December on Oʻahu starts with a 21-foot (6.4 m) Santa throwing a shaka in front of City Hall. It ends with a barge full of fireworks parked a mile (1.6 km) off Waikīkī Beach.
In between, the world surfing titles get decided at Pipeline, thousands of runners take over Kalākaua Avenue before sunrise, and the whole island buys poinsettias off one Costco pallet.
We live here, so our December fills up with parades, craft fairs, and somebody’s aunty’s potluck. This is the calendar we would hand a friend flying in: the dates that matter, what each one costs, and what shuts down on the holidays.
Related: Oʻahu in November 2026 | Christmas in Hawaiʻi: What to Expect and Where to Celebrate | Things to Do on Oʻahu with Kids During Winter Break
December weather, water, and daylight on Oʻahu
Highs in Honolulu sit around 80°F (27°C), and nights drop into the high 60s (around 20°C). That counts as sweater weather here. You will see kamaʻāina in hoodies at 7:00 a.m. while visitors from Minnesota swim laps.
December is a wet month by Oʻahu standards, especially in Kāneʻohe, Kailua, and Mānoa. Showers roll through in the morning and clear by lunch more often than they ruin a whole day.
Keep one indoor backup in your pocket and you will be fine.
The ocean holds in the mid 70s (around 24°C), which is warmer than most mainland pools. The North Shore is in full winter mode, with 20-foot (6 m) days at Waimea and Pipeline. The south shore in Waikīkī stays flat and friendly for keiki.
Sunset lands a little before 6:00 p.m. all month. Plan your beach day around that, because the light goes fast once the sun touches the water off Ala Moana.
Honolulu City Lights opens Saturday, December 5
This is the big one, and it is free. Honolulu City Lights has lit up the Frank F. Fasi Civic Center grounds every December since 1985. For 2026 the opening ceremony runs Saturday, December 5, starting at 5:30 p.m., and the city tree in front of Honolulu Hale lights up at about 6:00 p.m.
The Public Workers’ Electric Light Parade steps off on King Street at about the same time. It rolls from River Street in Chinatown to Kawaiahaʻo Street, and the first unit reaches Honolulu Hale around 6:30 p.m. Food booths on Punchbowl Street run 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. that night.
Pick your curb with the crowd in mind. The sidewalk near Honolulu Hale, on King Street between Bishop and Punchbowl, gets packed early because that is where the tree lighting happens.
If you would rather breathe, stand along King Street in Chinatown between River Street and Fort Street Mall. You get the full parade, smaller crowds, and dinner within a block.
After opening night the grounds stay open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. through December. The outdoor lights come on around 6:00 p.m. and go off around 6:00 a.m.
A 9:00 p.m. stroll on a weeknight is the calm way to see Shaka Santa and Tūtū Mele without a stroller traffic jam. Food vendors at the Civic Center run December 6 to 30, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Parking is free in the Frank F. Fasi Municipal lot. The entrance is on Beretania Street, left lane, just past Alapaʻi Street. On opening night the parade closes streets in Chinatown and downtown, so get there before 4:00 p.m. or take TheBus and skip the headache.
The full schedule and the live broadcast on ʻŌlelo Channel 53 are on the Honolulu City Lights FAQ.
Staying in Waikīkī and would rather not drive at all? The Waikīkī Trolley holiday lights ride runs about an hour, with a 30-minute stop at Honolulu Hale and hot chocolate at Aloha Tower. We have taken it with a toddler who fell asleep before Chinatown. Still worth it.
📍 Honolulu Hale, 530 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
The Eddie opening ceremony, Thursday, December 3
Before the lights, there is the bay. The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational holds its opening ceremony at Waimea Bay on Thursday, December 3. The holding window then runs December 6, 2026 through March 4, 2027.
The contest only runs if wave faces reach 40 feet (12 m) and hold for a full day. Most years the ceremony is the only Eddie event anyone sees.
