Loading Zone

They had a Sangria Painting party on April 19^th — luckily there was a LivingSocial deal for discounted tickets, but if I had paid full price I would have made a big fuss because the event was NOT enjoyable.
For $ 40 at this event you would have got:
8−½″ x11″ cardboard canvas to paint on, with no easel
one (maybe two) brushes
no preview of the painting beforehand
LATE start (event was supposed to start at 6, painting didn’t start until 7! talk about professionalism?)
Extremely advanced painting technique instructions that was too hard for beginners
No help from the instructor
not to mention — this was supposed to be a Sangria party? It was a paltry half a shot of Franzia wine mixed with tons of Sprite — limited to ONE free Sangria for the night.
You could buy additional drinks with «suggested donations», but c’mon!
Pupus included a couple of cupcakes, meatballs and edemame.
I’ve been to a Paint the Night Away event at Oneo Wine (Kailua) before and that is a true wine/​painting party. You were served generous (seemingly unlimited) house wine while given very nice artistic direction to paint on a full stretch cloth canvas on an easel with many many brushes to choose from — for the same low price of $ 40. Way better fun and instruction.
Loading Zone is not a great place for anybody to explore their artistic side.

Art Collector: «I don’t understand your modern art piece. It looks like a bunch of scribbles.»
Artist: «You don’t realize how hard it is to paint… With My Nipples!!»
There’s something creative, spontaneous and lively about seasoned improv performers. They’re so entertaining to watch on stage and they are some of the most positive, supportive people I’ve met off stage.
I initially signed up for an improv class because I wanted to learn how to think more fluidly. They say that improv improves communication, expedites your thought process and is just an overall good brain-​exercising activity – especially when you’re highly introverted like me. Larissa (one of the instructors) posted an event ad about $ 10 Improv classes every Thursday at 7:30pm. The time was perfect and the class very affordable – the stars were aligned – so I couldn’t refuse.
Loading Zone is a very small venue across from Lucky Belly on N. Hotel Street. Despite the neighborhood looking (and actually being) a little sketchy, the facility inside is very nice. There is beautiful artwork hanging from the walls, really clean interior with AC and wood laminate floors. In addition to improv, they offer other classes like dance and art.
When I first stepped in, the instructor had us work on a few ice breakers and warm up exercises to get everyone relaxed and excited for the class. We made funny noises, jumped around and observed the funniest skits.
You don’t have to be a pro to take the course, nor do you even have to have any intention of ever performing. If anything, it helps the more seasoned improv actors when they are paired with a less skilled partner.
If you’re planning on taking the course, I’d recommend going in with an open mind. Be prepared for the unexpected and don’t be afraid to try something new! Sometimes the most normal statements like, «I don’t understand your modern art piece. It looks like a bunch of scribbles.» elicit the craziest responses!
Hidden in the heart of Chinatown, Loading Zone is a great location and the perfect space for anything art-​related. Every week is full of laughter, creativity, positive vibes and in the end I can say I made a few friends along the way!

Pretty nice venue for a free Improvsed Theater show on the 2^nd Friday of the month. They also have classes all week, I go to the Improv classes on Thursday at 7:30. Really fun. At shows the bar is limited, but they added beer at a lower price so it has happy hour prices when all the other places are back to regular prices.
There are also yoga and dance classes throughout the week, but I’m too Irish to dance.

Large, Clean, Cool, Artistic gallery and studio!

Friend of ours had found a promotion on dosomethingtonight as well as Loading Zone’s Facebook for their grand opening last fall. Pay to come to their opening party and get a wristband good for entrance to Nextdoor, SoHo, and Indigo for the rest of the night. Great deal right?
Too bad this promotion, like its owner, was a sham. Went to every bar and no one had heard anything about it, even when I showed them both of the webpages on my phone. Thoroughly irritated, came back to Loading Zone and had the owner come out to talk to the door girls at Nextdoor. She tried to tell them she made an arrangement with someone there, which turned out to apparently be another lie. When I told her point blank that the only reason we came to her crappy art opening was for the promotion SHE offered, she blew up and walked off.
Later contacted First Friday’s organizers about this, at which point she continued to make up another version of events. You put it on Facebook with your name behind it, you should honor it. Pretty sad that an «artist» would need to stoop so low just to get people to come look at her work. But after meeting and dealing with this lady, I wouldn’t expect anything more. Never an apology, never an admittance of wrongdoing.

They have a bathroom with a shower! It is a beautiful space that house wonderful artwork by local artist! Not quite accessible for those with physical challenges but a wonderful space for small events! I have attended many types of events there from dance to business workshops, private events, First Fridays and they all fit into this space perfectly!

Great place for yoga, cool decorations n art n workshops and great AC. The Disco Baby Event is great for kids

We attended the grand opening last night and had a great time! Chanel, who is running Loading Zone, organized a really nice grand opening event.
What is Loading Zone exactly? It’s a new art & performance venue. The concept, according to their website, is to unload creativity from Hawaii’s artists, dancers, musicians, fashion designers, chefs, and more. They also offer dance/​art classes and an artist residency program, which is great for any artists looking for a space to rehearse and have a performance or gallery showing.
Ok, back to last night’s event…
There were dance performances for a few hours: new age performers and a hula show. There was wood burned art on the wall, which was really interesting. Plenty of food to go around. They had sushi hand rolls available from Umami Café. They were fantastic and had 4 or 5 different rolls to choose from. For dessert, Lush Pops provided some yummy alcoholic popsicle bites. I think I tried the mojito flavor, which was tart. They were also handing out croissant sandwiches but I didn’t have one. Drink tickets were $ 6, which was actually a raffle ticket purchase with the drink comped. There was a small bar set up with some limited choices. I never did hear the raffle ticket numbers called out, so I hope someone won something cool!
We left and came back a few hours later. By then, the lights had dimmed and the music was turned up! Break dancing fights broke out and the whole crowd was having a great time with each other. It was a lot of fun!
All in all, I think they have a really cool concept and I’m looking forward to seeing what events they will put on in the future. The space is clean, cool and inviting-​clean bathroom too, which is always a plus:)
It’s located on Hotel St, sandwiched between Next Door and Amy’s Place, where the old Fighting Eel used to be.
Supporting locally also includes the art scene, so make sure you look at their online calendar of events and go check it out!