ValidaTrip / Things to do in Honolulu
Things to do in Honolulu in December 2026
By ValidaTrip Research · Updated May 20, 2026
Quick answer: Honolulu in December 2026 usually runs near 28C by day, 21C at night, with about 5 rainy days.
Dated picks to verify first include Honolulu City Lights and The Book of Mormon (Touring).
Check the event list and public holidays below before assigning fixed dates.
Events, festivals, and public holidays for Honolulu, United States, in December 2026.
The point is making sure the places you already want to see are actually open on the days you'll be there.
Planning a Honolulu trip in December?
Paste the recommendations you've collected — from friends, a ChatGPT itinerary, or blog listicles. ValidaTrip checks every place against your December dates: opening hours, closures, what needs booking ahead, and which Honolulu events overlap your trip.
No account needed to try it.
Month context
Honolulu in December: weather, seasonal timing, and what changes.
Honolulu weather in December
High
28°C
Low
21°C
Rain
5d
55mm
10.7h daylight
What to prioritize in December
Prioritize Diamond Head State Monument, Waikiki Beach and Duke Kahanamoku Statue, Foster Botanical Garden, Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial, Iolani Palace.
Dates to check
Events, festivals, and closures in Honolulu.
Events & festivals in Honolulu, December 2026
Dates and ticketing change constantly — treat this as a starting point and confirm anything you'd build a day around.
- Dec 1 – Dec 31
Honolulu City Lights
An annual month-long holiday celebration featuring festive lights, decorations, live entertainment, and cultural events throughout downtown Honolulu. — Free to attend; some special events may require tickets.
via GPT Festivals
- Dec 1 – Dec 31
- Dec 2
- Dec 4
- Dec 5
Waikiki Holiday Parade
A festive parade along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki featuring floats, marching bands, and holiday characters celebrating the season. — Free public event.
via GPT Festivals
- Dec 10
Show all 11 events for December
- Dec 17 – Dec 20
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
A college basketball tournament held annually at the Stan Sheriff Center featuring top NCAA teams competing in Honolulu. — Tickets required; available online and at the venue.
via GPT Festivals
- Dec 19 – Dec 31
- Dec 19
- Dec 27 – Dec 31
- Dec 31
Honolulu City Lights Lantern Floating Ceremony
A solemn and beautiful ceremony where thousands of lanterns are floated on the water at Ala Moana Beach Park to honor loved ones and bring hope for the new year. — Free to attend; arrive early for best viewing spots.
via GPT Festivals
Public holidays & closures in December 2026
On these dates banks, government offices, and many attractions in United States close or switch to holiday hours. Worth checking before you pin a must-see to one of them.
- Dec 25Christmas Day
City context
What Honolulu is known for before you choose what to prioritize.
Known for
City context
Honolulu is Oahu's south-shore capital, where Waikiki hotels, Downtown government blocks, and Chinatown markets sit between the Pacific Ocean and the Koolau ridgeline. The traveler frame is compact but varied: Waikiki carries the beach-and-resort stay, Downtown and Chinatown hold the royal and merchant history, and Manoa-Makiki and Eastern Honolulu lead into volcanic craters, gardens, and reef coves.
Food & drink
Local flavor
Honolulu meals move between poke bowls, kalua pork, loco moco, saimin, plate lunch, malasadas, and shave ice without leaving the south shore. Chinatown markets, Helena's Hawaiian Food on North School Street, Leonard's Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue, and the KCC Farmers Market near Diamond Head give the city its best low-friction food map.
Things to do
Attractions and sights to consider in Honolulu.
Things to do in Honolulu
Map of top sights in Honolulu
- 1Diamond Head State Monument
- 2Waikiki Beach and Duke Kahanamoku Statue
- 3Foster Botanical Garden
- 4Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial
- 5Iolani Palace
- 6Bishop Museum
- 1
Diamond Head State Monument
4.7★ · 16,970outdoorClosed Sat/SunThe trail climbs a 300,000-year-old tuff crater that the U.S. Army fortified in 1908 as part of Oahu coastal defense. The summit is 3km east of Waikiki and gives the clearest view back over Kapiolani Park and the hotel strip.
Out-of-state visitors need advance reservations for entry and parking.
- 2
Waikiki Beach and Duke Kahanamoku Statue
4.6★ · 4,887outdoorOpen dailyWaikiki was a 19th-century royal retreat before its hotels made it Hawaii's best-known beach district. The Duke Kahanamoku bronze statue stands beside Kalakaua Avenue, a short walk from the Royal Hawaiian Center and Kuhio Beach hula mound.
- 3
Foster Botanical Garden
4.6★ · 2,004outdoorOpen dailyHonolulu's oldest botanical garden grew from land Queen Kalama leased to physician William Hillebrand in 1853 and later became a public garden in 1931. The Chinatown-edge site protects cannonball trees, palms, orchids, and the prehistoric-looking corpse flower collection.
Wikipedia
Show 7 more sights
- 4Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial
- 5Iolani Palace
- 6Bishop Museum
- 7Honolulu Museum of Art
- 8Ala Moana Center and Ala Moana Beach Park
- 9Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design
- 10Kawaiahao Church
Areas and routes
Neighborhoods, day trips, and getting around Honolulu.
