What is there to do in Hawaii when it's raining?
Just because it's raining doesn't mean there's nothing to do in Hawaii. On the contrary, Hawaii is home to a wide range of indoor and cultural events---as well as a few outdoor options---for a rainy day. Enjoy the islands' many art exhibits and galleries, go to a concert or a play or attend one of several film festivals. Or you could go swimming---really.
Art
Hawaii may be famous for sun and beaches, but it also possesses a plethora of art galleries---a viable option for a rainy day in the island state. Try visiting the Louis Pohl gallery, for example, in Honolulu's Chinatown, where the work of local artists is on display, or head over to Maui's Bella Vetri Gallery, a collection of original glass, ceramic and sculptural works. Honolulu Printmakers houses an interesting gallery of prints, and Eclectic Image in Maui features fine photographic galleries and pastel etchings from around the world. There are scores of other galleries, too.
Film
Besides the regular movie theaters, Hawaii is home to a number of film festivals. The Honolulu International Film Festival takes place yearly over several days, featuring new movie screenings, celebrity tributes, competitions, a filmmaker's luau and, of course, a showcase of films, short films, documentaries, action sports films, foreign films, Hawaiian films and more. Other film festivals include the Hawaii Student Film Festival, the Hawaii Ocean Film Festival and the Maui Film Festival.
Music and Theater
For rock lovers, myriad local clubs and bars in Hawaii feature live music. The Concert Hall at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu is Hawaii's top performing arts theater, both for opera and for the Honolulu Symphony. The hall regularly showcases Broadway productions like "Les Miserable," "Chicago," "Cats'' and "Phantom of the Opera." There's always something music-, theater- or dance-related going on at the University of Hawaii, too, or at the vibrant Polynesian Cultural Center (Brigham Young University-Hawaii).
Swim!
That's right---for some, swimming in the rain is the most fun. Avoid going out into the deep ocean, where storms can cause obvious safety concerns, but swimming in a protected bay or lagoon in the rain can be a blast. With the clouds roiling around you and the raindrops breaking the surface of the water in every direction, a rainy day in paradise can be just as fun as a sunny one. Plus, most people go indoors, leaving you and a perhaps a few other stragglers alone to enjoy the beauty of the coast.
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