🎏 FESTIVALS · CHECKED 2026-08-12

Festivals on Oʻahu, with dates that are real

Festival listings rot faster than anything else on the internet. Dates get copied forward from last year, cancelled events stay up, and venues that moved are still listed at the old address. Every date on this page was read from the organiser’s own website in August 2026, and where an organiser has published nothing yet, we say so instead of guessing.

Next up

The calendar

Everything with a date the organiser has actually published, soonest first.

FestivalWhenWhereCost
🏮 Okinawan FestivalSeptember 5–6, 2026Hawaiʻi Convention CenterTicketed
👑 Aloha Festivals: Royal Court InvestitureSaturday, Sept. 5, 2026Helumoa Gardens, The Royal Hawaiian · The Royal Grove, Royal Hawaiian CenterNot published
🌺 Waikīkī HoʻolauleʻaSaturday, Sept. 19, 2026Kalākaua Avenue, closed to trafficNot published
🎏 Aloha Festivals Floral ParadeSaturday, Sept. 26, 2026Ala Moana Park → Kalākaua Avenue → Kapiʻolani ParkNot published
🚲 Honolulu Century RideSeptember 27, 2026 (Sunday)Starts on Kalākaua Avenue, WaikīkīTicketed
🏳️‍🌈 Honolulu PrideSaturday, October 17, 2026Parade: Magic Island → Kalākaua Ave → Waikīkī Shell. Festival: Tom Moffatt Waikīkī ShellFree to attend
🎬 Hawaiʻi International Film FestivalOct 21 kick-off, Oct 22 – Nov 1 at KāhalaConsolidated Theatres Kāhala, plus KapoleiTicketed
🍽️ Hawaiʻi Food & Wine FestivalOʻahu leg: November 5–8, 2026Sheraton Waikīkī, Alohilani, KCC Great Lawn, Hyatt Regency, Halekulani, Kākoʻo ʻŌiwiTicketed
🎎 Honolulu FestivalMarch 5–7 (Fri–Sun), 2027Not yet detailed for 2027 Not published
🌿 Merrie Monarch FestivalHawaiʻi IslandMarch 28 – April 3, 2027Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island Ticketed
🥫 Waikīkī Spam JamSaturday, April 24, 2027, 4:00–10:00pmKalākaua Avenue, five blocks closedNot published
🕯️ Shinnyo Lantern Floating HawaiʻiMonday, May 31, 2027 (Memorial Day)Ala Moana Beach ParkFree
🎌 Pan-Pacific FestivalJune 11–13, 2027Ala Moana Center through to WaikīkīFree

“Not published” means the organiser does not state an admission policy anywhere on its own site. We would rather show that than invent a price.

By what kind of festival it is

The table above is the one to scan for dates. This is the one to scan when you know what sort of day you want. Within each group, soonest first.

🏮Cultural6 festivals

Hula, lantern floating, Okinawan and Japanese celebration — the festivals that are about the place rather than about visitors.

Cultural performance at the Okinawan Festival, Hawaii Convention Center🏮 Cultural
🏮

Okinawan Festival

September 5–6, 2026

Sat 10am–5pm · Sun 10am–4pm

TicketedCultural

The 44th, and the biggest Okinawan celebration outside Okinawa — andagi, awamori, taiko, and a hundred-odd volunteers from the member clubs.

Cost. One day: adults $10, seniors 65+ $5, children 12 and under free. Two days: adults $16, seniors $8

Changed this year. Scaled down this year because of convention centre renovations. The organiser has cancelled Early Admission and — this is the one to know — there is no Bon Dance. Its own admissions page still advertises the $15 early-entry tier and last year’s prices; the ticketing page is the one that is current.

Where
Hawaiʻi Convention Center
Organiser
Hawaii United Okinawa Association
Checked
2026-08-12
The Aloha Festivals royal court at the investiture ceremony in Waikiki👑 Cultural
👑

Aloha Festivals: Royal Court Investiture

Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026

4–6pm

Not publishedCultural

The opening ceremony, where the year’s royal court is invested. Shorter and quieter than the other two, and the one most visitors miss entirely.

