Friday night’s Waikiki fireworks return to the Land Board agenda

Friday night’s fireworks in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort could return soon in what could be seen as another sign of recovery from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hawaii Explosives & Pyrotechnics Inc. operated the aerial display in front of the Hilton for more than 25 years before the coronavirus outbreak began in early 2020. Bruce Albrecht, operations manager for the Keeau-based company, said the last fireworks show there was on March 13. 2020

With the expiration of the state’s last remaining COVID-19 restrictions, including mask requirements, Hawaii Explosives & Pyrotechnics filed a request with the State Board of Land and Natural Resources on March 25 to extend its right of entry to a portion of Duke’s Kahanamoku Beach for setting up and firing fireworks on 52 Fridays beginning May 27th.

The topic is on the agenda of today’s BLNR meeting. If approved, shows are more likely to resume in early June to allow for proper preparation, Albrecht said.

“We hope for the first week of June. I know a lot of people have been waiting for this,” he said.

According to Albrecht, the weekly Hilton fireworks shows account for about 40% of the 120 to 130 events hosted by Hawaii Explosives & Pyrotechnics annually.

At four minutes long and featuring “a couple hundred” mortars, the weekly show isn’t the company’s biggest, he said. That would be July 4th, New Year’s Eve and corporate events.

“It was a tough time for our company. We had no revenue for over a year, although things slowly, very slowly, recovered around this time last year when some of the restrictions were lifted,” Albrecht said. “But we’ve waited for the governor’s emergency declarations to expire, and the state and provincial agency has been reluctant to encourage large social gatherings.”

The request for access rights includes the use of a 500 square foot area on Duke Kahanamoku Beach near the former helipad every Friday from 4pm to 9pm. The company would pay the state $250 per event.

The fireworks would start at 8:00 p.m. in the summer months and at 7:45 p.m. the rest of the year.

Hawaii Explosives & Pyrotechnics is also seeking a total of $3,250 in credit for 13 shows canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Department of Land and Natural Resources Land Department staff have recommended approval of the entry permit, stating that the activity would have minimal or no significant impact on the environment and should be exempted from an environmental assessment.

Meanwhile, fireworks fans can enjoy the second of five air shows from Albrecht’s outfit for a corporate meeting at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel tonight. The first fireworks took place on Wednesday evening.