Unless you’re headed to the summit of Mauna Kea, a Hawaii Christmas is not white. Santa sheds his red suit for flip-flops and a loud Christmas-colored Hawaiian shirt.
While a Hawaiian Christmas may lack wintry cold, it does not lack holiday spirit and fun.
Here are our picks for kid-friendly Hawaii Christmas events that will have everyone in the Aloha State exclaiming, “Mele Kalikimaka”—that’s Merry Christmas in Hawaiian, folks! Updated for 2025!
Christmas in Hawaii 2025
Hawaii Christmas Events on the Big Island
There will be no shortage of music and lights at Hawaii Christmas events on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The annual Kailua-Kona Community Christmas Parade is a colorful spectacle as it travels along the town’s main drag of Ali’l Drive. Be sure to stay for the fireworks! This year’s parade kicks off at 5:30 PM on December 13, 2025.
Do you need to finish up some Christmas shopping? Head to Kailua Village on December 7, 2025, for a holiday stroll from 1 to 6 PM. Nearly 100 vendor booths showcasing the work of local artisans and crafters, musicians, and merchants offer a fantastic shopping experience and delicious dining options.
Unfold a beach chair or mat for the Kailua Kalikimaka Holiday Concert at Emma’s Square from 4 to 5 PM.
Kalikimaka Lighted Boat Parade is one of Kona’s newer traditions. Decorated and lighted boats travel a short little loop along the Kona pier and down the coast! Great viewing spots for this spectacular Hawaii Christmas event can be found at the Kailua Pier, on the Body Glove boat, or in the village’s many restaurants. This year’s parade is on December 7, 2025, at 6 PM.
On Christmas Eve, guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village can take photos with Island Santa at the Kona Pool, listen to carolers in the Main Lobby, and attend a church service at the Grand Staircase.
Christmas Day at the Hilton Waikoloa Village begins with Santa’s canoe arrival across the lagoon, followed by family photos and a festive Christmas Day Brunch Buffet at Water’s Edge.
The resort also offers some holiday editions of its Signature Legends of Hawai’i Lūʻau. A Christmas Lūʻau on December 25, 2025, from 5:30 to 8:15 PM in Kamehameha Court, will include sugarcane-baked ham with spiced pineapple, star anise beef short ribs, and decadent holiday desserts like eggnog cheesecake and chocolate macadamia yule logs. Santa will also make a special appearance for keiki, sharing cookies and holiday cheer.
The Hilton Waikoloa will close the year with a New Year’s Eve Lūʻau Under the Stars with Fireworks on December 31, 2025, from 6-9:15 PM on the resort’s Lagoon Lanai.
Just because you’re traveling during Christmas time does not mean your family has to miss out on classic traditions like the Nutcracker or Christmas Eve services.
The West Hawaii Dance Theatre & Academy will perform the Nutcracker at the Kahilu Theatre. This year’s performance is on December 23, 2025, at 2 PM and 6 PM.
Don’t miss Christmas Eve candlelight services at Mokuaikaua Church, Hawaii’s first Christian church. It features hula stories, songs, instrumental solos, and candle lighting. The celebration begins at 7 PM. However, Christmas carols start at 6 PM in the church courtyard under the historic spire.
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Hawaii Christmas Events on Oahu
On the island of Oahu, Hawaii, Christmas events include an array of colorful parades like the Festival of Lights Boat Parade at the Hawaii Kai Marina.
The event will occur on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The parade will start at the three shopping centers and travel throughout the marina.
The biggest Hawaii Christmas celebration on the island is Honolulu City Lights. The month-long festivities kick off with the lighting of the 50-foot Norfolk Pine Christmas tree on the front lawn of Honolulu Hale, triggering the “corridor of lights” down King and Punchbowl streets.
The Honolulu City Lights tree lighting ceremony and Electric Light Parade are set for November 29, 2025, at 6 PM. Honolulu City Lights will run nightly through December 31, 2025.
From holiday movie screenings to decorating, the Ritz-Carlton Residences offers numerous festive experiences to get families in the spirit of the season. Guests can partake in traditional activities like photos with Santa, holiday choir music, and a hot cocoa bar. They can also enjoy a unique Hawaiian spin on welcoming Santa by making a lei for the big guy.
Santa arrives at the Outrigger Waikiki via an outrigger canoe on December 6, 2025. He greets resort guests on Waikiki Beach in front of the resort.
Throughout the month, Outrigger guests enjoy Hawaii Christmas events that include storytelling, cookie decoration, hot cocoa, and cookies.
At the Polynesian Cultural Center on the North Shore, there will be Santa Lights, train rides, a scavenger hunt, and all sorts of festive fun at the annual Christmas at the Hukilau Marketplace from December 15th-22nd, 6-8 PM.
There are Keiki Train Rides, light displays, musical performances, selfies with Santa, and even snow days! Best of all, it’s all free! We’ll share this year’s plans as soon as they are announced!
Holiday Hint: In this part of the world, Santa hopes you leave him Malasadas, not cookies. A Portuguese doughnut without a hole, a malasada is golden brown outside and light and fluffy inside.
They are filled with the gooey goodness of custard, chocolate, or coconut and dusted with sugar. They are so amazing that there is a designated Malasada Day to celebrate them. Stop by Leonard’s Bakery to get acquainted with this local favorite.
