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2026 Events and Festivities
September on the Big Island has two big planning anchors. Labor Day weekend belongs to the Queen Liliʻuokalani Canoe Race in Kailua-Kona. Mid-September belongs to Waimea for Paniolo Festival Week. Both now have official 2026 dates posted, so check lodging and rental-car availability before you finalize flights.
Queen Liliʻuokalani Canoe Race
Held over Labor Day weekend, this is billed by organizers as the world's largest outrigger canoe race — several days of paddling in Kailua-Kona honoring Hawaiʻi's last reigning monarch. If you're staying Kona-side, treat the race as a real travel factor. Waterfront rooms, restaurant tables, and rental cars all get tight once crews and families arrive. Our Queen Liliʻuokalani Canoe Race visitor guide covers the spectator side in more detail.
The Big Island's flagship Aloha Festivals event runs a full week in Waimea in September. The Saturday parade brings pāʻū riders, floats, equestrian units, and community groups through town before the day continues with a hoʻolauleʻa at Kalani Schutte Waimea District Park. The official 2026 festival page lists Paniolo Festival Week for September 14-19, with the parade on Saturday, September 19. If the parade weekend matters to you, this is the reason to plan a Waimea day into your itinerary.
When: September 14-19, 2026; parade on Saturday, September 19
One of the island's quieter cultural events. Kūpuna (elders) perform hula at the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa in Kailua-Kona, often paired with a daytime craft fair. Hawaiʻi County Parks & Recreation now lists the 2026 festival for September 9-10, so this is a midweek cultural option if you are already staying on the Kona side after Labor Day weekend.
When: September 9-10, 2026
Where: Kailua-Kona
More Info: Hawaiʻi County Parks & Recreation
Labor Day (Federal Holiday)
Labor Day falls on Monday, September 7 in 2026, and the long weekend is the busiest stretch of the Big Island's September calendar. Expect heavy demand around Kailua-Kona for the canoe race, and check Waimea road and parking conditions if the rodeo schedule overlaps your plans.
When: Monday, September 7, 2026
Where: Statewide
Pick your anchor first. Kona over Labor Day if you want paddling energy and waterfront crowds. Waimea for the Paniolo parade if the cultural celebration is the point of the trip. A couple of things readers ask about that aren't September options: the Hawaiʻi County Fair in Hilo hasn't been held since 2019, and the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is a November event, not a September one.
Trade winds are strong right now, with high surf hitting the south shore today. Windward areas are seeing frequent showers through the weekend.
South-facing beaches have dangerous surf today through Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will build rough water by Sunday or Monday. The bigger picture is a tropical system, Fausto, heading our way. It's weakening but should arrive near the islands by Tuesday or Wednesday as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rain. The exact track is still uncertain, so check the forecast daily.
Get your beach time and water activities in today through early next week on the leeward side, where conditions stay calmer. Be ready to shift plans by midweek when conditions turn rough.
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Windy conditions across Maui right now, with trade winds gusting strong. South-facing shores have high surf today and will see another big swell Saturday and Sunday—the water's dangerous unless you're an experienced ocean swimmer.
Through the weekend, windward areas will get frequent showers while trade winds stay gusty. The bigger picture arrives midweek: Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward the islands and should reach Maui as a tropical storm or weaker system Tuesday or Wednesday. That'll bring rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Hit the leeward beaches and snorkel south Maui coasts today through early next week, but stay out of windward and south-facing waters through Sunday.
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Windy conditions dominate right now with strong trade winds pushing across the island. South-facing shores have high surf today—dangerous water if you're not an experienced swimmer.
Through the weekend, those south shores see another big swell Saturday and Sunday, and east-facing shores will build dangerous conditions by Sunday or Monday. Windward areas get frequent showers. A tropical system—the remnants of Hurricane Fausto—is weakening and headed toward the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system by Tuesday or Wednesday, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain midweek. Timing and track are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Leeward beaches on the Kona side stay your best bet today through early next week, but avoid the water on the windward and south shores through Sunday.
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Strong trade winds are pushing showers across windward areas through the weekend. On Kauaʻi, expect frequent showers on the windward side.
High surf is running on south-facing shores today and will build again Saturday and Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will also see dangerous swell by Sunday or Monday. Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward Hawaii. By Tuesday or Wednesday it should reach the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily through midweek.
Beach time on leeward shores works through early next week. Plan water activities for today, but be ready to shift if Fausto's track becomes clearer—conditions will deteriorate by midweek.
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Created with AI from this HawaiiGuide page and read by a computer-generated voice. Double-check fees, hours, and reservations on the full page before you head out. Hawaiian pronunciation is tricky for synthesized speech and a few words may land slightly off; mahalo for your patience as we keep refining.
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