This time, it's for real.
On Oct. 25, Aloha Stadium and TMR events are hosting an "Aloha to Aloha Stadium" concert, an a hui hou event for Aloha Stadium. Doors open at 4 p.m. at the stadium's lower Hālawa lot, with tickets priced at $10 per person. Families of six can purchase tickets for $5 per person as part of a promotion.
In February 2023, an Aloha to Aloha Stadium event was held, where fans could walk on the field and tour the locker rooms. Back then, there was no date in sight towards a new Aloha Stadium. This time around, a target date of March 2029 between developed Aloha Hālawa District Partners and the New Aloha Stadium District Partners (AHDP) has been solidified since August.
"I think it's two different events," Aloha Stadium communications specialist Samantha Spain said at Thursday's Stadium Authority meeting. "The one that we did in 2023 really focused on coming in, walking through the stadium, being able to go through the lockers, meeting the university players (from different eras). We did have some entertainment, but not a lot. It was kind of more of like being able to walk the halls before they kind of tear it down, whereas this one is really a closing. ... Two different feels, but two great experiences.
"The [2023 event] really was a farewell to the inside to the stadium. ... We're pretty much done with the inside [of the stadium]."
The Aloha to Aloha Stadium concert, which intentionally falls on a University of Hawai‘i football bye week, will feature performances from Henry Kapono and a handful of other prominent local artists.
Organizers are also setting up a fireworks show from the stadium's current playing surface, though fans won't be able to enter the playing field. Tailgating for the Oct. 25 event will also be prohibited.
As for current updates on the new Aloha Stadium, NASED project director David Harris said during Thursday's Stadium Authority meeting that they're currently in the "schematic design phase."
"It's an iterative design process," Harris said when asked what that entails, "and the Stadium Authority was involving in that, taking what was kind of pretty pictures. ... The concept design is obviously a little bit more than that, a process that involves more iterative detail, making sure that it fits within the cost plan and can be built and then ultimately end up with the final construction."
Dismantling of the current Aloha Stadium, one of the first physical steps towards building a new one, is still scheduled for January 2026.
Fans of the University of Hawai‘i football team can catch a glimpse of what the new Aloha Stadium may look like when they tune in to team's game on Saturday, a road contest at Colorado State.
Stadium Authority chair Eric Fujimoto noted that former chair Brennon Morioka had multiple conversations with the developers of Canvas Stadium, the 36,500-seat home of Colorado State's football team. Although the new Aloha Stadium is initially projected to have 22,500 seats, Canvas Stadium is viewed by developers as a successful model for an exciting environment for non-power conference teams.
"Canvas would be kind of like that, I don't know what will be same and what will be different in what they're rebuilding, but it's a functional stadium that I feel when it's done right, that's the excitement," Fujimoto said.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