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Christmas Events on Maui
Christmas looks a bit different on Maui after a tragic wildfire devastated the historic town of Lahaina. While the town’s famous Banyan Tree shows signs of new growth and offers hope for renewal, it’s not quite ready to return to the beloved Hawaii Christmas event of lighting it. While all of West Maui is open, Lahaina is only partially open to the public. Please be mindful of signs and respectful of fire-affected areas that are still off limits.
If you’d like to make volunteerism a part of your holiday season, Lahaina could still use generous helping hands. There are numerous opportunities to volunteer as a family.
Maui Walking Tours hosts a sunset tour along the Kihei coastline on December 19, 2025, joined by a local Christmas caroling group. Listen to stories, legends, and history pertaining to this region of Maui, and your favorite Christmas carols will be mixed in along the way!
The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa encourages guests to join a daily property-wide scavenger hunt for the Elf on the Shelf. The elf’s newest hiding spot could be anywhere across the resort’s 40 acres of oceanside paradise, so be on the lookout! Families are encouraged to capture photos of their finds and share the holiday fun by tagging @HyattMaui and @theelfontheshelf on social media.
The Grand Wailea hosts a spectacular public tree lighting event on December 16th. Join visitors and locals on the front lawn for live entertainment from talented local artists before the grand tree lighting countdown. Walk through the lobby before or after the event to shop through a holiday-themed market featuring local crafters and vendors.
On Christmas Eve, Santa trades his sleigh for an outrigger canoe. He paddles into Wailea Beach at 9 AM to cheering locals and visitors. Wearing his signature red hat and a floral aloha shirt, the keiki run to greet him, their eyes wide with wonder. The sound of ukuleles and hula dancers fills the air, turning the beach into a festive celebration of island-style Christmas spirit.
At the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, families can celebrate Christmas Eve “Hawaiian style” at the resort’s oceanfront, Maui Nui Lu’au.
The entire family will delight in the remarkable stories, history, and culture of the Valley Isle and Kaanapali luaus. Note: The Sheraton has not yet announced plans for the 2025 holiday season. Please check back soon for updates!
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Christmas in Hawaii on Kauai
If you find yourself on Hawaii’s Garden Isle during the holidays, the Festival of Lights is a Hawaii Christmas event not to be missed! For over two decades, Josie Chansky, known to many locals as “Aunt Josie,” has filled the Historic County Building with unique holiday-themed decorations.
How unique, you ask? Have you ever seen a tree made of 7500 green toothpicks or wreaths made of plastic egg cartons? What about one made of SPAM cans? Referring to the old adage, many fantastic displays here became another man’s treasure after being another man’s trash.
From the 1st Friday in December through the New Year, the Historic County Building Park Lights glow from 6-11 PM nightly from November 29 to December 29, 2025. The Festival of Lights “Kauai-style” interior display is open to visitors every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening from 6-8 PM. through Christmas Eve. Santa and Mrs. Claus will see visitors on the Historic County Building Porch on Fridays from 6-8 PM.
The Waimea Lighted Christmas Parade is a great way to kick off an island holiday break. This year’s parade is set for December 20, 2025, from 6:00 PM – 9 PM. It travels down Main Street and ends at Hofgaard Park with a holiday concert featuring Kaua’i Kollab in the town center! Both the parade and concert are FREE.
Discover the best things to do in Kauai with kids.
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Christmas in Lana’i
Many think of Lana’i as the Hawaii of yesterday: unspoiled, unhurried, and unequaled. And that’s what visitors will find, whether staying at the tranquil and lovely Four Seasons Resort Lāna’i at Manele Bay or at the upcountry escape of Four Seasons Resort Lāna’i, The Lodge at Koele.
Daily sports, spas, cultural activities, and fantastic evening events will make the holiday on Lāna’i one to remember. With kite flying, Kids’ Yoga, Junior Golf, Keiki Spa Party, and hula, the kids will never be bored.
Other options this time of year include cookie decorating and ornament making. If you’re visiting the island from a snowbound region, imagine making your friends and relatives jealous when you tell them that your Christmas included a Dive in Movie! (That’s a movie you watch while in the pool!)
Find more Christmas events near you! Trekaroo has guides for dozens of cities across the country.
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Featured photo by: Shutterstock
My family has been traveling since our kids were very small. Many have thought we were crazy for hopping on planes with little kids. My response to that is, “There’s a handle on the infant carrier, so you can take them with you!”
I wanted to tell travel stories because one of my children is on the autism spectrum, and I wanted to show other families that a diagnosis like that did not necessarily mean a life of being homebound.I’m proud to report that my son has a passport full of stamps; it just took a little extra preparation to get him into the world.
I received my degree in Journalism from San Francisco State University in 1990. I have a vast writing background that includes newspaper reporting, web content for high-tech companies, and feature writing.
I have frequently collaborated and contributed to other family travel blogs, including the Hilton Hotel blogs, Hilton MomVoyage, and Hilton Suggests.Visit California named me a Digital Feature Entry Winner for my story titled, “Silicon Valley Tour – Adventures for Geeks of all Ages.”I am also the leader of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of Travel Massive, a travel community connecting thousands of tourism professionals, travel media, creators, and startups from around the world.
I live in Mountain View, CA, with my husband and son. I also have a daughter, who is in college. While we currently don’t have any pets, we will soon adopt a golden retriever through a rescue organization. My favorite things (besides travel) are spy novels, hanging out at the San Francisco Presidio, Greek food, wandering through bookstores, plants, and my greenhouse.
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