Experience the Best Waikiki Festivals & Events in 2025

There’s always something fun happening in Waikiki, including a wide variety of events hosted in all seasons. Living and working right here in this vibrant neighborhood, we make it a point to attend a few every year ourself.

For visitors, incorporating local festivals and other events is a great way to experience the dynamic culture. It’s sure to enhance your time here whether you’re looking to sample the best of the food scene, discover unique arts, watch authentic hula, or a parade.

The Waikiki festival calendar for 2025 includes everything from spring’s Waikiki Spam Jam Festival to special events for the holidays, with these truly worth planning a trip around.

Spring Festivals in Waikiki 2025: Celebrate the Season of Renewal

Waikiki Block Party

• Date: April 19 and May 10
• Time: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Participation Fee: Free

There are four Waikiki Block Party street festivals are held between April and September, including two in the spring. The Oahu Festival is April’s event which typically attracts more than 10,000 participants.

It takes place on Kalākaua Avenue which will be closed to vehicle traffic and lined with artisans selling handmade arts and crafts, and local food vendors with everything from Hawaiian plate lunches to snacks and cane juice. Live local music and entertainment are included too.

Waikiki SPAM Jam Festival

• Date: April 26
• Time: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Participation Fee: Free

The SPAM Jam Festival, as you might have guessed, is all about SPAM, Hawaii’s famously beloved canned meat product. Held annually in late April, it showcases delicious and creative ways to incorporate it into traditional Hawaiian fare.

Local chefs and restaurants compete in culinary contests to find out who can prepare the most innovative SPAM dishes while attendees can sample an array of dishes ranging from gourmet SPAM tacos to classic SPAM musubi.

Beyond the food, there are hula performances, live music, and arts and crafts booths.

Lei Day

• Date: May 1
• Time: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Participation Fee: Free

The 97th Annual Lei Day Celebration is held at Kapi‘olani Park. It always takes place on May 1st and includes various food and craft vendors, a lei-making competition, hula performances, and live Hawaiian music.

If you want to learn how to make a lei, free lei-making workshops will be offered before the contest at various venues throughout the island. The schedule and online registration will be available via the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Shinnyo Lantern Floating Festival

• Date: May 26
• Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• Participation Fee: Free

Every year on Memorial Day, thousands gather at Ala Moana Beach for the Waikiki Lantern Floating Festival. Attending provides the opportunity to experience authentic Hawaiian traditions, with locals coming together to honor their loved ones and promote peace.

The lantern release is the heart of the festival, with participants writing messages on the lanterns before releasing them into the ocean. Live music and dancing, prayer ceremonies and meditation sessions led by Buddhist monks are all included too.

As the weather warms and families start to arrive for their vacations with the kids out of school, summer brings even more exciting festivals and outdoor celebrations to Waikiki.

Summer Festivals in Waikiki 2025: Fun Under the Sun

King Kamehameha Day Celebrations

• Date: June 11 — June 14
• Time: varies
• Participation Fee: Free

While technically taking place just before the start of summer, the King Kamehameha Day celebrations are the perfect way to kick off the season.

It begins with a tribute to the king at the statue of Kamehameha I in front of  Aliʻiōlani Hale at 9 a.m. and will be followed by the statue lei draping on June 13 at 2:30 p.m.

The main events take place on June 14th, with the King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade starting at 9 a.m. from Iolani Palace, and concluding at 1 p.m. in Kapiʻolani Park. Stick around to enjoy hula dancing and other live entertainment, food booths, vendors selling Hawaii-made products, and more.

Sunset on the Beach

• Date: To be announced (held mid-month on a Saturday evening, monthly from June through October)
• Time: 4:30 p.m.
• Participation Fee: Free

This summer movie series hosts movies on a 30-foot screen at Queen’s Beach. Prior to the show that starts after sunset, enjoy a variety of activities, including live Hawaiian-style entertainment and budget-friendly eats.