Do not let that stop you. Watching 32 invitees paddle out in a circle for the blessing, with Waimea sitting quiet behind them, is one of the best free mornings on the island.
This year’s list has John John Florence, Kai Lenny, Makua Rothman, Landon McNamara, and 25 surfers from Hawaiʻi in all. The full invitee list is on Hawaii News Now.
If the Eddie does get called during your trip, drop everything. Read our Waimea Bay guide on the way, because Kamehameha Highway becomes a parking lot by 7:00 a.m.
Pearl Harbor turns 85 on Monday, December 7
Monday, December 7, 2026, marks 85 years since the attack. The National Pearl Harbor Remembrance ceremony runs from about 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. A moment of silence lands at 7:55 a.m., the minute the first bombs fell.
It is open to the public, and it fills.
One warning, because we have watched people lose a whole morning to this. If your heart is set on the USS Arizona Memorial boat program, book it for a day that is not December 7. The whole week runs at capacity, boat programs may run on a modified schedule, and parking is gone before sunrise.
Reserve your program on recreation.gov the moment tickets release, and arrive an hour early.
The visitor center normally runs 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Programs go about every 15 minutes starting at 8:00 a.m., with the last one at 3:30 p.m. Bring nothing but a phone and a wallet; the no-bag rule is real and bag storage costs a few dollars.
Our Pearl Harbor National Memorial guide walks through the whole timing game.
Prefer to let someone else handle the tickets and the drive? This small group Pearl Harbor tour with reserved Arizona Memorial tickets also stops at Punchbowl and downtown on the way back. Book it for the 8th or later and let the 7th belong to the survivors’ families.
That same evening, the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade marches down Kalākaua Avenue in Waikīkī. It traditionally steps off at 4:15 p.m. with mainland high school bands and veterans’ groups. Confirm the time on the parade site the week of, since the organizers post final details late.
Lexus Pipe Masters decides the world titles (December 8 to 20)
The World Surf League moved its season finale back to the Banzai Pipeline for 2026, and the window runs December 8 to 20. Both world titles get decided here, with the top eight men and women seeded into the final rounds.
If you have ever wanted to see a world champion crowned 50 yards (46 m) from your slippers, this is the month.
The contest runs on the best days inside the window, so it does not run every day. Check the WSL app the night before for the call. Competition usually starts around 8:00 a.m., and the beach at ʻEhukai Beach Park is standing room only by 9:00 a.m.
Parking is the whole problem. Plan for it. The lots at ʻEhukai and Sunset fill before dawn on contest days, and Kamehameha Highway shoulder parking gets ticketed.
Park in Haleʻiwa and take the bus up, or go on a lay day and watch the free surfers instead. Our Banzai Pipeline guide has the exact spots to stand.
📍 ʻEhukai Beach Park, 59-337 Ke Nui Road, Haleʻiwa, HI 96712
Haleʻiwa Christmas Parade, Friday, December 11
While the pros are waiting on swell, Haleʻiwa throws its own party. The Haleʻiwa Christmas Parade rolls down the town’s main street on Friday, December 11, and the road closes to traffic at 5:30 p.m.
The North Shore Chamber lists the start as 6:00 p.m. on one part of its page and 6:30 p.m. on another. Get there by 5:30 p.m. and grab a shave ice at Matsumoto Shave Ice while you wait.
Fire trucks wrapped in lights, keiki hula hālau on flatbeds, and Santa riding something with wheels and a surfboard rack. That is the whole show, and it is a good one.
Make a night of it. Dinner in Haleʻiwa town after the parade means you are already north for a Saturday morning at Pipeline, and you skip the holiday traffic back to Honolulu. The North Shore Chamber of Commerce posts the final time.
Marathon weekend takes over Honolulu (December 10 to 14)
The Honolulu Marathon runs Sunday, December 13, with a 5:00 a.m. start on Ala Moana Boulevard and a finish at Kapiʻolani Park. There is no time limit. That is why you will see walkers finishing at dinner time with leis around their necks and the biggest smiles on the island.
