage if you want to get in on a little more dancing and hopping around with the masses.
I absolutely loved the concert experience here and will definitely take advantage of it more often now that I know how pleasant it is!
#25/​365

Concerts are held here, Halloween parties are held here. They even have the rice festivals, so basically it’s a nice venue to hold big events here.
I shouldn’t comment on the events, since it’s all about the location and beautiful view of the harbor. Whenever you get to dine here, the water is such a calming sight. There’s usually plenty of parking, if not opt for valet and it’s very reasonable especially when the shopping center validates.
We usually bring our out of town guests here, so we can enjoy a decent meal with seating closest to the harbor. Something about the ships in the distance, the docked dinner cruises and the calm water that just sets the mood. I almost feel like I’m on our first date as we let our guest gush over the weather, the scenery and allow them to enjoy being off the plane.
Gordon Biersch, Hooters, Don Ho’s, just to name a few that has views.

This is a gorgeous outdoor venue! I’ve been to the Waterfront for many different events over the years from fundraisers to concerts to fashion shows. The most magical part of the venue is watching the sun sizzle into the harbor during the early evening. It’s breathtaking and truly makes you take a minute to appreciate the fact that you live in Hawaii.
Crystal, the events manager, is wonderful to work with as she’s done such a huge variety of events in the space that she’s almost instantly able to tell you what is and is not going to work regarding staging and table configurations. I recommend using the Waterfront if you’re doing a large scale event as the space can be daunting and your event will not look full unless you’re got a couple hundred guests. Another alternative is that they have a side area which is covered and can be used for smaller gatherings.
They can provide all the tables, chairs, linens in house and have a long list of vendors they’ve worked with in the past if you have additional needs such as catering, lighting, sound, security, etc. The Waterfront is owned by Events International which is a professional events company which also does large scale corporate events. It’s reassuring to know you’re working with the real deal. When I’ve unloaded for events here I’ve always appreciated that the guys who work at the Waterfront are always nice enough to help me move my big boxes with hand trucks.

I’ve been here for couple of recent concerts and both shows were fun! I was out in the general admission area for Ozomatli and split time between the premium/​VIP seating area and general admission area for hiphop group Blackstar. Here’s a few things to know before you go:
–it’s close enough to chinatown to go there before and than walk to the show; just choose your parking wisely to avoid having the lot close before the concert ends
–most of the area around the stage isn’t covered; you could get a little wet if showers blow through in the middle of the show
–while not incredible (what do you expect; it’s outdoors), the acoustics were fine overall
–give yourself plenty of time for parking as well as to make it through the line to get into the venue
–the premium seating area was more expensive but worked well. We were close enough to the stage to clearly see Mos Def and Talib Kweli as they performed, had easy access to drinks and food and didn’t feel completely «packed in like sardines» on a relatively warm night in Honolulu

#48/​365
A cool place to have a concert as the view of the ocean is nice. I came here to watch the 4^th of july fireworks this past summer and it was nice, super crowded though. On my recent occasion i went to concert and they had multiple bands playing on 3 diff stages so that was cool to migrate from the different stages. Overall pretty good…