Related: 101 Things to Do in Hawaiʻi | The Ultimate Waikīkī Travel Guide | The Oʻahu Travel Guide | Oʻahu Pickleball Guide
Pickleball has taken over Hawaiʻi, and once a year the whole scene packs into one building. The Hawaiʻi Pacific Health ESPN Honolulu Open is back for its second year, and it has grown into the biggest pickleball tournament in the islands. From October 8 through 11, 2026, the Hawaiʻi Convention Center turns into a wall-to-wall pickleball arena with more than 33 indoor courts going at once, players flying in from across the mainland and the Pacific, and a crowd that ranges from first-timers to 5.0 pros chasing real prize money. Whether you want to compete, cheer on a friend, or just see what all the noise is about, here is everything you need to know, including exactly where and how to sign up.
We covered the inaugural event, and it was a genuine scene. More than a thousand players showed up for that first one, the energy was contagious, and the organizers promised to come back bigger. They did. This is the kind of homegrown event we love to see in Hawaiʻi, run by local people, supported by local sponsors, and giving back to the community while it is at it. Here is the full local rundown.
Quick reference
Dates: October 8-11, 2026 (Thursday through Sunday)
Venue: Hawaiʻi Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815
Official site: honoluluopen.com
Register here: pickleballtournaments.com (ESPN Honolulu Open)
Entry: $95 per player through June 30, then $125 starting July 1; registration closes September 15
Parking: none on site this year due to construction, plan to park at Ala Moana Center
Bonus: register and play by July 31 to be entered to win a round trip for two to Japan
What the ESPN Honolulu Open Actually Is
The ESPN Honolulu Open is Hawaiʻi’s premier pickleball event, and 2026 marks the second annual running. It is produced by ESPN Honolulu, the local sports media brand, with Hawaiʻi Pacific Health as the title sponsor, and it has quickly become a destination tournament that draws players and fans from Hawaiʻi and well beyond. The whole thing happens indoors at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, which becomes Hawaiʻi’s largest indoor pickleball venue for the weekend with more than 33 courts running side by side. If you have only ever played at a neighborhood park, walking into a convention hall full of courts and the steady pop of paddles is a sight.
The inaugural event in 2025 set the tone, with more than a thousand players across amateur and professional divisions and hundreds of spectators moving between courts all weekend. For 2026 the organizers moved the dates to October and rolled out a new streamlined pod format designed to get players more guaranteed games and keep the schedule moving. A portion of the proceeds also benefits Hui Mahiʻai ʻĀina, a community effort supporting the houseless population in Waimānalo affected by the Kona Low storms, which is one more reason we are happy to send people its way. If you are still building out your island plans, our Oʻahu travel guide and our roundup of 101 things to do in Hawaiʻi help you slot the tournament into a bigger trip.
When and Where It Happens
Mark your calendar for October 8 through 11, 2026, a Thursday through Sunday run. The home base is the Hawaiʻi Convention Center at 1801 Kalākaua Avenue, right at the gateway to Waikīkī and an easy walk or short drive from Ala Moana. The location could not be more central, which is part of what makes this event so easy to fold into a vacation.
One important logistics note, and this is the kind of thing that trips people up: there is no parking on site this year because of construction at the Convention Center. The organizers are directing everyone to park at Ala Moana Center and make their way over from there, so budget a few extra minutes and plan your arrival. If you are staying in Waikīkī, rideshare or a quick stroll may be easier than dealing with a car at all. While you are in the Ala Moana neighborhood, our Oʻahu shopping guide is handy for filling the gaps between matches, and our Waikīkī travel guide covers where to stay and eat nearby. The Ala Moana Hotel is one of the event’s official sponsors and sits right by the Convention Center, so it is a natural pick if you want to roll out of bed and onto the courts.
The Divisions and Format
The tournament is built for everyone, which is a big part of its charm. There are three main brackets: Amateur, Open, and a Collegiate Invitational. The Amateur divisions are where most local players land, sorted by skill so you are matched against people around your level, and they carry no prize money but plenty of glory. The Open, or Pro, division is designed for 5.0 and up players and is where the prize money lives. The Collegiate Invitational brings college-level talent into the mix, which adds a fun, fast-paced layer to the weekend.
On format, the event uses round robin play with playoffs for the non-prize divisions, so you are guaranteed multiple games rather than going home after a single loss, and the bigger pro draws run double elimination once there are eight or more teams. Games are generally to 11 or 15, win by two, depending on pool size, with gold-medal matches giving players the choice of a single game to 15 or the best of three to 11. It is a non-sanctioned tournament that follows Official USA Pickleball rules, with a head referee on site to settle any disputes while most matches are self-refereed. The event has partnered with DUPR for ratings, so your results help feed your rating. Bottom line: there is a spot here whether you are a weekend dinker or a banger with tournament hardware at home.
