The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority has announced $1 million in support for 10 major festivals and sporting events taking place across the Hawaiian Islands through the end of 2026. The selected events celebrate Hawaiian music, culture, film, ocean traditions and nationally recognized college sports while supporting local communities and Hawaiʻi's visitor economy. Hawaii Tourism Authority

Visitors traveling to Hawaiʻi this year can include one or more of these signature events in their vacation plans:

1. Third International ʻUkulele Festival of Hawaiʻi

Oʻahu | July 10–13, 2026 — The festival brought together ʻukulele performers and international competition finalists from several countries for live performances, workshops, an international contest and the ʻUkulele Hall of Fame ceremony.

2. 49th Annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards

Oʻahu | July 11, 2026 — Known as Hawaiʻi's premier music awards event, the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards recognized excellence in Hawaiian, contemporary and culturally rooted recorded music.

3. Kōloa Plantation Days 2026: The Last Harvest

Kauaʻi | July 17–26, 2026 — This community celebration on Kauaʻi's south shore honored Hawaiʻi's plantation heritage through a parade, live music, local food, cultural demonstrations and family activities.

4. Duke Kahanamoku OceanFest

Waikīkī, Oʻahu | Late August 2026 — Duke Kahanamoku OceanFest will celebrate the legacy of the legendary Hawaiian waterman through ocean sports competitions, cultural ceremonies and traditional surfboard-making activities.

5. Aloha Festivals

Oʻahu | September 5, 19 and 26, 2026 — Aloha Festivals will feature the Royal Court Investiture and Opening Ceremony on September 5, the Waikīkī Hoʻolauleʻa on September 19 and the Floral Parade on September 26. The annual celebration regularly attracts more than 100,000 attendees.

6. Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai World Championship Canoe Race

Molokaʻi to Oʻahu | September 27, 2026 — This historic women's canoe race crosses 41 miles of the Kaiwi Channel and celebrates the strength, leadership and cultural heritage of women in Hawaiian paddling.

7. Molokaʻi Hoe Canoe Race

Molokaʻi to Oʻahu | October 11, 2026 — The internationally recognized men's canoe race also crosses the 41-mile Kaiwi Channel and continues a Hawaiian ocean-racing tradition spanning more than 70 years.

8. 46th Hawaiʻi International Film Festival

Statewide | October 22–November 11, 2026 — The festival will present international and Hawaiʻi-produced films, with strong representation from Native Hawaiian filmmakers and Pacific storytellers. It attracts more than 30,000 attendees annually.

9. Southwest Maui Invitational

Maui | November 23–25, 2026 — The three-day college basketball tournament at the Lahaina Civic Center will bring leading NCAA Division I programs to Maui and showcase the island during ESPN's nationally televised Feast Week.

10. Hawaiʻi Bowl

Honolulu, Oʻahu | December 24, 2026 — The Hawaiʻi Bowl is a nationally televised NCAA football game that promotes the University of Hawaiʻi while presenting Hawaiʻi's culture and natural beauty to viewers across the United States.

Traveling Between the Hawaiian Islands for These Events

Many visitors attending these Hawaii festivals and events will arrive through Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, also commonly known as Honolulu Airport or Honolulu International Airport.

Travelers can also reach Oʻahu through convenient interisland flights from Kahului Airport on Maui, Līhuʻe Airport on Kauaʻi, Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport on the Big Island and Hilo International Airport.

Visitors arriving from Maui, Kauaʻi or the Big Island can combine an Oʻahu festival with time in Waikīkī, historic Honolulu and other popular Oʻahu attractions. Travelers should confirm event schedules, flight availability and admission requirements before finalizing their Hawaii vacation itinerary.

Visit Pearl Harbor During Your Oʻahu Stay

Visitors staying on Oʻahu during festival season can also experience one of Hawaiʻi's most important historical destinations: the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

Those interested in visiting Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona Memorial and other historic Pearl Harbor attractions can explore our Pearl Harbor & Oʻahu Tours page for discounted and double-discounted Pearl Harbor tour options.

Our Pearl Harbor tours include reserved USS Arizona Memorial program tickets, transportation and professionally organized sightseeing experiences. Depending on the selected tour, visitors may also experience historic Honolulu and some of Oʻahu's most popular cultural and scenic attractions.

Combining a major Hawaiian festival with a Pearl Harbor tour gives visitors an opportunity to experience the music, traditions, history and aloha spirit that make the Hawaiian Islands unlike any other destination.

The first three events occurred earlier in July 2026; the remaining seven are upcoming as of July 28, 2026. The dates and descriptions come from the official Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority announcement.