For decades the International Market Place was Waikiki's open-air bazaar under a giant banyan. Today it is a modern shopping centre that kept the tree at its heart.
Few places capture Waikiki's changes better than the International Market Place on Kalakaua Avenue. The land was once part of the grounds of Queen Emma, and the great banyan tree at its centre has shaded the site for well over a century.
The original market
From the 1950s the market grew into a maze of stalls selling shell necklaces, aloha shirts, carvings and souvenirs, with a treehouse in the banyan's branches and nightly entertainment. For generations of visitors it was the place to haggle for gifts and soak up a slightly kitsch version of old Hawaii.
Redevelopment
The old market closed in 2013 and reopened in 2016 as a multi-level open-air shopping centre with department stores, boutiques and restaurants on its upper level. The developers kept the banyan as the centrepiece and added nods to the site's history, including tributes to Queen Emma and evening torch-lighting and music.
Visiting today
- Look up – the banyan's canopy spreads over the central courtyard.
- Free culture – check for evening storytelling, hula or music in the courtyard.
- Eat upstairs – the top floor has restaurants with views over Kalakaua Avenue.
- Souvenirs – for the old-style bargain stalls, try the smaller shops along the side streets and the swap meet at Aloha Stadium's grounds (check whether it is running).
The redevelopment also turned the site into a place where mainland visitors notice what is missing. In Las Vegas, a shopping centre of this size would sit next to a casino; in Waikiki, the anchor attractions are the tree, the stores and the sunset instead, since slot machines and card tables are illegal throughout Hawaii.
Top photo: The trunk of the great banyan tree at the International Market Place. Photo: Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
