Ultimate Guide to Waikiki & Honolulu Christmas Events 2025

Aloha and welcome to our annual Waikiki Christmas guide with all the best things to see and do for Christmas 2025!

If your idea of a winter wonderland includes sun, sand and gently swaying palm trees, then Waikiki Beach is the place for you!  It’s a fantastic place to experience the Christmas season with Aloha.

To help you make your holiday plans, we compiled our annual Waikiki Christmas list of all the best things to see and do! Here, you’ll find a list of special events to get you into the Mele Kalikimaka spirit.

We’ve organized all the special Christmas events and dining options as follows:

• The very best holiday-related things to do and see during your Christmas vacation on Oahu
• Waikiki Christmas dining advice
• Christmas Eve church services in Waikiki

Special events and fun things to see and do in December for the Christmas holiday in Waikiki, Honolulu & Oahu

Waikiki is absolutely filled with holiday cheer. You’ll find stunning decorations, free holiday performances, incredible Christmas sand sculptures and so much more! The following lists focuses on holiday activities from December 19th through Christmas Day as most folks arrive on or near the 19th to start their Waikiki Christmas vacation. If you are arriving prior to the 19th, see our article, What you need to know for a December 2025 Hawaii vacation, for special events happening earlier in December.

Things to see and do that are in or near Waikiki

* Take a stroll through the many Waikiki hotel lobbies to see their Christmas decorations. These decorations are beautiful and tend to be unique to Hawaii. See examples of Waikiki Christmas decorations from years past. (Free) 

* The Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki has beautiful Christmas displays including a 34-foot Christmas tree in the Royal Grove. The center hosts holiday performances and Santa appears for photos. These special holiday events are scheduled to take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays through December 20. Check this link for more details and updates. (Free) 

* See the amazing Christmas sand sculptures at the porte cochere and lobby areas of the Sheraton Waikiki. (Free)

* Ala Moana Center, Hawaii’s largest shopping mall, will be decorated for the season. Locals and visitors delight in seeing the traditional 50-foot “Big Santa” structure atop the center’s makai parking deck overlooking Ala Moana Boulevard. Ala Moana Center hosts these lovely events:

• Holiday hula performances are scheduled daily at 5:00 p.m. Enjoy a mix of traditional Hawaiian and classic holiday songs with a snowfall finale. (Free) 
• On Sundays, the Center hosts a Keiki (children’s) Hula Show at 1:00 p.m. (Free) 
• Pau Hana Music Series will include live performances by Hawaii’s musicians and songwriters at the Ewa Wing Stage daily at 5:30 p.m. (Free)

* Waikiki Beach Walk hosts live Christmas music and hula performances for the Seven Days of Christmas Holiday Mele Showcase. Performances will run nightly from December 19 through the 25 starting at 6:00 p.m. See this link for more information. (Free)

* See Santa Claus make an arrival to Waikiki Beach by outrigger canoe. He makes several stops in Waikiki prior to his big night. Here are some opportunities to see Santa’s come to shore on an outrigger canoe:

• December 19 and 24 at approximately 11:00 a.m., Santa arrives by canoe on the beach fronting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
• Others to be determined

* ‘Twas the Light Before Christmas is an immersive holiday adventure. This experience  includes music, lights and projection shows, and new for 2025, an ice-skating rink. ‘Twas the Light Before Christmas is being held at the Hawaii Convention Center that is walkable from a few Waikiki hotels, though you should check the distance and directions ahead of time to determine if it is within your walking range. The show runs from December 4 to January 4. Tickets are required. 

* Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort hosts several Christmas concerts:

• Hawaii’s own and exceptionally talented ukulele player, Jake Shimabukuro, performs his Holidays in Hawaii show December 16-19. Tickets are required.
• Popular Hawaii singer Kimie Miner performs her Christmas concert on December 20. Tickets are required.
• Mike Lewis & Friends for their 9th Annual A Charlie Brown Christmas concert on December 24 and 25. Tickets are required.

