Neal S Blaisdell Center, 777 Ward Avenue (tel: (808) 591 2211; website: www.blaisdellcenter.com), is Honolulu's primary special-event venue. It encompasses a multi-purpose Arena, Exhibition Hall, Galleria and Concert Hall that can accommodate a wide range of events, from concerts and plays to sports competitions and trade shows. Resting in the shadow of Diamond Head across from famed Waikiki Beach, the Waikiki Shell (tel: (808) 591 2211; website: www.blaisdellcenter.com/venues/waikikishell.html) is a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre for concerts and dance presentations that are most dramatic in the evening, when the moon and stars shine overhead. It seats 2,400 people, with room for an additional 6,000 on the lawn.

When it opened its doors in 1922, the Hawaii Theatre, 1130 Bethel Street (tel: (808) 528 0506; website: www.hawaiitheatre.com) was the most elegant venue in Honolulu for plays, variety shows, musicals and silent films. Over the years, it fell into disrepair, but a spirited community effort saved it from the wrecking ball in 1986. Listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places, it reopened a decade later as a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose performance centre.

The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau's website, www.gohawaii.com, includes a current, comprehensive calendar of major cultural events.