Where
Helumoa Gardens, The Royal Hawaiian · The Royal Grove, Royal Hawaiian Center
Organiser
Aloha Festivals
Checked
2026-08-12
Crowds filling Kalakaua Avenue during the Waikiki Hoolaulea block party🌺 Cultural
🌺

Waikīkī Hoʻolauleʻa

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026

6–9:30pm

Not publishedCultural

The 72nd. Hawaiʻi’s largest block party — Kalākaua Avenue shuts and fills with stages and food booths end to end. This is the one to plan a trip around if you are choosing a single Aloha Festivals night.

Where
Kalākaua Avenue, closed to traffic
Organiser
Aloha Festivals
Checked
2026-08-12
Performers parading along Kalakaua Avenue at the Honolulu Festival🎎 Cultural
🎎

Honolulu Festival

March 5–7 (Fri–Sun), 2027

Not publishedCultural

The 31st. Pacific Rim cultural exchange — Japanese, Hawaiian, Australian and Filipino performers across three days.

Changed this year. Do not plan around the Grand Parade. It was cancelled in 2026, along with the Nagaoka fireworks, and the foundation has announced nothing for 2027. Most listings sites still describe the Waikīkī parade as though it were certain.

Where
Not yet detailed for 2027 — historically the Convention Center and Waikīkī
Organiser
Honolulu Festival Foundation
Checked
2026-08-12
Thousands of lit lanterns floating off Ala Moana Beach at sunset🕯️ Cultural
🕯️

Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi

Also searched as “Lantern Floating Hawaii”

Monday, May 31, 2027 (Memorial Day)

Lantern tent 10am–4pm · ceremony from 6:30pm

FreeCultural

Thousands of lanterns floated at sunset for people who have died. It is the most affecting thing on this calendar and it is completely free. Get to the lantern tent in the morning if you want to float one — they go.

Cost. Free. The organiser states: "There is no cost to participate… place a remembrance on a lantern, or float a lantern, free of charge"

Changed this year. Now branded "Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi"; older listings use the shorter name.

Where
Ala Moana Beach Park
Organiser
Shinnyo-en Hawaiʻi
Checked
2026-08-12
No organiser photo
🎌

Pan-Pacific Festival

Also searched as “Matsuri in Hawaii”

June 11–13, 2027

FreeCultural

The 44th. Japanese, Hawaiian and Pacific performance across three days, ending with a parade down Kalākaua. It returned in 2024 after a five-year gap, so it is younger in practice than its edition number suggests.

Cost. Free to the public

Where
Ala Moana Center through to Waikīkī
Organiser
Pan-Pacific Festival
Checked
2026-08-12

🎏Parade1 festival

Street closures, pāʻū riders and floats down Kalākaua.

Pau riders on horseback in the Aloha Festivals Floral Parade, Waikiki🎏 Parade
🎏

Aloha Festivals Floral Parade

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026

9am–12pm

Not publishedParade

The 78th. Pāʻū riders — women on horseback in island colours — floral floats and hula hālau, running the length of Kalākaua in the morning. Kapiʻolani Park end is far less crowded than the Waikīkī stretch.

Where
Ala Moana Park → Kalākaua Avenue → Kapiʻolani Park
Organiser
Aloha Festivals
Checked
2026-08-12

🍽️Food2 festivals

Eating and buying: the all-local marketplace, the chef festival, and the one built entirely around tinned pork.

Guests at a Hawaii Food and Wine Festival tasting event🍽️ Food
🍽️

Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival

Oʻahu leg: November 5–8, 2026

By event — see below

TicketedFood

The 16th, and a three-island festival — Hawaiʻi Island Oct 16–17 and Maui Oct 23–25 come first. Each Oʻahu night is a separate ticketed event rather than one festival pass: FEAST Summit (Nov 5), Culture in AgriCULTURE and 24K Magic (Nov 6), The Greatest Hits at KCC (Nov 7), The Breakfast Club and BTS: Beyond the Seoul (Nov 8).