Holiday things to see or do in Honolulu that require transportation from Waikiki

* See the Honolulu City Lights and larger-than-life holiday displays in downtown Honolulu. The location is in and around the grounds of the Honolulu Hale at 530 S King Street. This annual display is free and open to the public starting Saturday, November 29, 2025 and running until late December. If you happen to be on Oahu on November 29, check out the electric light parade The displays are nice to see in the day, but we especially enjoy seeing the lights at night. When open, be sure and go inside Honolulu Hale to see amazing Christmas trees and wreaths decorated by local organizations and the community. Since downtown Honolulu isn’t walkable from Waikiki, you’ll need transportation. Here are ways to get to Honolulu Hale from Waikiki: 

• If you have a rental car, you can access parking at the Frank F. Fasi Municipal lot. See these FAQs for more information. 
• Waikiki Trolley offers nightly Holiday Lights Tours through December 30. See this link for the details and note that if you need transportation from Waikiki, you also need to book the round trip Waikiki Shuttle.
• Use public transportation on Oahu’s TheBus. Use Google Maps to help you generate the bus routes. Just enter the address of your accommodation and use the address for Honolulu Hale (530 S. King Street, Honolulu) as your destination.

* Show Aloha Land is back for 2025 and in a new location, Thomas Square. It’s a short drive and/or walk from Honolulu City Lights, so going to both on the same evening could be easily done. The lights and festivities will be open nightly December 19 through 25. Added 12/18

* Hawaii Theater in Honolulu presents some Christmas shows for 2025:

• Hawaii Symphony Orchestra presents Home Alone in Concert on December 20 and 21. See this link for more information and tickets.
• Hawaii musician Kalani Pe’a will perform Kalani Pe’a’s Hawaiian Christmas Show on December 20. See this link for more information and tickets. 

* The Honolulu Brass Quintet and vocalist Starr Kalahiki present a holiday concert at Cathedral of St. Andrew in downtown Honolulu on December 22 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

* Football fans can catch the Hawaii Bowl is on December 24 at 3:00 p.m. HST. This year’s teams are Cal and Hawaii.

* Over on the west side of Oahu, Kapolei is decked out in Christmas lights and decorations with the 2025 theme of “Season. of Stars” This festive spot is convenient for folks staying in Ko Olina. Learn more about Kapeolei City Lights. (Free)

Waikiki/Honolulu Christmas Dining & Special Options

Waikiki Restaurants at Christmas

Many Waikiki and Honolulu restaurants will be open and offering delicious Christmas menus — most with traditional foods, but with a lovely Hawaii-spin on Christmas staples. We’ve created a new page listing restaurants in and near Waikiki for Christmas 2025 dining. On that page, we’ve made some of the following helpful notes:

• We list restaurants that are open for Christmas.
• We have added links to special Christmas menus, where known and applicable.
• We note restaurants that have ocean views.
• We mention our favorite restaurants that we often recommend to friends and family who visit Waikiki.

Many restaurants book up in early to mid-December. So, we recommend you look at that Waikiki Christmas 2025 dining page and aim to book by late November, if possible. If you are waiting closer to the holiday to book your Christmas dining experience, don’t worry, we have some advice for how to secure a reservation. So, be sure and check out our Waikiki Christmas 2025 dining guide.

Christmas Bars in Waikiki

A fun new trend that seems to be going on throughout the USA is pop-up Christmas bars. Some of them have over-the-top decorations and holiday-inspired cocktails and mocktails served in festive barware.

Here are Waikiki’s top pop-up Christmas bars open in 2025:

• The Christmas Bar at Tiki’s Grill & Bar in the Twin Fin Hotel is the most decorated from floor to ceiling. Children are welcome, but earlier hours are suggested.
• Winter Wonderland Pop-up Bar at Ala Moana Center will be open daily from 5:00 p.m. until midnight through December 24th.
• The rooftop Sky Waikiki has a holiday pop-up lounge this year with the clever name “Sleigh My Name Bar” that’s open daily from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. through Christmas Day. Added 12/16

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Luau

For something that you probably can’t experience back home, a luau on Christmas can offer both a festive experience and an opportunity to learn about the Polynesian cultures.

We are listing the luau companies who are operating on and around Christmas. We provide links to book directly with the luau companies and avoid markup fees. All the luau companies use FareHarbor as their booking engine. As you view the information on FareHarbor be sure to use the dropdown arrows to display more information.

We are also including TripAdvisor ratings and the pricing for adults to assist you in your comparisons.

The following luau companies are located outside of Waikiki, but offer optional transportation to and from the luau.

The transportation options are both scenic and convenient. These luau options are charging a fairly reasonable rates even though it’s a holiday.

