Get Ready to Ice Skate at the Hawai‘i Convention Center this Winter

We have the scoops on ticket prices, photos with Santa, other activities and when you can see Olympic gold medal-winning skater (and mom!) Kristi Yamaguchi.

Editor's Note: We've updated this blog with a list of tentative events and discount days. See no. 3 below.

Go searching for those winter gloves and cute knit hats. There will be a new place to ice skate this winter and it comes with decked-out Christmas trees, Santa photo ops, a marketplace, keiki arts-and-crafts and other fun for a flat price.

Winter Wishes—A Holiday Festival is the biggest event the Hawai‘i Convention Center has ever planned. For a month—starting the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve—one of the center’s big exhibition halls will be transformed into an 82-by-50-foot ice-skating rink that can host up to 164 skaters at once. Part of the proceeds will go to Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation, which focuses on early childhood literacy for low-income families including in multiple Hawai‘i schools and communities. She was in town this week to launch programs in two more local schools and gave us some tips for first time skaters (see below).

SEE ALSO: Family Holiday Events in Hawai‘i–2019

But first, here is what you need to know about all the activities:

1. Admission ranges from $10 for all-day access to $70 for a season pass. Depending on when you go, kids 3 to 11 years are $10 to $15 (the cheaper rate is for weekdays) and 12 years and older will pay $15 to $20. Kids 2 years and younger are free. The ticket includes access to Santa (you can take your own photos, though a professional will also be on scene), the arts and crafts, live entertainment, the shopping marketplace and the Christmas tree display. Season passes are $50 for kids and seniors, $70 for adults.

2. There is a list of extras. Ticket prices do not include parking at the center ($10) or skate rental ($10). If you buy a season pass, you do receive 50% off of skate rentals. Oh, and do know that socks are required. You can rent some for $3. Gingerbread house kits will also cost extra. And you will want to bring some cash as well for hot chocolate and other on-site treats.

3. Nov. 29 is the day to meet Yamaguchi. The champion figure skater will be back in the Islands for the official grand opening and tree lighting ceremony on that Friday after Thanksgiving. She will return for a special storytelling time on Sunday, Dec. 1. Here are the rest of the events and discounts we know about so far:

Weekly events:

  • Mondays: Military Mondays with 25% off active duty military, veterans and military dependents.
  • Tuesdays: Giving Tuesdays will feature a nonprofit as a partner every week.
  • Wednesdays: Hospitality Industry Night has a 50% discount for workers with employee ID.
  • Sundays: Concert series.
  • Honolulu Marathon runners receive 50% off with proof of registration.

Special events:

  • Friday, Dec. 6: Super Hero Skate Party, 7 to 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, Dec. 7: '70s Disco Skate Party, 7 to 10 p.m.
  • Friday, Dec. 13: '90s Glow Skate Party, 7 to 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, Dec. 14: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Skate Party, 7 to 10 p.m.
  • Friday, Dec. 20: '80s Flashback Friday Skate Party, 7 to 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, Dec. 21: Ugly Christmas Sweater Skate Party, 7 to 10 p.m.

4. Keep an eye out for Breakfast with Santa. Plans for that and a brunch event were mentioned. We’ll keep you updated.

SEE ALSO: Where to Find Santa in Honolulu–2019

5. Don’t count on decorating a tree. The contest is not just open to anyone, it is a being offered to businesses as a sponsorship of the event. For those who are interested, it is $2,000 for a tree that will stay up through the event. The winner of the competition earns a skating party.

For rink rookies and those parents who havenʻt set a blade on ice since their own school field trip to Ice Palace, we asked mom-of-two Yamaguchi for her suggestions.

  1. Get good gloves. “If you have a pair of gloves that you thought were cute and just never had the chance to wear, this will be the time to pull them out,” Yamaguchi says. “Because ice is cold and slippery and when you fall down you will want to have gloves on because you will fall. I still fall.” We have found gloves, scarves and cute hats for photoshoots in the $1-$5 bins at Target and thicker sets at Oshkosh B’gosh.
  2. The fit of the skate is critical. You don’t want any wiggle room. “You want a snug fit, tied up and laced up properly,” Yamaguchi says. “Kids have a hard time getting the lacing properly so if you can help out that would be great, because then their ankles won’t be flopping on the ice.” Kids need support.
  3. How do you stop? “Drag a foot behind you. Either get the toe pick to drag and that will slow you down or turn your foot out and drag it around the ice.”

Winter Wishes—A Holiday Festival opens Friday, Nov. 29, and runs through Tuesday, Dec. 24; 4–9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4–10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Sunday. Weekday tickets start at $10 for one-day access for kids 3–11 years old and seniors, $15 for general admission. Prices increase $5 on weekends. Season passes are $50 to $70 and include 50% off skate rentals. Hawai‘i Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave. Buy tickets and find more information at honoluluboxoffice.ticketspice.com/winter-wishes-a-holiday-festival