Cost. On sale, but the organiser does not publish per-event prices on its schedule page

Where
Sheraton Waikīkī, Alohilani, KCC Great Lawn, Hyatt Regency, Halekulani, Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi
Organiser
Hawaiʻi Food & Wine Festival
Checked
2026-08-12
Crowd at the Hula Mound stage during the Waikiki Spam Jam street festival🥫 Food
🥫

Waikīkī Spam Jam

Saturday, April 24, 2027, 4:00–10:00pm

4–10pm

Not publishedFood

A street festival built entirely around Spam, which sounds like a joke until you see the queues. A separate Dine-In event runs across restaurants April 17 – May 2, 2027.

Cost. The organiser publishes no admission policy. Food is paid separately

Where
Kalākaua Avenue, five blocks closed
Organiser
Waikīkī Spam Jam
Checked
2026-08-12

🚲Ocean1 festival

Held on the water or the road — surf, swim, paddle and ride.

Honolulu Century Ride cyclists on the windward coast highway with Rabbit Island offshore🚲 Ocean
🚲

Honolulu Century Ride

September 27, 2026 (Sunday)

Line up 5:15am · ride starts 6:15am

TicketedOcean

Not a festival exactly, but it closes roads on the windward side and 25/50/75/100-mile options make it the island’s biggest participatory sports day. Worth knowing about even if you are not riding, because of the closures.

Cost. Adult $90 · youth 17 and under $45 · VIP $330. Rates rise on Aug 21 and Sept 24

Where
Starts on Kalākaua Avenue, Waikīkī
Organiser
Hawaiʻi Bicycling League
Checked
2026-08-12

🎬Film1 festival

Screenings and the festival circuit.

Opening night reception at Capitol Modern during the Hawaii International Film Festival🎬 Film
🎬

Hawaiʻi International Film Festival

Also searched as “HIFF”

Oct 21 kick-off, Oct 22 – Nov 1 at Kāhala

By screening

TicketedFilm

HIFF46. The Oʻahu run is at Kāhala with a Kapolei leg; neighbour-island legs continue afterwards.

Cost. 6-pack $90 · 12-pack $160 · all-access $500 · platinum $1,000 (members pay less)

Changed this year. The festival’s own homepage says the fall festival is Oct 22 – Nov 1, while its box office says Oct 22 – Nov 15. The longer range almost certainly covers the neighbour-island legs, but HIFF does not say so anywhere. For Oʻahu, plan on Nov 1.

Where
Consolidated Theatres Kāhala, plus Kapolei
Organiser
Hawaiʻi International Film Festival
Checked
2026-08-12

🏳️‍🌈Pride1 festival

Parade and festival, same day, same route.

Marchers carrying the Honolulu Pride banner🏳️‍🌈 Pride
🏳️‍🌈

Honolulu Pride

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Parade from 3pm · festival at the Shell from 5pm

Free to attendPride

Parade and festival are the same day and flow into each other — the march ends where the four hours of live entertainment begin, so you can do both without moving a car.

Cost. Free — the organiser calls it "Hawaiʻi’s largest free LGBTQIA+ festival". VIP passes sold separately

Where
Parade: Magic Island → Kalākaua Ave → Waikīkī Shell. Festival: Tom Moffatt Waikīkī Shell
Organiser
Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation
Checked
2026-08-12

Searched for constantly, but not on Oʻahu

These turn up on every “Hawaii festivals” list. They are real and they are worth going to — they are just on another island, and you need a flight.

Halau performing hula kahiko on stage at the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo🌿 Cultural
🌿

Merrie Monarch Festival

March 28 – April 3, 2027

TicketedCulturalNot on OʻahuProvisional

The world championship of hula, and the most important cultural event in the state — but it is in Hilo, not Honolulu, and people book it as though it were an Oʻahu trip. You need a flight and a room, and both go early.

Cost. 2026 cycle: reserved $40–$55, general admission $30 for two nights. Tickets by mailed request only, postmarked on or after December 1

Changed this year. The 2027 dates appear only in the organiser’s embedded social feed; the main site still shows April 2026. Treat as provisional and re-check before you book anything.

