Honolulu - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Honolulu's queer infrastructure is small and easy to take in. Almost everything sits in Waikīkī, the hotel district by the beach, with one club in Downtown. There is no gay district with rows of bars, but there are a few established addresses and an active foundation that organizes much of queer life on the island.

The anchor is Hula's Bar & Lei Stand on Kapahulu Avenue. This open-air bar is on the second floor of the Waikiki Grand Hotel and looks out over Diamond Head. It has been around for decades and describes itself as deeply rooted in LGBTQ+ Honolulu. Expect food, cocktails, live music, drag and DJs later in the evening. A few blocks away, on Koa Avenue inside the Stay Hotel, Wang Chung's runs a karaoke bar aimed at the LGBTQIA+ community and everyone else. Trivia and bingo nights round out the program. In Downtown, on Pauahi Street, Scarlet Honolulu offers a club with a large dance floor and drag performances.

Away from the bars, the LGBTQ+ Center Honolulu is an important address. It is located in the Waikīkī Business Plaza on Kalākaua Avenue and run by the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation. Nonprofit groups and partners can use the space free of charge for meetings, educational events and social meetups. The foundation also keeps a community calendar and a list of local support services.

Besides the center, the foundation produces Honolulu Pride in October and the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival in summer. Its Māhūi, a committee for culture and education, keeps Hawaiian history and the māhū tradition visible, for example through the Kapaemahu ceremony and community talks about queerness and indigeneity. For anyone curious about how queer life in Hawaiʻi connects with local culture, this is the best place to begin.