If you are planning to visit Hawaii for your upcoming holiday, you should know when the right time is. Because the weather is lovely during April, May, September, and October, this should be the best time to visit Hawaii.
The rainiest months are between November and March. And, between June and November, the hurricane season starts. However, the chances of having a bigger storm are quite rare. As winter approaches, it brings the best wave for people to surf.
North shore beaches are perfect places for surfing. The quietest month of the year is November when tourists rarely visit the place. Also, this is the cheapest time for you to visit Hawaii.
Hawaii travel seasons:
Low season
Fall and spring are considered low seasons for traveling to Hawaii. It constitutes the time from September to mid-December and April to mid-June. So, if you are planning to visit the place during this time, rethink your strategy.
Besides, flights, car rentals, and hotels are less expensive compared to other seasons. Also, you get less crowd on places of interest and beaches.
Summer
Starting from mid-June and continuing toward the end of August, the travel season especially for families are in full swing during this period. Compared to the winter months, prices are much lower during summer.
However, attractions and beaches stay crowded. Moreover, fewer deals are what you get during summer and the last ones usually come out at the last minute.
High season
Hawaii’s high season is considered the time around December to March. With Christmas and New Year holidays, this is the time that many people try to get to this island and have the most memorable time of their life.
Flights, car rentals, and hotels are expensive during this time. In general, hotels will require greater deposits, strict cancellation policies, and minimum stays throughout the high season. Everything tends to sell out in advance. Hence, book early and plan well if you wish to visit Hawaii during this peak travel season.
Hawaii festivals and events throughout the year:
In January –
• Chinese New Year at Oahu: It starts from mid-January and ends in mid-February everywhere on the island, especially in Honolulu’s Chinatown. You can expect amazing fireworks, music, kung fu demons, and the dragon and lion dancers.
• Surf competitions on the North Shore: January is the prime surfing season in Oahu and several events take place on the North Shore.
In February –
• Waimea Town Celebration: The event takes place in the desert town Kauai with 8 days of continuous activities. Events include an ice cream competition and deconstructed triathlon.
• Pow Wow Hawaii at Oahu: Music, lectures, mural projects, live art, gallery installations, and international arts is what you get during this time. It takes place in Oahu and during Valentine’s week.
• Maui whale festival at Maui: This event continues for about a month. However, the main highlight is celebrating World Whale Day.
In March –
• Kona Brewer’s Festival at Big Island: It features forty-seven chefs and breweries from twenty-nine restaurants. The event includes live music, a brewer competition, and a trash fashion show.
• Honolulu festival at Oahu: The festival is all about exploring the culture through arts, dance, foods, and ends with a parade.
In April –
• Honolulu Brewers festival at Oahu: More than 100 craft beers from the Mainland, Hawaii, and abroad along with great food and live entertainment is what you get.
• Merrie Monarch festival at Big Island: It is a 3-day festival that includes hula shows, a parade via Hilo, an invitational art fair, and a huge hula competition. While most events are free, you need to buy tickets for the competition requested through an email.
In May –
• Lantern floating ceremony at Oahu: About 40,000 people float lanterns made of paper on Memorial Day to respect fallen soldiers. The lanterns carry messages and prayers on the water in Ala Moana Beach.
• Lei Day celebration: May Day is celebrated as Lei Day in Hawaii. Celebrations features live music, hula dancing, and lei competition.
• East Maui Taro Festival: This festival is all about celebrating Hawaii’s staple food. You get to see poi pounding, farmer’s market, taro pancake breakfast, and so on.
• Kauai Canoe World Challenge Race: It is a 36-mile canoe race that starts at Beach Park, Kapa, and ends at Salt Pond.
In June –
• Maui Film festival at Maui: Film screenings, panel discussions, and fine food are what you get from this festival.
• King Kamehameha festival: It is a festival that honors the Great King Kamehameha who united all the islands in Hawaii. While the festival is brilliantly celebrated throughout the island, the biggest event happens in Oahu.
In July –
• The joy of Sake at Oahu: Food from the best restaurants in Honolulu is accompanied and more than 300 sakes are poured for this tasting event.
• Surf Film festival at Oahu: Around a one-month-long film festival that celebrates the history and cultural impact of surfing at the Honolulu Museum of Arts.
In August –
• International Billfish Tournament: It is a 5-day fishing competition at Big Island where people are invited to catch the biggest fish.
• Na Hula festival: It is a non-competitive, longest-running hula festival.
In September –
• Aloha festivals: It is a statewide celebration where all the islands have their Aloha Weeks and involves more than 100,000 attendees.
• Kauai Mokihana Festival: It’s a cultural event that includes a craft fair, lectures. Hula contest, and music contest.
In October –
• Hawaiian food and wine festival: The events take place at Big Island, Maui, and Oahu on different days. Some events include rare wine tasting, kids’ cooking class, ramen showdown, urban luau, and so on.
In November –
• Triple surfing competition at Oahu: Three surfing competitions take place on the North Shore beaches when the waves are the biggest.
• Kona coffee festival: It celebrates the region’s arts, culture, history, and coffee. The event goes on for about 11 days at different places in the Kona Mountains.
In December –
• Moku’ula by Moonlight: With ukulele music and a mixture of contemporary talks on Hawaiian issues, you get a free night on the beaches of Lahaina.
• Mocha pounding at Big Island: It is a community tradition where people gather to pound sticky rice so that the New Year brings them good luck.