Where
Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island — a flight from Oʻahu
Organiser
Merrie Monarch Festival
Checked
2026-08-12

Annual, but no date announced yet

These run most years and none of them look defunct. Their organisers simply have not posted the next date. Rather than repeat last year’s date as though it were this year’s — which is what most listings do — here is what was last confirmed, and when to expect news.

Lei draping of the King Kamehameha statue during the King Kamehameha Celebration👑 Parade
👑

King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade

Next date not published. The 2026 parade was Saturday June 13, 9am–1pm

9am–1pm in 2026

FreeParadeNo date yet

A state holiday parade honouring Kamehameha I, with pāʻū riders and the lei-draping of the statue on King Street the day before. The commission has not posted a 2027 date; it typically lands on or near June 11.

Cost. Free

Where
ʻIolani Palace → Kapiʻolani Park
Organiser
King Kamehameha Celebration Commission (SFCA)
Checked
2026-08-12
No organiser photo
💃

Prince Lot Hula Festival

Next date not published. The 2026 festival was July 17–18

Not publishedCulturalNo date yet

The largest non-competitive hula festival in Hawaiʻi — hālau dance because they want to, not for placings, which gives it a completely different feel from Merrie Monarch.

Changed this year. Two things almost every other listing still gets wrong: it moved off Moanalua Gardens to the Frank F. Fasi Civic Grounds downtown, and the organiser renamed itself MGF Hawaiʻi. The old princelothulafestival.org domain now redirects.

Where
Frank F. Fasi Civic Grounds — no longer Moanalua Gardens
Organiser
MGF Hawaiʻi (formerly Moanalua Gardens Foundation)
Checked
2026-08-12
No organiser photo
📖

Talk Story Festival

No 2026 date published

FreeCulturalNo date yet

An evening of Hawaiian storytelling run by the City, free, and genuinely local rather than visitor-facing.

Cost. Free

Changed this year. The City has published no 2026 date, and its own two landing pages are stale — both still headline the 36th festival from October 2024, while a separate page shows the 37th happened in October 2025. If it runs, expect October.

Where
Moves — the 37th was at Mission Memorial Auditorium, 550 S King St
Organiser
City & County of Honolulu, Parks & Recreation
Checked
2026-08-12

What other guides currently get wrong

Found by reading each organiser’s own site in August 2026. If you have planned a trip from another festival list, these are the five things most likely to be wrong on it.

  • The Honolulu Festival parade is not running

    The Grand Parade down Kalākaua was cancelled for 2026 along with the Nagaoka fireworks, and nothing has been announced for the 2027 festival. Guides still describe it as the finale.

    Read it on the organiser’s site →

  • Prince Lot Hula Festival is not at Moanalua Gardens

    It moved to the Frank F. Fasi Civic Grounds downtown, and Moanalua Gardens Foundation now trades as MGF Hawaiʻi. Sending people to Moanalua Gardens sends them to the wrong side of the island.

    Read it on the organiser’s site →

  • There is no Bon Dance at the Okinawan Festival this year

    Convention centre renovations have forced a scaled-down 44th, with Early Admission dropped and no Bon Dance. The festival’s own admissions page still sells the early tier at last year’s prices, which is worth knowing before you buy.

    Read it on the organiser’s site →

  • Merrie Monarch is not on Oʻahu

    It is in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island, roughly a 50-minute flight. It appears on Oʻahu festival lists constantly, and tickets are sold by mailed request months in advance rather than online.

    Read it on the organiser’s site →

  • HIFF publishes two different end dates

    The homepage says the fall festival ends November 1; the box office says November 15. The difference is almost certainly the neighbour-island legs, but HIFF does not say so, so the Oʻahu run is the safer plan.

    Read it on the organiser’s site →

How this page is maintained

Every row carries the date it was last checked against the organiser. Nothing here is copied from another listings site, and no date is carried forward from a previous year. When an organiser contradicts itself — which happened three times while this page was being built — we say which source we trusted and why.

Free things to do on Oʻahu →First Friday Honolulu →Where to eat →