• Aloha Kai Luau hosts a luau on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This oceanside luau is located about 45-minutes drive from Waikiki at Sea Life Park. The luau ticket includes entrance to Sea Life Park which you can opt to explore and enjoy the day of the luau for convenience and good value. They do have an option to add transportation from Waikiki for an additional fee. This luau has great TripAdvisor reviews at rating of 4.4 out of 5. Here are the packages they offer with various amenities (type of lei, service, number of included drinks, etc.):
  • Aloha Kai Gold Package (recommended for the best view and experience) starts at $195 per adult.
  • Aloha Kai Silver Package (next best seating and experience) starts at $155 per adult.
  • Aloha Kai Bronze Package (the lowest priced option) starts at $119 per adult.
• Ka Moana Luau operates on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This oceanside luau is located about a 15-minute drive from Waikiki at Honolulu’s Aloha Tower Marketplace. They offer transportation from Waikiki for an additional fee. This luau gets great reviews on TripAdvisor at a rating of 4.3 out of 5. Here are the packages they offer with various amenities (type of lei, service, number of included drinks, etc.):
  • Celebrity Seating (recommended for best view and experience) starts at $199 per adult.
  • Splash Premium Seating (next best option to Celebrity Seating) starts at $169 per adult.
  • Splash Seating starts at $139 per adult.
  • Classic Seating starts at $119 per adult. 

The following luau companies are located in Waikiki.

• Paina Waikiki Luau at the Waikiki Beach Marriott operates their luau on Christmas Eve. This luau has a TripAdvisor rating of 4.5 out of 5.0. Seating options are as follows:
  • VIP seating starting at $210 per adult.
  • General seating starting at $180 per adult.
• The Royal Hawaiian Hotel puts on a lovely Holiday Luau on the 22nd, 25th and 29th. Their oceanfront setting in the heart of Waikiki is truly special. We noted that the 25th is already fully booked, but the 22nd and 29th have availability at last check. This luau has 4.0 out of 5.0 rating on TripAdvisor. Here are their seating options:
  • Premium seating starting at $318 per adult
  • Standard seating starting at $291.50 per adult
• Waikiki Starlight Luau at the Hilton Hawaiian Village offers a special holiday luaus on their beachfront Great Lawn.
  • On the 24th, they’re hosting a special Santa’s Christmas Eve Luau on the 24th. Santa is planning to make an appearance. You can learn more and book at this link.
  • On Christmas Day, they’re hosting Christmas Day Luau. Learn more and book at this link.

Waikiki Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Church Services

Here are churches that are in the Waikiki area that will be holding special Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day services.

* Harbor Church Honolulu holds a Christmas Eve Eve services on Tuesday, December 23 this year. See this link for more information.

* Fort DeRussy Chapel in Waikiki is located across from Hale Koa Hotel. This friendly little church will host Christmas Eve Candlelight service at 18:00 (6:00 p.m.)

* St. Augustine by-the-sea Catholic church holds mass on Christmas Eve (5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.) and on Christmas Day (6:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 5:00 p.m.)

* St Mark’s Honolulu Episcopal Church – holds The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Mass at 11:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve.  See this link for more information and other services.

* Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Waikiki holds Christmas Eve caroling service at 5:00 p.m. followed by Christmas Eve Worship at 6:00 p.m.

* Waikiki Baptist Church – Candlelight Christmas Eve service at 6:00 p.m.

* For more Christmas Eve services, check with the concierge at your hotel and/or pick up a copy of the Star-Advertiser, which usually has Christmas Eve service information, when you’re on the island.

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Notes

• We recommend you make book tickets and make reservations as soon as possible to secure the time and place you like.
• Should you have further questions, contact the venues directly. From each link that we’ve provided in this article, you should be able to navigate to the venue’s telephone number or a contact form.
• Unless otherwise stated, you can assume that taxes and gratuities are not included in the listed prices. When you make your reservations, please confirm these details.
• Most Waikiki Beach hotel-based restaurants will be open on Christmas. Check directly with the concierge of your accommodations for their special Christmas meals and events.
• Once you arrive on Oahu, pick up a copy of the Star Advertiser, the local newspaper, which may provide additional dining options and events.
• All times, pricing and information are accurately reported at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
• Some links are affiliate links. As such, we may earn a small commission, but you do not pay more. By purchasing through our affiliate links you are helping us cover the expenses to run this site.
• We anticipate that we’ll be adding more events and dining options, so do check back. We released this 2025 page on 12/11/25. Additions made after 12/11/25, will be indicated by the date they were added in a light gray font.
• If you are visiting Waikiki for the first or second time, check out the following articles to help you enjoy your visit:
  • Planning a Oahu vacation around a holiday
  • Waikiki/Oahu vacation itinerary 
  • What you need to know about a December Hawaii vacation – weather events and more!
• If you’ll be on Oahu through New Year’s Eve, check out our Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu New Year’s Eve Guide, which will be updated in mid to late December.
• Learn how to say Mele Kalikimaka, Hawaii’s way to say Merry Christmas.

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