Now that your clients’ Hawaii holiday trips are booked, it’s time to talk with them about New Year’s Eve.
The Aloha State wraps up each year with singular celebrations imbued with tropical touches. Unlike Dec. 31 parties across the mainland, Hawaii’s New Year’s Eve events take place in warm, balmy weather. Island visitors shiver not from the cold, but from excitement.
Here are five memorable ways to say goodbye to 2018 in Hawaii.
Atlantis Adventures: Fireworks Cruise
Each New Year’s Eve, Waikiki puts on a fireworks show that visitors can watch from shore. During this dinner cruise, however, clients enjoy dramatic views from the sea, enhanced by a twinkling cityscape. Passengers savor the likes of New York strip loin medallions and blackened ahi while marveling at panoramas through the ship’s large windows. Come midnight, merrymakers toast 2019 with free bubbly and party favors. The cruise runs from 10:30 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. and costs $173 per person.
www.atlantisadventures.com
Passengers on Atlantis Adventures’ New Year’s Eve cruise are treated to stellar views of the pyrotechnics over Waikiki.
Credit: 2018 Atlantis AdventuresBlue Note Hawaii: Rocking Out with Sheila E.
At Waikiki’s top live music venue, clients can swing into the new year to the beat of Sheila E., a world-famous percussionist who has played with iconic musicians such as Prince, Beyonce and Ringo Starr. The club lists a range of admission prices, but visitors who want to go all out should choose the 11 p.m. VIP package, which comes with a pre-show reception and exclusive meet-and-greet with Sheila E. herself. All tickets include a champagne toast. Rates start at $95 per person.
www.bluenotehawaii.com
Percussion powerhouse Sheila E. headlines the New Year’s Eve bash at Blue Note Hawaii in Waikiki.
Credit: 2018 Sheila E.Four Seasons Resort Lanai: Parties for All Ages
Normally, evenings on Lanai are mellow, but not on Dec. 31. That’s when Four Seasons Resort Lanai pulls out all the stops with dancing, fireworks and a champagne toast at midnight. For this year’s bash, Hawaii’s award-winning Kalani Pea performs from 6-9 p.m. Montreal Rhapsody Orchestra, a 14-piece rock, pop and disco group, takes the stage from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Admission is free when clients buy a holiday dinner menu. For kids, the resort throws a party from 6-10 p.m. with games and prizes.
www.fourseasons.com
Four Seasons Resort Lanai offers a variety of New Year’s Eve festivities.
Credit: 2018 Four Seasons Hotels and ResortsMauna Kea Beach Hotel: Dining, Dancing and Pyrotechnics
Hawaii Island’s iconic resort regales clients with a New Year’s Eve soiree to remember. From 7-10 p.m., guests dig into a buffet dinner on the beachfront lawn, made even better by live entertainment. From 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., they kick up their heels at an afterparty in the ballroom, with desserts and dancing. Everyone gets a midnight toast as fireworks over Kaunaoa Bay mesmerize attendees. Clients can purchase either event separately or buy both for $130 per person.
www.maunakeabeachhotel.com
New Year’s Eve fireworks highlight a night of merrymaking at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.
Credit: 2018 Mauna Kea Beach HotelPoipu Beach Park: Movie and Fireworks at the Beach
Known as one of Hawaii’s best resort destinations for sun and sand, south Kauai ushers in the new year on the beach, of course. Locals and visitors alike gather at Poipu Beach Park from 5-8:30 p.m., relaxing on their own folding chairs and blankets. Kicking things off is a free, family-friendly movie on a big outdoor screen. Just after sunset, fireworks delight the crowd. Throughout the evening, food trucks sell island specialties to hungry revelers.
www.poipubeach.org