Waikiki Block Party

• Date: July 19 and September 6
• Time: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Participation Fee: Free

The Waikiki Block Party continues in the summer with all the same fun as spring’s block parties, held along Kalākaua Avenue.

The consistently warm temperatures continue in the fall yet the crowds thin with kids heading back to school, allowing you to embrace the spirit of Aloha with more tranquility and exciting events.

Fall Festivals in Waikiki 2025: Embrace the Spirit of Aloha

Waikiki Fall Festival

• Date: September 15 — 25
• Time: Varies
• Participation Fee: Free

The fall festival is a celebration of Hawaiian culture featuring everything from artisan markets with some of the finest island creations to traditional music, dance performances, and lots of tasty local cuisine.

There’s a grand opening ceremony to kick things off on September 15th, but the majority of happenings begin on the 18th.

From September 18 to 20, there’s a traditional hula competition, a Hawaiian music night, and fire knife dancing show. The Food and Craft Fair follows from September 22 to 25, featuring a variety of Hawaiian delicacies and handmade crafts.

Waikiki Aloha Festival

• Date: September 25 — 28
• Time: Varies
• Participation Fee: Free

The Waikiki Aloha Festival is Hawaii’s biggest cultural event, showcasing Hawaiian culture, history, music, and dance. It’s held over the last Thursday through Sunday in September each year with the specific schedule yet to be announced.

You can expect everything from hula and lei-making workshops to fashion shows, a parade, live music, mouthwatering cuisine, and much more.

With the arrival of winter, temperatures dip a bit, the big waves return attracting expert surfers, and migrating humpback whales can be spotted but being here for the holidays is a definite highlight.

Winter Festivals in Waikiki 2025: Celebrate the Holidays in Paradise

Waikiki Holiday Parade

• Date: November 28
• Time: 6 p.m.
• Participation Fee: Free

Also known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, the Waikiki Holiday Parade commemorates Pearl Harbor while honoring veterans in memory of the December 7, 1941 attacks. Parading down torch-lit Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, it includes local bands, marching bands from the mainland, local officials, and more.

Waikiki Trolley Holiday Lights

• Date: To Be Announced (early December through just after Christmas)
• Time: 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., running every 30 minutes
• Participation Fee: Free

Waikiki will be decked out in holiday lights and Christmas decor. For a fun and festive way to marvel at it all, hop on the Waikiki trolley for a tour.

Your guide will bring you to some of the best spots in Waikiki and downtown Honolulu with Christmas caroling and Hawaiian holiday stories included.

Waikiki New Year’s Eve Celebration

• Date: December 31
• Time: Varies (fireworks at midnight)
• Participation Fee: Free

Waikiki Beach is famous for celebrating the coming year with a countdown and a massive fireworks display. One of the best in the country, at the stroke of midnight there will be nearly 2,000 fireworks lighting up the sky in assorted shapes, including palm trees.

It all culminates with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.” Prior to the show, you’ll find parties and special dinners throughout the neighborhood and beyond.

Waikiki’s festivals and events in 2024 were a huge success, setting the stage for exciting celebrations in 2025.

Highlights from Waikiki Festivals in 2024: A Look Back at Last Year’s Best Events

Waikiki hosts more festivals and parades than anywhere else on Oahu so it’s not easy to choose the highlights of 2024. We always enjoy attending the block parties which include The Free Little Birds, a family band evoking the essence of Ohana, the Hawaiian term encompassing the familial bond that is so strong among the native culture. The tunes are messages of peace, love, and unity in genres that range from folk and rock to reggae and soul.

The theme for the 2024 Aloha Festival was ʻAʻa I Ka Hula. It basically translates to “When one wants to dance the hula, bashfulness should be left at home,” – the perfect way to experience Hawaiian culture, meet and mingle with others! And, the spectacular fireworks show combined with plenty of true Aloha that could be felt throughout was the perfect way to usher in 2025.

Plan Your Unforgettable Waikiki Adventure in 2025

When planning your unforgettable Waikiki adventure around any of the festivals or events in 2025, you really can’t go wrong!