Prize Money and the Pros
This is not just a rec tournament with medals. The 2026 ESPN Honolulu Open is putting up to $15,000 in prize money on the line across Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles in the Open division, with payouts scaled to the number of registrations in each bracket. The pro field is set for 5.0 and up players, and pros get the option to use UPAA-approved paddles in addition to the standard USA Pickleball approved equipment. For context, the inaugural event paid out around $10,000 to the pro men’s and women’s teams, so the purse is growing along with the tournament. If you are a high-level player, this is a legitimate stop, and if you are a spectator, the pro matches are the ones to camp out for.
How to Register, Step by Step
Here is the part you actually came for. Registration is handled through pickleballtournaments.com, and the direct link to the event is right here on the official registration page. You can also start from the event’s home page at honoluluopen.com and tap the Register Now button, which lands in the same place. Registration is open now and closes on September 15, 2026, so there is no reason to wait, especially since divisions can fill.
The base entry is $95 per player if you sign up through June 30, and it goes up to $125 starting July 1, with later pricing tiers as the event approaches, so the earlier you commit, the more you save. Most players enter more than one event, and additional events run $20 each for amateurs and $70 each for pros, plus a small software fee of $5 per event. One thing to know if you are playing doubles: both you and your partner need to register and pay within the listed window, or your team can get bumped to the waitlist, so coordinate with your partner before you sign up. On refunds, there is a $20 admin fee for cancellations through September 15, and after that refund requests are handled after the tournament for up to half your entry. If you have never done a bracket tournament before, do not overthink it; create your account, pick your division by skill level, add any extra events, pay, and you are in.
Win a Round Trip to Japan
Here is a sweetener that is hard to ignore. Every eligible player who registers and plays by July 31, 2026 is entered into a sweepstakes to win a round trip for two from Honolulu to Tokyo, a prize valued around $3,000. It is open to Hawaiʻi residents who are at least 18, with one entry per person, and there is no purchase necessary to enter, which is standard sweepstakes language but worth knowing. The drawing happens at the end of July, so if a free trip to Japan is even a little bit motivating, get your registration in before that deadline rather than waiting for the September cutoff. Full official rules are posted on the event site.
The Weekend Schedule
The tournament runs across all four days, with evening sessions to kick things off and full days on the weekend. The published windows are Thursday and Friday from about 6:00 to 9:00 in the evening, then Saturday and Sunday from roughly 8:00 in the morning to 6:00 at night, with finals wrapping up Sunday. The exact lineup of which divisions play when is still being finalized and posted, so check the event site as the dates get closer for your specific bracket. In the inaugural year the pattern ran senior brackets early in the week and the most competitive brackets over the weekend, with the pro finals on Sunday afternoon, so if you are coming to watch the best matches, Saturday and Sunday are your days.
Coming to Watch, Not Play
You absolutely do not need a paddle to enjoy this. Pickleball is a blast to watch live, the pro matches are genuinely exciting, and the venue puts a ton of action in one place. There is also a product expo with giveaways that is part of the fun, where you can demo paddles, grab gear, and see what is new in the sport. It makes for an easy, family-friendly outing, and the keiki tend to love the energy. For the latest details on spectator admission and expo hours, check honoluluopen.com, since those specifics can change year to year. Pair a few hours of watching with a Waikīkī afternoon and you have a great day; our free things to do on Oʻahu guide has ideas for rounding it out, and our piece on how to experience Oʻahu as a local sets the right tone.
Make a Weekend of It
Because the tournament sits right between Waikīkī and Ala Moana, it is easy to build a whole trip around it. Fly in, stay nearby, play or watch by day, and enjoy the rest of the island on the side. If you are planning the full visit, our 7-day Oʻahu itinerary for first-timers maps out a great week, and our guide to the best time to visit Hawaiʻi confirms that October is one of the sweeter windows on the calendar, with smaller crowds and beautiful weather. Want to unwind between match days? Our roundup of the best beaches on Oʻahu will get you to the water fast.
Our Take
We are big fans of what the ESPN Honolulu Open has become. It is a real, well-run, growing event that puts Hawaiʻi on the pickleball map, supports a local cause, and gives players of every level a reason to show up. Pickleball is part of Hawaiʻi’s bigger push into sports tourism, and this is the flagship. If you play, register early, lock in the lower entry price, grab a partner, and get your name in before the Japan sweepstakes deadline. If you would rather watch, come down on Saturday or Sunday, browse the expo, and soak up the energy. Either way, October 8 through 11 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center is going to be a good time. Want to get some games in before or after the event? Our guide to Oʻahu pickleball courts shows you where to play around the island. We will see you on the courts. Mahalo, and travel with aloha.
More from Wanderlustyle
- Oʻahu Pickleball Guide: Courts, Open Play & Tournaments
- The Oʻahu Travel Guide
- The Ultimate Waikīkī Travel Guide
- 101 Things to Do in Hawaiʻi
- The Best Time to Visit Hawaiʻi
Featured image: Hawaiʻi Convention Center by Vernon Brown, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.
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