Kauai Hearts and Horses Weekend Features Lunar New Year Lions, Firecrackers, Music

Kaua‘i’s retail centers turned Valentine’s weekend into a Lunar New Year celebration, staging lion and dragon dances, firecrackers, live music and a sidewalk market across the south shore. Events centered at Kukui Grove Center and The Shops at Kukui‘ula combined holiday performances with community music and vendor stalls.

Kukui Grove Center staged a Valentine’s Day Dance in the food court on Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Admission was free and the Kauai Community College Jazz Ensemble performed under the direction of Sarah Tochiki. Kukui Grove describes the weekend as a "Hearts and Horses" weekend, tying the dance to other island activities over the two days.

The shopping center followed that evening with a full Saturday program. The Hearts and Dragons Market opened at 11 a.m. on Saturday, with vendors spread along the sidewalks through the shopping center. The market opening at 11 a.m. also marked the welcome for a Chinese dragon performance, bringing traditional Lunar New Year pageantry to the Kukui Grove plaza.

On Friday night The Shops at Kukui‘ula hosted a Chinese New Year celebration - the Year of the Fire Horse - in its Palm Court area, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Shops promoted firecrackers as part of the festivities and advised attendees to "bring ear protection for young ears." The Palm Court program included a Chinese lion dance, a limited amount of lai see red envelopes, and a performance by Kauai’s Tsunami Taiko ensemble of young people.

Published event notices for the weekend supplied start times but did not list finish times, vendor rosters or exact lai see quantities. The schedule items available to the public included the 6:30 p.m. Friday dance at Kukui Grove, the 11 a.m. Saturday market opening at Kukui Grove, and the 5:30 p.m. Friday activities at The Shops at Kukui‘ula, but additional logistical details such as end times, vendor contact information and the number of lai see on hand were not provided in the event listings.

The mix of performances and market activity paired Lunar New Year traditions with Valentine’s weekend programming, delivering both cultural pageantry and live music to neighborhood venues. Performers named in event materials included Sarah Tochiki with the Kauai Community College Jazz Ensemble at Kukui Grove and the island youth ensemble Tsunami Taiko at Kukui‘ula, anchoring the weekend’s musical lineup.