The expo and packet pickup run Thursday, December 10 through Saturday, December 12 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. The Kalākaua Merrie Mile goes Saturday morning on Monsarrat Avenue.
Finisher Monday, December 14, is the day to spot medals at every breakfast counter in Waikīkī.
If you are not running, the thing to know is the roads. Ala Moana Boulevard, Kalākaua Avenue, and the Kāhala and Hawaiʻi Kai stretches close for most of Sunday morning. Do not book a 7:00 a.m. Hanauma Bay slot that day!
We wrote the full plan, closures and all, in our Honolulu Marathon 2026 guide, so we will not repeat it here.
Hotel rates in Waikīkī spike that weekend because thousands of runners fly in from Japan. If your dates are flexible, arrive on the 14th and let the marathon crowd check out ahead of you.
The Nutcracker and the Mele Kalikimaka Marketplace (December 12 and 13)
Two very different reasons to be at the Blaisdell the same weekend. Ballet Hawaiʻi performs its island-set Nutcracker at the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13.
The Blaisdell calendar lists a 4:00 p.m. show on Saturday and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, with tickets through the Blaisdell Box Office and Ticketmaster.
This Nutcracker is set in 1858 Honolulu, so the Sugar Plum Fairy shares the stage with hula and the party scene happens at a plantation house. If you have seen the ballet a dozen times on the mainland, this is the one that will surprise you. Details are on the Ballet Hawaiʻi site.
Next door in the Exhibition Hall, the Mele Kalikimaka Marketplace runs Saturday, December 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On Sunday, December 13, it runs 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
This is the one we hit for gifts that are made here: Hawaiian-print aprons, Kona coffee, jams, koa pens, and the good crack seed. Last year admission was $7, with keiki 12 and under free. The 2026 price was not posted when we wrote this, so bring a little cash either way.
Blaisdell parking fills by midday on a double-event Saturday. Go at 9:00 a.m., shop first, then walk across to the Concert Hall. Bring a tote bag.
📍 Neal S. Blaisdell Center, 777 Ward Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96814
Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl on Christmas Eve
College football on Christmas Eve is a Honolulu tradition at this point. The 2026 Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl kicks off Thursday, December 24, at 2:00 p.m. at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the UH Mānoa campus. ESPN carries it nationally.
Tickets run $33 for the Diamond Head end zone, $44 for the ʻEwa end zone, and $54 to $79 along the sidelines. They are sold through Hawaiʻi Athletics ticketing or the Stan Sheriff Center box office.
The teams were not announced when we published, which is normal; bowl matchups land in early December.
The Ching complex is small, about 9,000 seats, and it sits in a residential neighborhood with almost no parking. Park in the UH parking structure and walk the rest.
A 2:00 p.m. kickoff in Mānoa also means afternoon sun on one sideline and afternoon showers on both. Bring a hat and a drugstore poncho.
Christmas Day and New Year’s Day: what is closed
Christmas falls on a Friday this year and New Year’s Day on the following Friday. Both are quiet days here, and a few of the places you flew in for are closed on both.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial closes December 25 and January 1, so do not pencil in the Arizona Memorial as your Christmas morning. Diamond Head State Monument closes both holidays too, and on the 26th every visitor on the island is chasing the same sunrise slot.
Hanauma Bay closes both holidays on top of its regular Monday and Tuesday closures. The Honolulu Zoo closes Christmas Day and reopens December 26.
Beaches, of course, never close. Christmas morning at Ala Moana Beach Park is families unwrapping boogie boards on the sand, and it is our favorite morning of the year.
Most hotel restaurants run a Christmas buffet, and a surprising number of local spots stay open on the 25th. We covered those in our Christmas in Hawaiʻi guide.
