Square Kady Pascual Headshot RGZ5762

Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"You can’t even tell them apart!"}]

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

WaikikiBrewingCo_Street

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The guest trap</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @WaikikiBrewingCo_Street, whose servers are switching places.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The guest trap

You can’t even tell them apart!  Make sure you follow @WaikikiBrewingCo_Street on Instagram! For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter!

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"Ring in the holidays with these festive pop-ups across O‘ahu:"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Grinchmas Bar"}]

 features festive decorations and lights. Seasonal cocktails ($16 each) include The Grinch, Jack Frost, gingerbread martinis, spiked hot cocoa and more. 

: Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m. to midnight Fridays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"MAKANA"}]

: ‘Alohilani Resort Waikīkī Beach, 2490 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu 

i holiday pop-up bar features an immersive holiday environment with festive décor, warm lights and tropical greenery. Located at the resort’s Oceanarium Lounge, the pop-up is designed for attendees ages 21 years and older, and features a line-up of themed holiday cocktails.

Valet ($15) and self-parking available for up to three hours for attendees. 

: 4-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 4 p.m. to midnight Fridays-Saturdays through Jan. 1, 2026 (grand opening Dec. 9)

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Spirits of the Season"}]

: Prince Waikīkī, 100 Holomoana St., Honolulu 

: Prince Waikīkī’s Spirits of the Season menu features creative cocktails from some of Honolulu’s top mixologists. Guests can find these expertly crafted cocktails at both, 100 Sails Restaurant & Bar and the resort’s Hinana Bar.

Several of the featured mixologists will be on-site at 100 Sails Restaurant & Bar from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 8, 9 and 15. 

princewaikiki.com/dine/spirits-of-the-season/

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Christmas Bar Hawaiʻi"}]

 is tucked away within Tiki’s Grill & Bar. The pop-up is known for its festive drinks and over-the-top décor.

Enjoy new beverages like Very Merry Spritz ($22), Minty Express ($19), Santa’s Nightcap ($21) and Campfire Old Fashioned ($19).

No reservations are accepted; first-come, first-served. 

: Open 2-11:30 p.m. weekdays, noon to 11:30 p.m. on weekends until Dec. 30

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Christmas Lodge"}]

: The Christmas Lodge pop-up is located in the former Chili’s space at Pearlridge Center. It features a cozy ski lodge theme; attendees must be age 21 years and older. This year, you can expect more seating, updated drinks, and crowd favorites like Butter Beer.

If you enjoy spooky vibes, ask to visit the Krampus Lair speakeasy, which is in a hidden section of The Christmas Lodge. You can find beers and the speakeasy’s exclusive Zombie drink. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Naughty List Lounge"}]

What: The Boardroom Kailua’s holiday pop-up bar features tasty specials and seasonal drinks. Specials include housemade local butternut squash soup ($16), housemade loaded bacon and potato soup ($16), 14-ounce prime rib with house chimichurri ($62) and desserts (all $12) like housemade holiday ube cheesecake, orange rosemary crème brulee, handmade apple pie empanadas and more.

Holiday cocktails include Santa’s Night Cap ($15), French Kiss ($16), White Christmas Cosmo ($16), Sleigh Queen ($16) and The Nice List ($16). Celebratory bottles of bubbles ($35) will also be available. 

: 5 p.m. to closing Wednesdays to Sundays; guests can make reservations via Yelp 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Winter Garden Room"}]

: Romer House Waikīkī, 415 Nahua St., Honolulu 

: While it’s not necessarily a cocktail bar, the Winter Garden Room is a seasonally transformed private dining room where attendees can enjoy 855-ALOHA’s full food menu. Guests are invited to enjoy live acoustic Christmas music, “snowfall,” the eatery’s holiday cocktail (The White Christmas margarita) and The Lei Stand’s holiday cocktail (Rum-Rum Rudolph Eggnog).

Romer House Waikīkī is hosting its Sparkle & Shine event in The Winter Garden Room on Dec. 14. Tickets cost $89 per person; this event will include Osetra caviar, chilled oysters, charcuterie, live holiday music by Cory Oliveros and “snowfall” every 30 minutes from 5:15 to 7:45 p.m. 

: “Snowfall” will be available daily at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. nightly until Dec. 31

 for more information about Sparkle and Shine

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Valor Hawaiʻi"}]

i (located at Pearlridge Center’s Wai Makai food court) just launched its holiday cocktail menu.

Enjoy new drinks like Koloa cane fire shot ($9), Grinch Punch ($12), peppermint espresso martini ($12), fig Old Fashioned ($13), Jack Frost ($12) and Abuelita’s hot cocoa ($12). 

: 12 to 10 p.m. daily (11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays) until Dec. 31

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Winter Wonderland"}]

: 1450 Ala Moana Blvd. Space 1310, Honolulu 

: This Christmas-themed pop-up bar will be open in the former Surfers Bakery space at Ala Moana Center. You can look forward to holiday drinks, festive surprises and dreamy décor. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Yules Truly"}]

: Yours Truly, a cocktail bar tucked away in Downtown Honolulu, gets a festive makeover and transforms to Yules Truly during the holidays.

