By Staff Reports
(Oahu)– As daylight begins to fade on July’s third Saturday, a dazzling spectacle will be on full display in Downtown Honolulu’s lushest garden array!
The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation’s Honolulu Botanical Gardens (HBG) staff are proud to announce the return of Midsummer Night’s Gleam at Foster Botanical Garden from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, 2024. For the first time in five years, the City’s oldest botanical garden will host a plethora of family-friendly activities, colorful performances, and thousands of spectacular light displays for everyone to enjoy!
In anticipation of eager attendees returning to the Gleam by the thousands, registration for the Gleam will be conducted using the Parks and Recreation Online System (PROS) at pros.hnl.info
To find the specific registration listings click on the “Activities” section of the PROS homepage, and search “Gleam”. From now until July 18 at 9 p.m. online registration will be available to ensure you get a spot at this amazing event! Tots (age 0-5 years old) have free entry, Keiki (ages 6-17 years old) cost just $1 per kid, and Adults (18+) are $3 each. Non-reservation entry is available, but very limited. Attendees with reservations can either print or show their reservation on their smartphone.
The botanical garden will be closed from 12 noon until 3 p.m. on the day of the Gleam for set up prior to the event. Regular botanical garden rules apply during the Gleam, including no tables, animals (other than service animals), or smoking. Picnicking is encouraged, as you can bring in your own food and non-alcoholic beverages. Bug spray is recommended, and please no high-back chairs. We want to make this experience as enjoyable for everyone as possible!
If you can’t bring your own picnic, no worries, we’ll have plenty of food vendors within the garden to keep your ‘ōpū (belly) happy. With this year’s theme of “Tanabata Star Festival,” those attending are encouraged to place their wishes upon one of two Tanabata Trees located as you enter the garden. In addition to food and wishing upon our garden stars, there is no shortage of engaging activities and exciting performances to enjoy throughout the 14-acre garden:
| Time | Location | Activities |
| 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. | Economic Garden | Sword Making, Archery, Martial Arts Demonstrations, Water Bottle Planters, Seed Toss Game, Keiki Crafts & Games (paper lanterns, puffy stars, bottle top spinners, water bead necklaces, moon & star windsocks) |
| 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. | Daibutsu Area | Bubble Fun, Balloon Animals, Ocean Music Action’s Harp, and Sewa Fare’s African Drumming |
| 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Gazebo | Botanical Painting, Lē‘ahi Legos, Informational Booths, Dragon Display, the Tanabata Wishing Tree, and Food Trucks (O‘ahu Intertribal, Simply Ono, Kona Ice, Hawai‘i Recreation and Parks Society, and Olay Thai) |
| 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. | Upper Terrace | MEDAH’s Belly Dancers |
| 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Upper Terrace | Drago Beat’s Taiko Drums |
| 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Upper Terrace | Tevita’s Enka Music |
| 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Upper Terrace | The DAD’s Rock Music |