Best Hawaii Events in September 2026 — Aloha Festivals, Outrigger Races & More
September is the sleeper month of the Hawaii calendar. Crowds thin out after Labor Day, hotel rates drop, the ocean reaches its warmest temperatures of the year (80–82°F), and the islands fill with some of their most genuinely Hawaiian events. If you can travel in September, it's one of the strongest months on the calendar.
Here's what's happening across the islands.
Aloha Festivals — Statewide, September–October
The Aloha Festivals are Hawaii's largest cultural celebration — a statewide multi-week event dating to 1946 that spans hula, Hawaiian music, floral parades, royal court ceremonies, and community block parties. Events run on all six islands through September and into October, with Oahu hosting the flagship events.
Oahu flagship events:
- Royal Court Investiture — The Aloha Festivals Royal Court is chosen from community leaders and celebrated in a formal outdoor ceremony. Typically held in early September at the Hilton Hawaiian Village or a major venue.
- Floral Parade — A Saturday morning parade down Kalākaua Avenue featuring pāʻū riders (women on horseback draped in flower leis), marching bands, and community floats. One of the most distinctly Hawaiian public events of the year.
- Hoʻolauleʻa Block Party — A free outdoor festival at Fort DeRussy Beach Park in Waikīkī with Hawaiian music stages, food vendors, craft booths, and hula performances. Typically the Saturday afternoon after the parade.
Big Island events:
- Falsetto and Voice Contest — A beloved competition in the Hawaiian falsetto tradition, typically held in Hilo or Kona. Showcases one of the most distinctive vocal art forms in Hawaiian music.
Maui and Kauaʻi events:
- Each island holds its own Aloha Festivals events — concerts, craft fairs, and cultural programs throughout September. Check the Aloha Festivals website for confirmed dates as they're announced.
Hawaii cultural festivals → Free hula performances →
Nā Wahine O Ke Kai — Late September
The Nā Wahine O Ke Kai is the Women's Outrigger Canoe World Championship: 41.2 miles from Hāʻena on Molokaʻi to Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikīkī. Paddled in traditional Hawaiian six-person outrigger canoes, teams from Hawaii, Tahiti, Australia, and around the world compete in the open ocean crossing that has been held since 1975.
The race begins at dawn on Molokaʻi. The fastest crews finish in under 5 hours. Spectators watch at the finish line at Duke's in Waikīkī — the canoes emerge from the Molokaʻi channel and sprint to shore. It's free, dramatic, and deeply Hawaiian.
Typically: Last Sunday of September. Confirm the 2026 date at nahine.org.
Hawaii Food & Wine Festival — September/October
Hawaii's premier culinary event brings together James Beard Award chefs, local farmers, fishermen, and artisan food producers for a week of dinners, tastings, and cooking demonstrations across Oahu and Maui.
What it is: Ticketed evening events (typically $150–300/person) including multi-course dinners at major hotels, beachside tastings, and cooking demos. Not a free festival — this is a ticketed culinary event.
Best events: The "Localicious" dinner typically held at a Kaʻanapali or Waikīkī venue, farm tours combined with multi-course meals, and cooking demonstrations by visiting chefs.
Why it matters: The festival showcases Hawaii regional cuisine — Kona coffee, Big Island abalone, local cattle beef, Hamakua mushrooms, and fresh Pacific fish — in ways restaurants can't sustain daily.
Tickets: sell out early for headline events. Check the festival's official website for 2026 programming.
Maui County Fair — Late September/Early October
The Maui County Fair has run annually for over 100 years at the War Memorial Complex in Kahului. It's a genuine county fair: local agricultural exhibits, 4-H animals, carnival rides, plate lunch vendors, live music, and enough plate lunches to anchor a week of regret.
The food: The fair's food is local — malasadas, poke, plate lunches, shave ice, fresh coconut. Not funnel cakes (well, also funnel cakes). It's worth going for the fair food alone.
What to see: The exhibition hall showcasing local agriculture, photography, and crafts. The orchid and tropical plant competitions are surprisingly good.
Dates: Typically the last weekend of September through the first weekend of October, 4–5 days total. Confirm at mauicountyfair.com.
Waikīkī Roughwater Swim — Labor Day Weekend
One of the longest-running ocean swimming events in Hawaii, the Waikīkī Roughwater Swim draws hundreds of competitors from around the world for a 2.4-mile open-ocean course from Sans Souci Beach to Duke Kahanamoku Beach. The race has been held on Labor Day since 1970.
Not a spectator-friendly event to watch (it's an ocean race), but participating is a genuine Hawaii experience — the course runs alongside Diamond Head and across open ocean in 80°F water.
What the Weather Is Like in September
September is the transition month from summer to fall, though in Hawaii that distinction is subtle. On the leeward coasts (Kona, South Maui, Oahu south shore), conditions are reliably sunny. On the windward coasts, afternoon showers remain common.
Water temperature: 80–82°F — the warmest of the year. Air temperature: Waikīkī averages 82–85°F highs, 74–76°F lows. Hurricane season: Technically runs through November, but direct Hawaii hits are historically rare. Surf: North shores are still relatively flat from the summer. North swell begins building in October.
Planning September Travel
Book now: Hotel rates drop significantly after Labor Day weekend (first Monday of September). If you're flexible, the week after Labor Day is often the single best-value week of the year.
Rental cars: Available, but book a week ahead — remaining fleet from summer demand still depletes fast around Labor Day weekend itself.
Hanauma Bay reservations: Easier to get than July/August, but still book 1–2 days ahead via the park website.
Best time to visit Hawaii → Hawaii events August → Hawaii events October →
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