The first Keep It Aloha in May felt less like a card show and more like a festival — 70+ vendors, 5,000+ people across two days, live music, and a free door for everyone. The question for the second one was simple: was that a one-time magic trick, or the start of something? On Friday, June 5, back at SALT in Kaka’ako, Kamaka and the team making Keep It Aloha a reality — @hnlcollectibles and @hicollectibles — answered it.
This time the format shifted to a Friday night — a pau-hana, after-work, bring-the-family energy that’s different from a Saturday grind. And the thing that made #1 special carried over: it stayed free for the public, all ages welcome, the kind of low-barrier show that pulls in families and first-timers alongside the regulars.
Two hits had the floor buzzing. A gold Charizard came out at the @skat_tcg table, and someone ripped a manga-art Koby straight out of a One Piece OP-15 booster box over at the ToyLynx booth — the kind of pull that gets a circle of strangers to crowd around one table and lose their minds together.
Live music from @kaponowmusic kept the night moving, and the Friday-evening energy held: collectors kept rolling through well past 8 PM, later than a Saturday-afternoon show usually runs. People weren’t just shopping and bouncing — they were hanging out.
A Friday-night show fills a gap the calendar didn’t have. Weekend shows compete with everything else families do on a Saturday; a Friday-evening show at SALT — already one of the most walkable, social spots in Kaka’ako — turns a card show into a place to start the weekend. People come off work, grab food, dig through binders, and hang out. That’s the kind of regular rhythm that builds a scene, not just an event.
More than anything, it felt like a night out with friends. You could browse the tables, slip out for ice cream or dinner, then come back to rip a few packs or flip for that one card you’ve been chasing. It’s the perfect place for a serious collector to bring their casual friends along — and let them tumble down the rabbit hole with the rest of us.
Two shows in, Keep It Aloha is doing exactly what Kamaka set out to do: build a recurring, community-first show that doesn’t price anyone out. The May debut proved the ceiling — 70+ vendors and 5,000+ people across a two-day weekend. June proved it wasn’t a fluke: 70+ vendors again and 1,500+ collectors through the door — all in a single Friday evening. For one weeknight, that’s a serious number, and a sign the format has real legs.
SALT is an open-air spot, which means the neighborhood birds figure it’s their venue too — and they, ahem, made their presence felt. 🐦 This time the team came ready with plenty of cleaning supplies on standby, just in case. The vibes were way too high for it to matter — nobody was about to let a few birds poop on the parade.
Kamaka and the crew put together a reel that bottles the Friday-night energy — give it a watch:
None of this happens without the crew. Another huge mahalo to @kamakarips, @hnlcollectibles, and @hicollectibles for making Keep It Aloha a reality — and to the sponsors who showed up for the community: @getcollectr (event + giveaways), @alohacardshop (tables), @merchlabs (design), @7elevenhi (keeping everyone fed), @kaponowmusic (live music), and @saltourkakaako for hosting. Every show keeps getting bigger and better because of this community. It’s truly a kākou thing — we, together.
Keep It Aloha is back for the Fourth of July weekend — July 4–5, 2026 at SALT — and the series has dates locked through the end of the year. Follow @kamakarips for time + details, or see every upcoming date on the Keep It Aloha series page. And if Kamaka comes through on that extra fan and the birds, we’re calling it the most comfortable card show on the island.
Fourth of July weekend, July 4–5, 2026, back at SALT. Follow @kamakarips for details.
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