Kapolei City Lights opens on Saturday, November 28, 2026. Honolulu City Lights opens its season with a parade on Saturday, December 5, a week later. That week matters. West Oahu holds its own parade, block party and holiday theme before town starts its own. Most of what comes before it, from the October movie nights at ʻŌlino to the Halloween trick-or-treat routes, happens along one road, Kapolei Parkway.
Below is the season from mid-October through January 3, 2027, grouped by venue, with what's confirmed and what's still unannounced.
Paniolo Nights first, Honolulu after
The theme for this year's Kapolei City Lights is "Paniolo Nights & Holiday Lights." The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation says it pairs Hawaiʻi's paniolo heritage with holiday lights, slack-key guitar music, seasonal treats and community celebration. Honolulu City Lights' theme this year is "Christmas in the Country."
Here's how opening night works, according to the city's Kapolei City Lights page:
- Block party: 5 to 9 p.m., on the streets around Kapolei Hale
- Parade: starts at 5:30 p.m. at Kapolei High School, runs along Fort Barrette Road and Kapolei Parkway, and ends near Kamaʻaha Avenue
- Cost: free for spectators, and you don't need to register
- Display dates: decorations stay up from November 28, 2026 through Sunday, January 3, 2027
Parking and entertainment details haven't been announced yet. The city says it will post them once they're confirmed. The event has run in Leeward Oʻahu since 2001.
For anyone thinking of taking part, the deadlines are close. Parade applications are due today, Monday, October 12, at 4 p.m. HST. Block party vendor applications are due Friday, October 16, at 5 p.m. HST. Groups planning a parade entry are already up against the deadline.
The parade runs on Kapolei Parkway. The rest of the fall calendar is mostly there too.
October runs through Ka Makana Aliʻi
Most of the October calendar is at Ka Makana Aliʻi, 91-5431 Kapolei Parkway.
The biggest recurring event is at ʻŌlino by Consolidated Theatres, inside the center at suite #600. Every Saturday in October it shows Halloween films, with several showings a day, for $9.99, according to Honolulu Magazine's 2026 Halloween roundup. Three Saturdays are left:
| Saturday | Films |
|---|---|
| Oct. 17 | Monster House, The Boxtrolls, Cloverfield |
| Oct. 24 | Casper, Ghostbusters, A Quiet Place |
| Oct. 31 | Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, The Ring |
Each Saturday has a family film, a classic and one scarier pick. That means a household with young kids and one with teenagers can go on the same night and see different movies.
The center has other events around those Saturdays. Style Refresh Weekend runs October 16 through 18. The Keiki Halloween Costume Contest is at Center Court on October 28. Center-wide trick-or-treating is on Saturday, October 31. The center hasn't posted hours for the trick-or-treating yet, so check before you go.
October 28 is a Wednesday, and that's also a Makana Mkt. day. The market is at Center Court every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. and every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The costume contest and the weekly market are in the same court on the same day, though the center hasn't said whether their hours overlap.
Halloween night has three options close to home
October 31 falls on a Saturday this year. There are at least three Halloween events that night in and next to Kapolei, each on a different road.
| Event | Where | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kapolei Marketplace trick-or-treating, keiki 12 and under | 590 Farrington Highway | 4 to 6 p.m. | Free |
| Ka Makana Aliʻi center-wide trick-or-treating | 91-5431 Kapolei Parkway | Hours not yet posted | Not listed |
| Nightmare at the New Wave Night Market | Kroc Center, 91-3257 Kualakaʻi Parkway | 5 to 9 p.m., Oct. 30 and 31 | Free admission and parking |
The times fit together. Kapolei Marketplace confirms its 4 to 6 p.m. trick-or-treat on its events page, and the night market at the Kroc Center opens at 5. Honolulu Magazine lists themed crafts and food, trick-or-treating, a live DJ and a costume contest each night with a $200 prize. The magazine lists the Kroc Center's address in ʻEwa Beach, on Kualakaʻi Parkway.
The night market also runs Friday, October 30. Households that want an earlier Halloween outing have a second night to choose from.
Ko Olina's dates fall between the big ones
Ko Olina has two events in this window, and both are aimed at the wider leeward community.
On Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to noon, Hoʻākea ʻEwa is a family day at the Ko Olina Boat Ramp. It includes ʻāina and ocean learning and hands-on voyaging activities. It ends at noon, so the same Saturday still leaves time for the Casper and Ghostbusters showings at ʻŌlino.
On Saturday, November 21, Ko Olina holds its 27th Annual Thanksgiving Outreach. The resort ʻohana and partners prepare meals and deliver them to leeward churches and veterans' organizations. The page doesn't give a public time or location, which makes sense for a delivery effort rather than an event you attend. It lands one week before the City Lights parade.
Two new places to eat before or after
Two places along the season's route are new since summer.
Jessica's Restaurant opened September 3 at Kapolei Commons, 4450 Kapolei Parkway, in the space where Mad Bene used to be. Aloha State Daily reports that the restaurant moved from Aiea and serves local-style Filipino comfort food along with new Italian dishes. It's on the same parkway the parade uses, so it could work for an early dinner on November 28 before the 5:30 step-off.
HI Cravings Co-Op opened to the public August 29 at 711 Kamokila Boulevard. It's a small-business co-op, and according to Aloha State Daily it currently has HI Cravings, Main Squeeze Lemonade and one rotating vendor. Because one spot rotates, the lineup may be different from one holiday visit to the next.
The weekly markets keep going
The seasonal events sit on top of a weekly routine that keeps running through the holidays:
- Sunday, 7 to 8:30 a.m.: People's Open Market at Kapolei Community Park. This is the latest schedule the city has posted, though that page dates from 2025.
- Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Makana Mkt. at Ka Makana Aliʻi Center Court
- Wednesday, 4 to 8 p.m.: Makana Mkt. again, same location
The two Sunday markets don't overlap. You can do the early produce run at the park and still make the midday market.
Going to Honolulu's opening on December 5
Some Kapolei households will go to both openings. Skyline is now part of that trip. The rail line currently runs from East Kapolei to Kalihi, according to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. Service to Civic Center is projected for 2031, so this year the train won't get you all the way to Honolulu Hale.
On weekdays, more people are already using it. The city reported a weekday record of 14,143 rides on Wednesday, August 26. Average weekday ridership for August 24 to 28 was 13,478. The city named the Keoneʻae UH West Oʻahu and Honouliuli Hoʻopili stations among those with park-and-ride. If you're thinking about taking the train to Honolulu's opening, check Skyline's December 5 schedule closer to the date.
For Kapolei's own opening a week earlier, you don't need the train. The parade starts at Kapolei High School and ends near Kamaʻaha Avenue, and the lights stay on around Kapolei Hale every night through January 3.
Fran Magbual works in Kapolei and keeps up with the community calendar along with the housing market. If you'd like to talk about your home while you're out for the parade season, Fran Magbual offers a free home valuation or a consultation, whenever it fits around your plans.