Big Island Events

The following special events and festivals are either unique to the Big Island or are celebrated in a special way. Everyone is welcome to partake in the fun. Most of the events are free or almost free.

Please note that, as with any schedule of upcoming events, the following information is subject to change; always confirm the details before you plan your trip around an event.

If you don't find any Big Island events that are of any particular interest, and you have sufficient time to sort through all of the events, check out the Calendar of Hawaii Festivals and Events.

The calendar is updated frequently and includes detailed information on all of the Big Island events and festivals (big or small) happening on the island.

January Big Island Events

MasterCard Championship. Played at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Kona. Formerly known as the Tournament of Champions, this is the season-opening competition for golfers who have won a Senior PGA Tour event.

Senior Skins Game. This senior PGA tour golf tournament takes place in late January at Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island.

February

Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival. The annual event heralds the blooming of Waimea’s historic cherry trees with all-day cultural events sprawling from Kamuela Liquors to the Parker Ranch Historic Homes on Mamalahoa Hwy. 190. Enjoy Japanese and multi-cultural performing arts, mochi pounding and samples, plus demonstrations of bonsai, origami, sumie, caligraphy and tea ceremony. Giant craft fair at Parker Ranch Center. Call (808) 961-8706

March

Kona Brewer's Festival. This annual event features microbreweries from around the world, with beer tastings, food, and entertainment. Call (808) 334-1133. Second Saturday in March.

April

Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. Hawaii's biggest hula festival happens in Hilo. The three-day festival features modern (auana) and ancient (kahiko) dance competition in honor of King David Kalakaua, the "Merrie Monarch" who revived the dance. Tickets sell out by January 30, so reserve early. Call (808) 935-9168. The week after Easter.

May

Keauhou-Kona Triathlon. Starting at the Big Island's Keauhou Bay, this grueling competition (a half iron man) includes a 56-mile bike race, 13-mile run and 1.2 mile swim. The contest takes place on the last Sunday in May.

June

King Kamehameha Celebration. This state holiday is celebrated on June 11 or the nearest weekend, with events on all islands. There is a massive floral parade, hoolaulea (party), and much more. On the Big Island, the Kamehameha statue in the king's hometown of Kapaau is draped with leis. Call (808) 329-1603 for Big Island events.

July Big Island Events

Puuhonua O Honaunau Cultural Festival. Held at Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island, this festival includes reenactment of an ancient Hawaiian royal court, a hukilau (net-fishing event), hula and traditional craft displays. It takes place on the weekend closest to July 1.

Great Waikoloa Food, Wine & Music Festival. The Hilton Waikoloa Village hosts one of the Big Island's best food and wine festivals. The festival features Hawaii's top chefs (and a few mainland chefs) showing off their culinary talents, wines from around the world, and an excellent jazz concert with fireworks. Call (808) 886-1234. Weekend closest to July 4th.

Turtle Independence Day. Mauna Lani Resort and Bungalows on the Kohala Coast is where you will see scores of green sea turtles racing down to the sea. The endangered turtles are raised in captivity in the historic fish ponds at Mauna Lani. Call (808) 885-6677. July 4.

Hawaiian Slack-Key Guitar Festival. The best of Hawaii's folk music (slack-key guitar) performed by the best musicians in Hawaii at the King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. It's five hours long and absolutely free. Call (808) 239-4336.

Kilauea Volcano Wilderness Marathon & Rim Runs. This set of contest, held at the end of July at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, includes a 10-mile run around the rim of Kilauea, a 5.5-mile race into Kilauer Iki Crater and a 26.2-mile marathon through the Kau desert. The event draws an international crowd. Call (808) 967-8222.

August

Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. The world's number-one marlin tournament takes place in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. The two-week event attracts teams from around the globe. It usually begins in early August and includes a parade and fun events. Call (808) 329-7371 or (808) 882-7218 for more details.

September Big Island Events

Sam Choy Poke Recipe Contest. Top chefs from across Hawaii and the U.S. mainland, as well as local amateurs, compete in making this Hawaiian delicacy, poke (pronounced po-kay): chopped raw fish mixed with seaweed and spices. Here's your chance to sample poke at its best. Call (808) 885-8086.

Long Distance Outrigger Canoe Races. Some 2,500 paddlers from all over Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, Canada, and the Pacific vie in the world's longest canoe event from Kailua Pier to Honaunau and back. Call (808) 329-7787. Labor Day weekend.

October Big Island Events

Ironman Triathlon World Championship. Considered by many to be the ultimate endurance race, this is the triathlon that started it all and remains the world's best known. Some 1,500-plus world-class athletes swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles. It begins and ends at the Big Island's Lailua Pier on the Saturday in October closest to the full moon. The best place to see the bike-and-run portion is along Alii Drive (which will be closed to traffic; park on a side street and walk down).

Hamakua Music Festival. This event in Hamakua on the Big Island features a diverse mix of well-known musicians, ranging from blues and jazz to rock 'n' roll, Hawaiian, and even classical. Early October.

Kona Coffee Cultural Festival. This weeklong event features a parade, a coffee-picking contest and cultural events. It takes place in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island in late October or early November.

November Big Island Events

Ka Hula Lea Festival. This statewide hula festival takes place in mid-November in Waikoloa on the Big Island.

Big Island Festival. This is one of the state's largest festivals on the Kona-Kohala coast of the Big Island. It lasts 5 days and nights celebrating the Big Island's cultural diversity with lots of foodie events, excellent Hawaiian music, golf and sport activities, spa extravaganzas, agricultural products, and exhibits and cultural activities. Sometime in November.

December Big Island Events

First Night. Hawaii's largest festival of arts and entertainment takes place in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. For 12 hours, musicians, dancers, actors, jugglers, magicians, and mimes perform. Afterwards, fireworks bring in the new year. Alcohol-free. Call (808) 326-7820 on the Big Island. December 31.