The year 2024 was a big one for Hawaii’s entertainment and arts communities with the opening of a major brand-name show in Waikiki, the world premiere of a Disney animated juggernaut and return engagements by island favorites.

Here are some of the highlights:

>> “‘Auana” by Cirque du Soleil opened at the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel in December. It was the first big Waikiki showroom production to open since before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. The six Cirque speciality acts seen opening night on Dec. 17 could be performing in any Cirque production anywhere in the world, and Cirque’s name recognition will attract fans who want to see how “‘Auana” compares to its other productions.

>> “Moana 2,” Disney’s long-awaited sequel to its 2016 blockbuster “Moana,” opened nationwide Nov. 29, with the world premiere held Nov. 21 in Kapolei with stars Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson in attendance. By the end of the year, the sequel had grossed $900 million worldwide and become the fourth-highest- grossing film of 2024.

>> Kumu Kahua reaffirmed its support of Hawaii playwrights who write about Hawaii’s people by presenting playwright Alani Apio’s epic “Kamau Trilogy” from May 30 through June 30. It was the first time the three plays — “Kamau,” “Kamau A‘e” and “Ua Pau” — were staged with a single unified cast and crew. Kamehameha Publishing commemorated the milestone production with “Kamau The Trilogy,” a softbound book that contains the three scripts and cultural information.

>> “A Legacy Of Hawaiian Song &String, Volume One,” Raiatea Helm’s glorious tribute to the music of the monarchy era, won album of the year and awards in six other categories at the 2024 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards Aug. 3. Helm collected trophies for female vocalist, Hawaiian music album of the year, Hawaiian language performance and album of the year as a co-producer.

>> Hula’s Bar &Lei Stand, Hawaii’s foremost and most visible LGBTQ bar and nightclub, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its opening July 17, and then celebrated the 26th anniversary of its move from its original location to its current location at the other end of Waikiki Nov. 20. It has been under the same management since it opened in 1974.

>> The three founding members of Kapena — Kelly “Kelly Boy” De Lima and brothers Tivaini “Tiva” Tatofi and Teimomi “Timo” Tatofi — celebrated the group’s 40th anniversary with a sold-out concert at the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell Aug. 31. It had been nine years since their last Kapena reunion concert, and that made the night a major milestone in local entertainment.

>> In October, Hawaii Opera Theatre boldly went where it had never gone before with its production of “Stuck Elevator,” a contemporary opera about a Chinese man, in the country illegally, who gets stuck in an elevator on a Friday night, performed Oct. 18 and 20 at Blaisdell Arena. The production values were amazing, the staging imaginative and the performances compelling throughout.

>> Frank De Lima celebrated his 50th anniversary in local entertainment with a Dec. 15 show at Blue Note Hawaii. He will play a farewell show at Hawaii Theatre with Andy Bumatai, Augie T and Paul Ogata tonight before moving to an assisted- living facility in Las Vegas.

>> The Actors’ Group commemorated the 20th anniversary of its commitment to give Hawaii audiences the opportunity to see the works of African American playwrights performed locally and provide African American actors of all experience levels a stage to perform on, by revisiting the first three plays of August Wilson’s 10-play “Pittsburgh Cycle” during its current season. The first, “Gem of the Ocean,” was presented last fall; the second, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” opens Jan. 24; and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” opens May 16.

>> Hawaii mourned the loss of many people prominent in Hawaii’s vibrant arts and entertainment community. They included Emme Tomimbang (Feb. 19), television producer and host of “Emme’s Island Moments”; Jade Stice (June 6), Hawaii- born Broadway veteran who returned home to share her knowledge and experiences with new generations of Broadway hopefuls as co-founder of the I’m A Bright Kid Foundation; and Taylor Wily (June 20), who had recurring roles on the CBS reboots of “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.”

Also, Aaron Mahi (July 6), Royal Hawaiian Band bandmaster for 24 years and Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in 2021; Janet Maduli (July 9), concert and event producer, recording arts academy executive, stage manager/producer of the annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards show, and posthumous recipient of the academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award; and Teresa Bright (Sept. 1), multi-Hoku Award-winning Hawaiian recording artist and 2020 recipient of the academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other notables Hawaii bid aloha to in 2024 include Georgette Deemer (Sept. 1), Hawaii film commissioner for 16 years; Sharon Thomas Yarbrough (Sept. 23), a leader of Hawaii’s Black culture and arts community; Keith Haugen (Sept. 26), entertainer, songwriter, recording artist, educator, Hawaiian language advocate and posthumous recipient of the recording academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award; and Dr. Philip I. McNamee (Sept. 29), founding partner of the Pacific In Vitro Fertilization Institute who delighted audiences for 13 years as the comical dancing grandfather in Ballet Hawaii’s annual production of “The Nutcracker.”

Also not to be forgotten are Jack Cione (Oct. 1), an innovative legend in local nightclub and showroom entertainment since the 1950s; painter, muralist, writer, actor, filmmaker, illustrator and educator Martin Charlot (Oct. 2); Michael Titterton (Oct. 4), president and general manager of Hawaii Public Radio from 1999-2016; and Cecelia Mona Joy Lum (Oct. 24), hapa haole vocalist/musician for more than 50 years and 2022 recipient of the recording academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.