Plan Christmas Eve for the sightseeing you cannot skip. ʻIolani Palace, Bishop Museum, and the Polynesian Cultural Center each set their own holiday schedule, so call before you drive. Nobody wants to explain to a seven-year-old why the museum is dark.
New Year’s Eve fireworks off Waikīkī, Thursday, December 31
The main public show is the Waikīkī New Year’s fireworks at midnight, launched from a barge about a mile (1.6 km) off the beach. It is free, and you can see it from the sand anywhere between the Hilton lagoon and Kapiʻolani Park. Locals tune a radio to 105.9 The Wave for the music.
The 2026 show was not formally announced when we published. The Waikīkī Business Improvement District has run it every year, and the Waikīkī Improvement Association events page posts the details in December.
Our advice for the beach: claim your spot on the sand by 10:30 p.m., and bring a mat and a jacket. Expect Kalākaua Avenue to be a slow river of people until 2:00 a.m.
Rideshares surge like crazy after midnight. If your hotel is within a mile (1.6 km), walk.
Wai Kai in ʻEwa Beach ran its own midnight finale over the lagoon last year. That is the move if you are staying at Ko Olina and do not want to drive into town.
The regular Hilton show runs on the Fridays before and after the holidays too, and our Friday night fireworks guide has the free spots to watch it.
Whales, waves, and the winter break crowd
The humpbacks are back. December is early season, but we have spotted spouts from the Makapuʻu lookout before Christmas most years. The free lookouts, the boat tours, and the 100-yard (91 m) rule are all in our Oʻahu whale watching guide.
If you want a boat, the Majestic whale watch cruise out of Aloha Tower runs about two and a half hours with a sighting guarantee. In December that guarantee means a free second trip if the whales are shy.
Late January is the sure thing. December is the gamble with a better price.
The other thing that arrives in December is everyone’s kids. Hawaiʻi public schools break just before Christmas, and mainland schools let out the same week. From Christmas through New Year’s, Waikīkī, Hanauma Bay, and the Diamond Head trail run at summer crowd levels.
Our winter break with kids plan has the indoor backups and the beaches that work for keiki.
Tips for visiting Oʻahu in December
Rates are split in two. The first three weeks are shoulder season, with some of the best hotel prices of the year outside marathon weekend. Then December 20 hits and everything doubles through January 3.
If you have any flexibility, come early in the month and leave before Christmas. Your wallet will thank you.
Book the big three now: Arizona Memorial tickets on recreation.gov, Hanauma Bay slots two days ahead at 7:00 a.m. sharp, and Diamond Head reservations once your dates lock. Those systems do not care that it is the holidays.
Pack for two climates. A rain jacket for Kāneʻohe, a sweatshirt for the North Shore at 6:00 a.m., and reef-safe sunscreen for the three hours at noon when December forgets it is winter.
Also pack a backup pair of slippers, because the first pair will blow out on the wet rocks at some point. It always does.
Rent the car early. Holiday weeks mean long lines and empty lots at the airport counters by December 22. The four-wheel drive upgrade nobody needs costs more in December than any other month.
And eat like it is December. Hot malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery on a rainy morning, kālua pig from a church fundraiser, and the shave ice with mochi balls you earned after the Haleʻiwa parade. Nobody comes home from Hawaiʻi in December lighter.
Our December, if we had to pick
If we had one week and a friend’s couch, it would run like this. Fly in Thursday, December 3, and catch the Eddie ceremony at Waimea that morning. Opening night at Honolulu City Lights on Saturday the 5th, standing in Chinatown with a plate from the food booths.
Monday the 7th at the Pearl Harbor ceremony early, then Punchbowl in the afternoon while the memorial crowd thins. Pipeline on whichever day the WSL calls it, with the Haleʻiwa parade on Friday night as the backup plan if the surf goes flat.
Then out before marathon weekend, with a pound of crack seed from the marketplace in the carry-on. That is our December. Mele Kalikimaka, and see you on the sand.
More from Wanderlustyle
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