Waikiki, HI Christmas Events 2024
While you won't find snow on Waikiki Beach during the holiday season, you will find an abundance of Christmas spirit! The most famous neighborhood in Honolulu (and indeed in all of Hawaii), pulls out all the stops to wish visitors Mele Kalikimaka, and the holiday season brings things to do for the whole family, great food and a festive Christmas atmosphere to this bustling beach wonderland. Read on for The Merry Best things to do this Christmas in Waikiki Beach.
Waikiki Trolley Holiday Lights Tour
What better way to take in the magic of Waikiki decorated for Christmas than on this carefully curated tour aboard a festive open air bus? Check out the most beautiful Christmas light displays and magnificent Christmas trees in Honolulu as you ride in comfort and enjoy Christmas carols and stories. Tickets include access to the Winter Wonderland, where Santa reigns over a delightful Christmas world of hot cocoa, crafts and other holiday activities.
December 3rd - 27th, daily, with departures at 6, 7 and 8 p.m.
$30 adults (12 and up); $20 children 3-11; free for kids 2 and under riding on a parent's lap
Christmas with the Animals
Honolulu has a wonderful zoo situated conveniently right in Waikiki, and the Honolulu Zoo hosts one of the more unique and delightful Christmas zoo events in the U.S., Christmas with the Animals. On this one-day-only event, the zoo's animals celebrate Christmas with their own presents, and you can watch the animals tear through wrapping paper and play with, or devour, their gifts. A very cool holiday experience that is included with zoo admission.
TBD, but likely December 14
Regular Honolulu Zoo admission prices. $21 for adults and children 13 and up, $13 for kids 3-12 and free for infants 2 and under. Ticket prices are steeply discounted for Kama'aina and U.S. Military. Honolulu Zoo parking is $1.50/hr, so consider walking if you're staying nearby, or parking at the Waikiki Shell parking lot across the street for free parking.
Go Christmas Shopping
Waikiki is a shopper's paradise, and never more so than during the Christmas season. From inexpensive Christmas-themed Hawaii souvenirs to upscale designer clothing shops and jewelry, there is a Christmas gift for every taste and budget right along the main drag on Waikiki beach, Kalākaua Ave. The Royal Hawaiian Center is a highlight for festive Christmas decorations and an enormous Christmas tree, and the Ala Moana Center features plenty of Christmas decorations, including a gigantic Santa Claus statue, Big Santa, that has made annual visits since 1959, the year of Hawaii's statehood!
Daily throughout the season
Free
Visit a Christmas Pop-Up Bar
Get in the Christmas spirit with some Christmas spirits at one of Waikiki's pop-up Christmas bars. Some of the island's most cherished tourist bars get all decked out for Christmas in a magical holiday transformation. Some favorites include the Christmas Bar at Tiki's Grill and Bar, The Candy Cane Lane Speakeasy at Alohilani Resort and the Winter Wonderland Bar at Alo Moana Center. Christmas-themed drinks, Christmas trees and light displays will put everybody in the holiday mood. Some, like Christmas Bar, also welcome children, so you can have fun with the whole family.
Throughout the season
Waikiki Holiday Parade
Waikiki kicks off the Christmas season with the Waikiki Holiday Parade. The parade is unique in that it also commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor and honors survivors and veterans. The parade travels 1.5 miles up Kalakaua Ave from Fort DeRussy Park to Queen Kapiolani Park and features local and national marching bands, military units and dignitaries, including Santa Claus.
Friday, November 29, 2024
Free
Christmas Shows at the Hawaii Theatre
In 2024, the Hawaii Theatre brings Honolulu a remarkable slate of Christmas shows. A majestic and historic theatre, the Hawaii is as nice a venue as you will find anywhere, and the entertainment this holiday season is top notch, kicking off with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra's HAPA Holiday Extravaganza on December 7th -- one of the Merry Best events in Honolulu this Christmas! -- and continuing with a showing of the popular film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" accompanied live by the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra (a Merry Best pick for kids)!
For a more Hawaiian holiday, catch Christmas with the Makaha Sons on December 14th or Kalani Pe'a's Hawaiian Christmas Show on December 21st. Fun fact: Kalani Pe'a has released three studio albums and has won three Grammys; talk about batting a thousand!
And wait, what? Don McLean will be at the Hawaii Theatre on December 20th for A Starry, Starry Christmas, featuring everything from hits like "American Pie" to Christmas favorites. There's truly something for everyone at the Hawaii this year!
For a more Hawaiian holiday, catch Christmas with the Makaha Sons on December 14th or Kalani Pe'a's Hawaiian Christmas Show on December 21st. Fun fact: Kalani Pe'a has released three studio albums and has won three Grammys; talk about batting a thousand!
And wait, what? Don McLean will be at the Hawaii Theatre on December 20th for A Starry, Starry Christmas, featuring everything from hits like "American Pie" to Christmas favorites. There's truly something for everyone at the Hawaii this year!
Tickets start as low as $25 for "The Grinch" and start between $32 and $45 for the other shows.
Visit the Waikiki Christmas Store
What better place to shop for Christmas in Waikiki than the store that has both "Christmas" and "Waikiki" right in the name? The Waikiki Christmas Store is open year-round, but naturally, Christmas is prime season, and this festive little shop is a great place to pick up personalized Christmas ornaments and other gifts and souvenirs.
Year-round
Free
Catch a Christmas Concert at Blue Note
Blue Note Hawaii in Waikiki is offering multiple amazing Christmas concerts in 2024. Our Merry Best picks are the Honolulu Brass Quintet's HBQ Christmas on December 16th and of course the 8th annual A Charlie Brown Christmas concert on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
HBQ Christmas: December 16 at 6:30 p.m. A Charlie Brown Christmas: December 24th and 25th, with concerts at 6:30 on both days.
Both shows offer tickets at $25 and $35
More Holiday Things to Do in Waikiki, Hawaii
Waikiki may be the most convenient locale on Earth on Christmas, as so many restaurants are open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You'll have no problem finding Christmas breakfast and dinner, or just about anything else your heart desires. And while there is no skiing in Honolulu, you can spend Christmas surfing or just sunbathing at the famed Waikiki Beach.
Where to See Christmas Lights in Waikiki
The trolley tour is a fantastic way to see the highlights of Waikiki's Christmas lights display, but you can also just walk up Kalakaua Ave at night and marvel at the storefront displays and Christmas trees and lights along the way. Kalakaua Ave is always bustling in the evenings and is safe fun for the whole family.