October is Pride month in Hawaii, so get ready for some parties, concerts and other festivities celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Next weekend, the Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation will host a series of activities celebrating LGBT History Month, National Coming Out Day and Spirit Day. They will be the foundation’s first in-person activities since 2019, so they’re expected to be big.
THROUGH OCT. 29
Activities are already underway at the Arts at Marks Garage, which is holding an Arts of Pride exhibit. The multimedia exhibit features new pieces as well as a pop-up for prints and copies. Half of all sales will be donated to Marks Garage. The gallery will hold a Pau Hana Meet and Greet at 5 p.m. Oct. 28. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
Info: artsatmarks.com
TODAY
New York-born and raised artist Iniko performs tonight at The Republik. The singer/songwriter, who is nonbinary and uses the pronouns they/them, became a sensation in May with their hit “The King’s Affirmation,” which got 40 million views on Instagram and resulted in a contract with Columbia Records.
Iniko is known for transforming hit songs into something unique and original: “The King’s Affirmation,” for example, began with Iniko freestyling off the song “Do We Have a Problem?” by Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby. The resulting song contains traces of the original background melodic pattern but otherwise bears little resemblance to the original. Other Iniko hits include “Caught a Body,” “Pinocchio” and “Motion.” Iniko’s soulful sound has gained more than 1 million followers on TikTok.
Presented by Black Bazaar HNL, the concert is billed as a “Pride N Seek” concert. Tickets are $40 general admission to $225 for a VIP meet-and-greet. Music is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. with local singer/songwriter Irie Love opening.
Info: jointherepublik.com
THURSDAY-OCT. 23
The Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival returns to in-person screenings for the first time in two years, with six feature films showing for live audiences and 26 streamed free at HRFF.org.
“Although everyone loves the comfort of streaming films at home, nothing beats watching a film in a theater, on the big screen, and with fellow film enthusiasts,” said Festival Director Brandin Shim in a press release.
The festival opens Thursday at 6 p.m. at Consolidated Theatres Ward with “Wildhood,” about a teenager’s search for his mother, a member of the Mi’kmaq, a First Nations people of Canada. The film won eight awards at Canadian film festivals.
The other features will screen at Doris Duke Theatre. Highlights include “When Men Were Men,” about a young actor struggling with gender identity (2 p.m. Oct. 21); Peter McDowell’s documentary “Jimmy In Saigon” about the mysterious death of his brother (2 p.m. Oct. 22); and “Potato Dreams of America,” a dark comedy based on writer/ director’s Wes Hurley’s escape from the Soviet Union to America (7 p.m. Oct. 22).
Tickets are $10 per film, $75 for an all-access pass.
The festival concludes with a fundraising party at 5 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Hawai‘i State Art Museum. $40.
Info: HRFF.org
FRIDAY
Bishop Museum is hosting an after-hours event called “Mahu Madness” as a closing ceremony for “The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu” exhibition. The show is about four stones that were placed at Waikiki in ancient times in honor of four mahu — gender-fluid people — who brought their healing skills from Tahiti to Hawaii. The evening will offer visitors the final opportunity to see the exhibition. Tickets to the after-hours event are $5 to $10.
Info: bishopmuseum.org
SATURDAY
Festivities ratchet up Saturday with a Pride Parade and Festival. The event drew about 8,500 people in 2019, and organizers are expecting large crowds again this year.
“I think this year, the Pride Parade is going to be the biggest we’ve ever had,” said Ian Tapu, a board member of the Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation, citing a list of businesses and community organizations who are participating in the parade. “Since COVID, there’s been a void of community. People want to see each other, build relationships, but also (are) wanting to be affirmed.”
Themed “Rooted in Pride,” the event will include a parade from Magic Island down Waikiki to Kapiolani Park starting at 10 a.m., followed by a Pride Festival at Diamond Head Greens adjacent to the Waikiki Shell. Two stages will feature guest entertainers like Jiggly Caliente, Olivia Lux and Rock M Sakura from the reality TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” as well as local performers Candi Shell, Marina Del Rey and Derek Daniels.
“There’s a really good array of talent, locally and nationally,” Tapu said.
One of the visiting performers will be singer/songwriter Jordy, who in addition to appearing Saturday will give a concert at Hawaii Theatre on Sunday (details below).
Info: honolulupride.org
OCT. 16
Pop artist Jordy has scored a series of hits with his romantic, danceable slice-of-life songs, beginning with 2018’s “Just Friends,” which he said was inspired by all the rejections he had experienced.
“There were a couple of guys that I was hanging out with, and I thought the vibes were good, and they pulled the ‘I just wanna be friends’ card, and I was like, ‘You know, I’m gonna write a song about that,’ ” he told the website Pride.com, which called him “the vulnerable pop singer we can’t help but fall for.”
Jordy followed that up with the single “Long Distance,” which went viral on TikTok in 2021 and led to an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show. His debut album “Mind Games” was released in 2021 and he recently released a new single, “IDK SH!T,” which refers to the trials and tribulations of young adulthood.
Jordy said he has always been open about his sexuality and considers himself lucky to have grown up in a supportive environment. “If I could use that comfort to inspire other people to be comfortable with themselves, that’s my main goal,” he told Pride.com.
The concert is at 7 p.m. Oct. 16; tickets are $25 to $40.
Info: hawaiitheatre.com