Enjoy speakeasy-exclusive drinks like Oh Pear Tree ($18), Ginger Gentleman ($18) and Jingle Java ($18). In the speakeasy, guests can place their orders by filling out a postcard with their name and order, and receiving their cocktail through an assigned mailbox.

The lounge area also features exclusive drinks like North Pole Potion ($18) and Island Wonderland ($18).

: Now through Dec. 30 (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) 

Holiday cocktails The Christmas Lodge 120425

<title>Christmas pop-ups to check out this holiday season</title>

No matter what vibe you’re going for, one of these Christmas bars is sure to satisfy.

Christmas pop-ups to check out this holiday season

Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

On Wednesday, 2001 Baldwin alumnus Kurt Suzuki was formally introduced as the new manager of the Los Angeles Angels, becoming the first full-time Major League Baseball manager born in Hawai‘i. 

Suzuki, who was born and raised in Wailuku, starred collegiately at Cal State Fullerton before getting selected in the second round of the 2004 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. He made his MLB debut with the A's in 2007 and went on to play 16 seasons in the majors with five different franchises, earning All-Star honors with the Minnesota Twins in 2014 and a World Series ring with the Washington Nationals in 2019. 

Prior to retiring as a player in 2022, Suzuki most recently played for the Angels. He has struck around with the organization in his post-playing career and was named a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian prior to the 2023 season. 

"I don't know if I've ever been this excited to give someone an opportunity like this," Minasian said of hiring Suzuki for the role on Wednesday. "The individual on my right is one of the best human beings you will ever meet in baseball and outside of baseball. To me, that is something really, really important in a leadership role. This is an exciting day. It really is."

The Angels have not played in the postseason since 2014 and have not had a winning season since 2015. Tasked with the role of changing the team's fortunes in 2026, Suzuki said he's embracing the opportunity despite having never managed at the big league level before. 

"This does mean a lot to me, and I'm excited for this opportunity," Suzuki said. "I'm excited to work for this fanbase, for this ownership, for this front office and especially for the players. I've been in that building, I've been in those shoes before. It's a grind, and I feel like I can relate to these guys on every single level. I've been on teams with high expectations that haven't won. I've been on teams that have had low expectations and won. I feel like I can relate to both parties and I think that's one of my strengths but I'm super excited like I said for this opportunity. I'm ready to get going, to get to work, and like Perry said, there's goals here. There's standards here that we're gonna set and I'm looking forward to it." 

Suzuki, 42, is receiving just a one-year contract. Despite the short window to prove himself, he believes he can lean on his staying power as a player to relate to the current team, which went 72-90 in 2025. 

"I think the last six years of my career were on one-year deals, right? And I just kept going," Suzuki said with a laugh. "I want to be here. I want to do this job. I feel like throughout my career, I've had to prove myself every single year. It doesn't scare me. It only fuels me to be better. I'm always looking for ways to be better as a coach, as a person, as a mentor, whatever you want to call it. One-year deal doesn't scare me. It is what it is. I'm gonna do my job to the best of my ability and go from there."

While Suzuki will officially become the first full-time MLB manager born in Hawai‘i when the Angels open their 2026 regular season against the Houston Astros on March 26, Waiākea alumnus Kai Correa was the first from the Islands to manage a game, doing so on an interim basis for the San Francisco Giants to end the 2023 season. Correa, who went 1-2 as a manager, was named the bench coach for the New York Mets on Oct. 15. 

Although Suzuki's MLB career has taken him away from the Islands, he still takes tremendous pride in his roots.

"It makes me feel proud. Obviously my roots in Hawai‘i is something special to myself and I've made that known," Suzuki said. "I'm proud to be from Hawai‘i and I'm proud to be from the small island of Maui and to be sitting here talking today as the manager for the Angels, it's special. I hope I can be a good role model for these kids growing up. I hope I can give these kids dreams and goals to strive for as they get older in whatever they embark on in their lives. It's just to help people, help kids in general. Just give these kids hope and dreams and goals. 

"That's a big thing for myself, especially coming from Maui, understanding the challenges that there are from a small island out in the middle of the Pacific. Me sitting here today, if I can impact one kid, I've done my job. That's what the hope is for and I'm excited to do this."

Minasian, who enters the 2026 season on the final year of his contract with the Angels, is in lockstep with Suzuki in that regard.

"There's nobody else I'd rather have sitting here right now," he said of Suzuki. "Somebody equated the baseball season to going into a submarine. You're with each other for a long time. Once the hatch closes, there's no getting out of the submarine. You better like who's in it. Again, there's nobody I'd rather be in the submarine with."

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The guest trap

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Gotta catch ‘em all — at Ala Moana Center: voices from Pokémon GO’s “Wild Area: Global” event

Starbucks holiday launch draws crowds for limited-edition cups

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Most read

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The guest trap

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media Editor

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Gotta catch ‘em all — at Ala Moana Center: voices from Pokémon GO’s “Wild Area: Global” event

Starbucks holiday launch draws crowds for limited-edition cups

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Most read