What's on in Honolulu (Oahu), United States through the year

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Hazard

  Box jellyfish influx

  1 Jan – 31 Dec · usuallyInsect season

  Eight to ten days after each full moon, box jellyfish come inshore on the south-facing beaches and Waikiki, Ala Moana and Hanauma post warning signs for two or three days. The lifeguards know the dates in advance. Source ↗

Still on: Vog on southerly winds (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), North Shore big-wave season (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Vog on southerly winds (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), North Shore big-wave season (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Vog on southerly winds (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Japanese Golden Week

• Season

  South shore surf season

  15 Apr – 30 Sep · usually

  The swell switches round to the south and Waikiki and Ala Moana start working, while the North Shore lies flat enough to snorkel.

• Holiday

  Japanese Golden Week

  27 Apr – 7 May · usuallyCrowded

  Japan's run of public holidays at the turn of April into May fills Waikiki, the outlet buses and the Diamond Head trail the way nothing but Christmas does. Rates on Kalakaua move for the whole fortnight. Source ↗

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Vog on southerly winds (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Japanese Golden Week

• Festival

  Lei Day

  1 MayMajor festival

  The first of May is Lei Day, with a lei contest, hula and music at Kapiolani Park. A small, local, entirely unbranded thing. Source ↗

• Festival

  Lantern Floating Hawaii

  24–31 May · usuallyNational holidayCrowded

  Memorial Day evening at Ala Moana Beach Park: several thousand lanterns go out on the water at sunset and about fifty thousand people watch from the sand. Parking on the peninsula is gone by mid-afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), South shore surf season (15 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Japanese Golden Week (27 Apr – 7 May (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, King Kamehameha Day

• Hazard

  Central Pacific hurricane season

  1 Jun – 30 Nov

  The season runs from June to the end of November. Direct hits are rare, but a passing system brings days of high surf and rain on the leeward side. Source ↗

• Holiday

  King Kamehameha Day

  8–14 Jun · usuallyNational holidayClosures

  A state holiday on 11 June. The statue downtown is draped in lei long enough to need a cherry-picker, and a floral parade with pau riders runs from Iolani Palace down to Kapiolani Park. State offices and sites close. Source ↗

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), South shore surf season (15 Apr – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), South shore surf season (15 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), South shore surf season (15 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — between the peaks, Aloha Festivals

• Festival

  Aloha Festivals

  1–30 Sep · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  A month of Hawaiian music, hula and a royal court, ending with the floral parade down Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. Source ↗

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), South shore surf season (15 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Shoulder season — between the peaks

• Hazard

  Vog on southerly winds

  1 Oct – 30 Apr · usuallyVolcanic activity

  When the trades drop and the wind swings round to the south, volcanic haze off Kilauea drifts up the chain and sits over Oahu for a few days: flat light, no horizon, sore throats. It depends on the volcano being active. Source ↗

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — between the peaks, Triple Crown of Surfing

• Season

  North Shore big-wave season

  1 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallySurf seasonRisk

  Winter swell turns the north-facing shores into a spectator sport and closes them to swimming. The beaches that are safe in July are not the ones that are safe now.

• Festival

  Triple Crown of Surfing

  12 Nov – 20 Dec · usuallySurf seasonCrowded

  A waiting period rather than a fixture: the contests run on the days the swell shows up, and Kamehameha Highway to the North Shore stops moving when they do. Source ↗

• Nature

  Humpback whale season

  15 Nov – 15 May · usually

  The humpbacks arrive from Alaska and are around the islands into spring, with the most of them in February. Boats and swimmers have to stay a hundred yards off. Source ↗

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Vog on southerly winds (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Triple Crown of Surfing

• Festival

  Honolulu Marathon

  13 DecMajor festivalCrowdedClosuresBook early

  Tens of thousands run it, a large share of them flying in from Japan, and Waikiki hotels price the weekend accordingly. Source ↗

Still on: Box jellyfish influx (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Vog on southerly winds (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), North Shore big-wave season (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Triple Crown of Surfing (12 Nov – 20 Dec (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))