Tuesdays at Kings', Fridays at Queens': How Waikoloa Beach Resort's November Week Runs

Who fills the November calendar at Kings' Shops? Of the 14 dated listings on its events page, five carry the Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum's name or happen inside its space. That's a nonprofit children's museum that arrived at Kings' Shops in 2024 because the costs worked in Waikōloa.

The first of those dates is Thursday, November 5, when the museum holds a Volunteer Museum Work Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Fixed Points of the Week

Both centers run recurring programs that repeat whether or not anything special is on the calendar. Queens' Marketplace has evenings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Kings' Shops has a Tuesday morning market and Wednesday evening performances.

A few details are worth having. The Tuesday market at Kings' lists vendors including Christina Fruits & Veggies, Hamakua Creations, Hula Hands and Soaps, Aloha Craft Co. and Coconuts – Superbees Kona, and the center says the lineup changes. The Wednesday ukulele class at Queens' is taught by Kris Fuchigami, a three-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner. Loaner ukuleles and sheet music go to the first nine people, and anyone else can bring their own instrument. The Fires of Polynesia show on the second Wednesday is on the calendar for November 11, the same day the Keiki Museum holds a daytime workshop.

At Queens' Marketplace, Mākeke Fridays brings local makers, farmers, food vendors and live music together from 4 to 7 p.m. each week. The weekly vendor lineup is posted on the market's Instagram page. The BikeWorks Beach & Sports run club also starts at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays, with a social 5K along the coast at any pace.

A Stage Rebuilt for Workshops

Kings' Shops spent much of 2025 on a facelift. A January 2026 update from Waikoloa Beach Resort described new paint throughout, an expanded main stage with new green space and lighting, and new seating areas and landscaping at both ends of the center.

In the same update, Kings' Shops general manager Lynn Rostau explained the center's intent. "We are located in a culturally important area, and our renovated stage will offer workshops more conducive to a true experience, rather than just shopping."

The November calendar reflects that goal. Besides the market and the Nahoa Entertainment performances, Kings' lists an all-ages painting class on November 2, a Paint & Sip class for ages 21 and up on November 5, and Clay Flower Workshops on November 6. The same update listed the Hawaii Keiki Museum among the center's attractions, alongside the cultural performances, the farmers market and the lakeside putting green.

How a Kona Museum Ended Up at Kings'

Three Kona mothers founded the Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2022. Dana McLaughlin is named as founder. The first location was on Luhia Street in Kona and was built as a preview facility for a larger institution.

According to Big Island Now, the museum's rent in Kona was $11,000 a month when it opened in 2022 and had reached $18,000 a month by spring 2024. All of its revenue came from admissions. The museum had opened a second site in Waikōloa in March 2024 and planned to run both. The outlet reported that the Waikōloa costs were sustainable and the Kona costs were not, so the Kona site closed that April.

The exhibits at the time included a water table filled with pāhoehoe and ʻaʻā, where children build dams and see how water behaves upstream and downstream. The museum also had a planetarium with a guide who points out constellations. Today the museum describes itself as a family science destination with more than two dozen hands-on exhibits focused on island science. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Adult admission runs $7 to $15 and children's admission $0 to $10. Kamaʻāina rates require a Hawaiʻi ID, and infants under six months get in free.

Kings' Shops gained an anchor that sells admission tickets instead of merchandise and runs its own events calendar on top of that.

The Museum's November

These are the museum's five November dates, as posted on the Kings' Shops events page:

1. Thursday, November 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteer Museum Work Day at the museum.
2. Wednesday, November 11, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hip Hop Dance Workshop at the museum.
3. Thursday, November 19, 5 to 7 p.m. Island Science Lecture Series: On-Set Geologist. Scientist Michelle Mazatti talks about her work as a geologist on film and television sets, with pūpūs, beer and wine provided.
4. Friday, November 27, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Keiki Maker Fair. Young business owners and crafters sell their handmade work with no table fee, and the day includes music, a silent auction and free gift wrapping. Families interested in a table can email [email protected].
5. Friday, November 27, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Black Friday Fun at the museum.

The November 19 lecture is the only listing on either center's November calendar that pairs adult refreshments with a science talk. It also falls on a Thursday, which no recurring program covers.

The Keiki Maker Fair shifts Black Friday at a resort shopping center toward local young sellers. The museum's site also promotes ongoing Keiki Makers workshops and Island Explorers camps, which suggests the fair grows out of programs it runs all year.

Saturdays Go to Community Groups

At Queens' Marketplace, the two Saturday events this month are also run by local organizations.

On Saturday, November 7, Puakalehua Early Learning Consortium hosts the 4th Annual Celebrate ʻOhana Festival. It is a free family event where parents and caregivers can meet local early-learning providers.

On Saturday, November 14, the center holds the 14th Annual Kris Fuchigami ʻUkulele Contest, hosted by MC Pomai Bartolome. It is open to amateur players in two divisions, Kids for ages 5 to 14 and Adults for ages 15 and older. The contest's namesake also teaches the free Wednesday lessons at the same center, so a student can go from a borrowed ukulele to the contest stage without leaving Queens' Marketplace.

Queens' added several businesses in 2025: Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar, a nearly 7,000-square-foot restaurant, bar and retail space, plus Pono Pastries, KoaWood Ranch, Pacific Skin Institute, Rip Curl and Da Ramen Kind.

Thanksgiving Week

The month's last listings land after the holiday. The museum's Keiki Maker Fair and Black Friday Fun both fall on November 27. On Saturday, November 28, Kings' Shops lists "Experience the Magic of The Nutcracker!" from 2 to 4 p.m.

Kings' Shops posts its schedule on its events page, and Queens' Marketplace keeps a monthly calendar. The Keiki Museum's hours and admission are on its own site.

Monday hula at Queens', the Tuesday market at Kings' and a museum lecture on a Thursday night are part of what owning at Waikoloa Beach Resort looks like week to week. If you'd like to talk about the resort at that level of detail, Frank Schenk and Nicolaas Schenk are glad to share what we know.