Without a doubt, the biggest and most celebrated holiday on Maui in years past has been Halloween. Unfortunately, there is no “boisterous street party” planned for Front Street this year as the roads will be opened following the keiki parade unlike years past. - updated October 2022
The roads will be opened again after the keiki parade (2022). below, you'll find information about a normal year on Maui during Halloween.
An annual keiki parade and costume contest are some of the main attractions, but many bars and restaurants also offer their own entertainment in the form of live music, drink specials and smaller-scale costume contests.
If driving is a concern, consider booking a hotel room in Lahaina Town for the evening, but make sure to make your reservations early! For alternate transportation, check to see if any tour operators offer a boat ride from Maalaea Harbor to Lahaina Harbor, bypassing much of the traffic that tends to back up for miles on Halloween night.
Bring your best costume and enjoy a fun evening of Halloween festivities in West Maui!
These answers pertain to a normal year. Since COVID,we're not really sure what level of celebration will be happening in Lahaina for Halloween each year. 2022 brought in big crowds, but the streets were not blocked from cars following the keiki parade. Hopefully they'll close it off again in the future.
I hear Halloween isn't going down in Lahaina anymore. Is this true?
No one can stop Halloween from happening. We had a few years of it being not as big. The streets are being closed off to vehicular traffic only for the keiki parade, and the festivities at the bars and restaurants are alive and well.
When do the festivities in Lahaina begin?
The festivities begin before sunset with the childrens parade around 4pm. We recommend you get there as early as possible to find parking and enjoy some of the shops while they're open. Arriving before 3 may assure that you don't have to wait in the long slow traffic to Lahaina.
Where do we park?
There will be dozens of parking lots to park at for a fee. Finding parking where you don't have to pay is unrealistic unless you get there early in the morning. If you are driving, please be wary of drunk drivers. Maui Police are not fond of them, and rightly so.
Does anyone go without a Halloween costume?
Yes, some people don't dress up, which is lame. It doesn't take a lot of creativity to put something together, even last minute. But most everyone has something on. That's what makes Halloween in Lahaina so great!
Can we get food and drinks?
If you want a sit down meal, you'll want to get to Lahaina very early. Otherwise you'll wait for hours. Alcohol is not permitted on the street, but the bars all up and down Front St are open and bumping. You'll find that they have cover charges and can be difficult to get into in the later hours due to capacity. The second story bars are the best because of the great views.
Is it safe in Lahaina on Halloween?
Most years, Lahaina has 80 police officers patrolling on October 31st. Lahaina is probably the safest place to be at on Halloween because of the overwhelming caution of the police force. After it gets dark, you may want to take the kids home. People can tend to get over-zealous and some people wear revealing outfits. There will be check points to stop drunk drivers as well as random stops.
Are there any big Halloween contests and what are the prizes?
Many of the bars and restaurants have costume contests with various prizes.
What other locations are there for Halloween in Maui and Hawaii?
You can always go to Mulligan's on the Blue in Wailea for a crowd on the south side of Maui. If you plan on doing Halloween on your Kauai vacation, you'll find it a little slower paced, though still a lot of fun.