What's on in Kona, United States through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Vog from Kīlauea

  1 Jan – 31 DecVolcanic activity

  Sulphur haze from the volcano drifts round the south point and settles along this coast, which is why the Kona side gets the hazy afternoons rather than the windward towns. It comes and goes with the eruption and the wind, not with the calendar. Source ↗

Still on: Kona coffee harvest (1 Sep – 15 Jan (usually)), Humpback whale season (1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Humpback whale season (1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Humpback whale season (1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Humpback whale season (1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Central Pacific hurricane season

  1 Jun – 30 Nov

  Most systems that reach Hawaii shear apart before landfall, but the season is real and August and September are the busy weeks. The bigger practical risk on this coast is the surf a distant storm sends onto the boat ramps. Source ↗

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, Summer break in United States

• Nature

  Kona coffee harvest

  1 Sep – 15 Jan · usually

  The cherry ripens unevenly on the slopes above town, so pickers go through the same trees several times between September and January. Farm tours are worth doing while there is actually fruit on the branch.

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — Ironman World Championship

• Festival

  Ironman World Championship

  10 OctMajor festivalCrowdedClosuresBook early

  Race weekend takes over Aliʻi Drive and the Queen K, with road closures from dawn and rooms booked a year out. The championship now alternates its men's and women's races between here and Nice, so check which one is in town. Source ↗

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Kona coffee harvest (1 Sep – 15 Jan (usually))

Peak crowds — Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, Thanksgiving break in United States

• Festival

  Kona Coffee Cultural Festival

  6–15 NovHarvestCrowded

  Ten days of farm tours, cupping competitions and a lantern parade in the middle of the picking season, running since 1970. It is the state's oldest food festival and most of it happens up the hill rather than on the waterfront. Source ↗

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Central Pacific hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Kona coffee harvest (1 Sep – 15 Jan (usually))

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Humpback whale season

  1 Dec – 15 Apr · usually

  Humpbacks come down from Alaska to breed and calve in the warm water off the leeward coast, with the peak numbers in February and March. You can hear them through the hull on a morning boat, and often see blows from the shore road. Source ↗

Still on: Vog from Kīlauea (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Kona coffee harvest (1 Sep – 15 Jan (usually))