One Hawaii Kai Parade Ends at Koko Marina Center. The Other Is Judged at Hawaii Kai Towne Center.

On the last Saturday morning of November, marching bands come down Lunalilo Home Road toward the courtyard at Koko Marina Center. Three weeks later, at sunset, the parade moves onto the water. Boats strung with lights pass Hawaii Kai Towne Center for the judges and then head out into the marina, past the waterfront homes.

Each has its own sponsor, its own time of day and its own home base. Taken together, they show where the community gathers each December: at the two shopping centers on the marina, one in the morning and one after dark.

Nov. 28 Starts by the Skate Park and Ends in the Courtyard

The 2026 Hawaii Kai Holiday Parade runs Saturday, Nov. 28, from 10 to 11 a.m. According to Koko Marina Center's event page, the Hawaii Kai Lions Club coordinates the parade and the center sponsors it. The center lists the starting point as the corner of Lunalilo Home Road and Hawaii Kai Drive, by the HK Skate Park. The route goes down Lunalilo Home Road and ends at Koko Marina Center, 7192 Kalanianaole Highway.

The parade ends where the morning's second event begins. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a Christmas carnival takes over the Marina Courtyard with Santa, crafts, balloon art and games. Toy-donation tickets are part of it too, so a family that brings a new toy has something to do with it there. For anyone coming from Portlock or the ridge neighborhoods, the courtyard is the place to aim for. The parade lasts an hour, and the carnival keeps the crowd for two more.

What Last Year's Permit Shows About the Morning

The city files a street-use record for every major parade. Last year's record gives a sense of the event's size. The 2025 schedule from the Department of Transportation Services lists the Nov. 29, 2025 parade at about 1,200 marchers, 30 vehicles and three bands. Lane closures ran from 9 a.m. until about noon. That 2025 record has the route starting at Kamiloiki Park and following Lunalilo Home Road to Koko Marina Center. The 2026 event page names the corner by the skate park as the start. Lunalilo Home Road is the main stretch both years.

Those figures describe last year's parade, not this year's traffic plan. The 2026 city schedule is the place to check for this year's closure hours. Last year's three-hour window is a fair guess at how long Lunalilo Home Road will be busy that morning.

The Boat Parade Is Scored at Hawaii Kai Towne Center

The December parade takes place on the water, and the marina's own association backs it. The Hawaii Kai Marina Community Association handles vessel registration, docks and water quality work on the marina. It also describes itself as the annual sponsor of the Christmas Boat Parade. The parade has a long history here. In 2006, Hawaii News Now covered that year's edition as the 10th annual.

A 2016 report from KHON explained how the evening works. Dozens of lit boats passed Hawaii Kai Towne Center to be judged. Then they toured the marina past waterfront homes, where many owners were hosting viewing parties. The station added a line about the crowd:

"The festival has grown over the years to draw thousands of spectators."

So the boats are at their best in front of the judges. Hawaii Kai Towne Center promoted last year's parade as a contest among decorated boats for "merriest on the water." Hawaii Pacific University's 2025 listing invited spectators to vote for their favorite boats. After the judging stretch, the parade turns into a slow tour of the marina's backyards. Anyone watching from a waterfront lanai sees the boats after their turn in front of the judges.

What Has Been Posted for Dec. 19

The association has announced Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026, and has posted its 2025 winners list and a video of last year's Festival of Lights. A 2026 start time, a boat-entry form and a theme had not been posted as of late October. The association's Instagram, @hkmca_hawaii, is linked from its homepage and is a good place to watch for updates.

Until those details arrive, last year's schedule is the best guide. The 2025 parade fell on Saturday, Dec. 13, and the published times lined up around sunset:

• 4 to 7 p.m. Hawaii Kai Towne Center ran a prize wheel for its Festival of Lights.
• 5:45 p.m. KITV listed this as the parade time and sent viewers to Hawaii Kai Towne Center at sunset.
• 6 to 8 p.m. Hawaii Pacific University's calendar listed this as the event window and said the parade starts at sunset.

Last year TEX 808 also hosted a waterfront gathering to cheer on the boats. If the 2026 timing is similar, arriving at Hawaii Kai Towne Center in the late afternoon gives time to find a spot along the water before the first boats come by.

Dec. 19 Is Also a Koko Marina Center Day

On the 19th, the two halves of the season fall on the same day. Koko Marina Center lists its 808 Craft & Gift Fair for Saturday, Dec. 19, the same date as the boat parade. The center hasn't posted hours for the fair. Still, holiday shopping at Koko Marina Center before heading to Hawaii Kai Towne Center for the boats at dusk makes for a full Saturday.

Two weeks earlier, Koko Marina Center has another evening on its calendar. Saturday, Dec. 5, brings a Blood Bank of Hawaii blood drive and the 1st Saturday ESU Night Market. Counted together, the center hosts the Nov. 28 parade and carnival, the Dec. 5 night market and the Dec. 19 craft fair. That's three Saturdays out of four between Thanksgiving weekend and the boat parade.

Around the Parades, Two Familiar Spots Close on the Holidays

For the days between events, the nearby outdoor spots have holiday schedules worth checking before you go:

• Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, with entry from 6:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to the city's preserve page. The beach clears at 3:30 p.m. Entry is free for Hawaii residents with valid ID and $25 plus an online fee for nonresidents 13 and older. Parking is $1 for residents. The preserve closes Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
• Hanauma Bay's next sewer closure is coming. The city's July 2 project update expects another temporary closure in early 2027, when the new lift station comes online, with dates not yet set.
• Koko Crater Botanical Garden, at 7491 Kokonani St., is free and open daily from sunrise to sunset. Like Hanauma Bay, it closes on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Those two closures shape the holiday week itself. After the Dec. 19 parade, the next fixed dates on the Koko Head side of town are the days the preserve and the garden close.

If watching the boats from your own lanai is part of how you picture future Decembers in Hawaii Kai, I'm happy to talk through which stretches of the marina the parade passes and what life along the water is like the rest of the year. Drew Read works across Hawaii Kai and Portlock and is glad to help whenever you're ready. Let's Connect.