Honolulu neighborhoods
Each district has its own character — knowing which one you're in changes what's realistic to fit in a day.
Waikiki
Dense, beach-facing Waikiki is the hotel base for most visitors, with Kalakaua Avenue, Kuhio Beach, the Royal Hawaiian Center, and Diamond Head views packed into a walkable grid.
Downtown and Capitol District
Downtown Honolulu feels civic and historical, with Iolani Palace, Aliiolani Hale, Kawaiahao Church, and Honolulu Harbor clustered around King Street.
Chinatown and Arts District
Chinatown mixes lei stands, noodle shops, produce markets, bars, and galleries around Maunakea Street, Hotel Street, and the Hawaii Theatre.
Ala Moana and Kakaako
Ala Moana and Kakaako are the practical in-between districts, anchored by Ala Moana Center, Magic Island, SALT at Our Kakaako, and murals near Cooke Street.
Manoa and Makiki
Manoa and Makiki climb into cooler valleys behind Downtown, with the University of Hawaii, Lyon Arboretum, Manoa Falls trailhead, and Punchbowl crater nearby.
Kapahulu, Kaimuki, and Eastern Honolulu
Kapahulu and Kaimuki hold local restaurants and bakeries inland from Waikiki, while Kahala, Hawaii Kai, Hanauma Bay, and Makapuu Point stretch the city toward the windward coast.
Day trips from Honolulu
Doable as a long day or comfortable as an overnight — each one is a destination on its own.
55km / 1h by car from Waikiki via H-2 and Kamehameha Highway
Haleiwa and the North Shore
Surf towns, shrimp trucks, Waimea Bay, and winter waves make the North Shore the classic Oahu contrast to Waikiki. Parking pressure is high at sunset and on major surf-contest days.
25km / 35-45min by car from Downtown Honolulu over the Pali Highway
Kailua and Lanikai
Windward beaches, the Mokulua islets, and Kailua town cafes sit beyond the Koolau ridge. Go early because Lanikai street parking and beach access are intentionally limited.
38km / 45min by car from Waikiki via H-3 or Pali Highway
Kualoa Ranch and Kaneohe Bay
The Kaaawa Valley film-site tours, Kaneohe sandbar views, and fishpond landscapes show the green windward side of Oahu. Reserve ranch activities ahead in summer and December.
Getting around
TheBus and HOLO card cover Waikiki, Downtown, Ala Moana, Pearl Harbor, and the airport, while Skyline rail currently helps only the western airport-to-Kapolei side. Walking works inside Waikiki and Downtown, but a rental car or rideshare is faster for Diamond Head dawn hikes, Hanauma Bay reservations, and windward-coast day trips.
How to plan Honolulu in December
- 1
Anchor the month
Check the 11 dated Honolulu events for anything that overlaps your exact December dates before assigning fixed sightseeing days.
- 2
Protect closure days
Hold flexible plans around the 1 public holiday in United States; museums, markets, and government-run sights can switch hours.
- 3
Group and validate
Group each Honolulu day by nearby neighborhoods, then validate the saved places against your trip dates before exporting the checked route to Google Maps.
What to pack for Honolulu in December
Pack from the monthly climate profile, not a generic Honolulu checklist.
- Layerable daytime clothes for average highs around 28C.
- A light evening layer because nights average 21C.
- A small umbrella or packable shell for scattered rain across about 5 days.
How many days do you need in Honolulu
4 days covers the main Honolulu highlights at a realistic pace. Add 3 extra days if you want the listed day trips.
Is Honolulu worth visiting in December
Yes. Honolulu in December: 28°C high, 21°C low, 55mm rain over 5 days, 10.7h daylight. Hot and dry — outdoor friendly, hydrate.
Validate your list
Turn this into a Honolulu plan that actually works
All your recs in one place
Paste what friends, ChatGPT, and blogs gave you for Honolulu. ValidaTrip pulls out each place and sorts it — no spreadsheet by hand.
Open on your dates
Every place checked against the days you're actually in Honolulu, with timed tickets and reservation-only spots flagged while you can still get a slot.
Export to Google Maps
Send the cleaned, checked, and neighborhood-grouped plan to Google Maps so your Honolulu days are ready to navigate.
Questions
- What's on in Honolulu in December 2026?
- Around 11 notable events and festivals fall in December 2026, including Honolulu City Lights, The Book of Mormon (Touring), Cirque du Soleil: Auana. Dates and times change — confirm each before you build your day around it.
- Are there public holidays in Honolulu during December 2026?
- Christmas Day (Dec 25). Banks, government offices, and some attractions close or run holiday hours on these days.
- Will the places on my list be open when I'm in Honolulu in December?
- Not always. Opening days and hours vary by weekday, season, and holiday. Paste your Honolulu list into ValidaTrip and it checks every place against the exact dates you're there, flagging closures before the trip instead of at a locked door.
- How do I plan Honolulu days without crossing the city twice?
- ValidaTrip groups your places by neighborhood so each day stays in one or two areas instead of zig-zagging. It also flags what needs booking ahead, so timed tickets and reservations don't fall through.