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Kauai events in October 2026 line up around a few anchors. I plan around the Kilohana chocolate-and-coffee festival, the Līhuʻe night market, Halloween, and — if the trip runs into early November — the Eo e Emalani i Alakaʻi festival in Kōkeʻe.
I treat this as a planning page, not a complete community calendar. Smaller markets, craft fairs, and hotel events fill in closer to October, so recheck the organizer pages before you book anything nonrefundable.
2026 Events and Festivities
Kauaʻi Chocolate & Coffee Festival
The sweetest day on Kauaʻi's fall calendar. The 11th Kauaʻi Chocolate & Coffee Festival is posted for Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 10 AM to 4 PM at Kilohana Plantation in Līhuʻe. The organizer describes it as a celebration of Kauaʻi chocolate and coffee, with entertainment, demonstrations, artists, crafters, and local chocolate and coffee vendors.
Entry is free, but the tasting passport is the purchase that gets you samples, and the organizer says passport tickets are sold in advance. If tastings are the reason you are going, check the ticket page before you fly rather than treating this as a walk-up decision.
Every second Saturday of the month, Kress Street in downtown Līhuʻe turns into a free block party with local food, music, and island-made goods. October's edition lands on Saturday, October 10, 2026. It is an easy evening: no ticketed seating, no big production, just show up hungry and keep the day loose.
When: October 10, 2026, 4 - 8 PM (every 2nd Saturday)
Where: Kress Street, downtown Līhuʻe
More Info: downtownlihue.com
Halloween on the Garden Isle
Halloween on Kauaʻi spreads across resort events, merchant trick-or-treating, and costume nights around the island. If you want a fuller picture of how the holiday shows up across Hawaiʻi, our Halloween in Hawaii guide breaks it down island by island and covers the cultural notes most visitor guides skip.
When: October 31, 2026 (Saturday)
Where: Resort and town events island-wide
More Info: Halloween in Hawaii Guide
Eo e Emalani i Alakaʻi — the Weekend After
Technically a November event, but if your October trip runs long, this is the one I make room for. The 38th annual Eo e Emalani i Alakaʻi Festival is posted for Saturday, November 7, 2026, in Kōkeʻe State Park. The public day runs 9 AM to 4 PM, with Queen Emma's horseback arrival scheduled for 10 AM and cultural exhibits, food, music, and hula around the performance area.
The rhythm of a Kauaʻi October, then: hit the Līhuʻe night market if you're on-island the second Saturday, plan the Chocolate & Coffee Festival into the third weekend, and let Halloween stay flexible. If the calendar allows, stretching into the Eo e Emalani weekend adds a cultural stop to a beach trip.
Pro tip: buy the Chocolate & Coffee tasting passport before you fly. Everything else here is flexible, but Kauaʻi pays off when you check the calendar again near arrival. Small county fairs, hotel Halloween events, and pop-up markets can post late and still be worth folding into the trip.
Founder & certified Hawai'i travel expert with 20+ years in Hawai'i tourism, University of South Carolina climate-research training, and NOAA weather-station experience.
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.
Created with AI from the official NWS forecast discussion · verify with NWS before heading out
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.
Mele and Kani are computer-generated voice options chosen for clarity and warmth.
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