Best Time to Vist Honolulu

When is the best time of year to visit Honolulu, capital and biggest city in Hawai’i? The O’ahu hub offers a plethora of attractions, from the internationally renowned beachfront of Waikiki and the craggy visage of Diamond Head to an epic lineup of restaurants, some outstanding museums (such as the Bishop Museum) and botanical gardens and multiple major live-performance venues.

All of those are year-round draws, no question and given O’ahu’s tropical climate—and, furthermore, Honolulu’s rain shadowed position on the island’s leeward side—the weather is, let's face it, always pretty fabulous. Indeed, this is a two-season climate with only minimal differences in temperature between the winter/"low-sun" half and the summer/"high-sun" half. Rainfall varies somewhat more strongly between the seasons, but even in the rainiest months Honolulu delivers loads of sunshine, with extended downpours rarer than not.

This means that, overall, other considerations rather than weather determine the best Honolulu time of year for a given traveler’s needs and preferences: from relative levels of crowds and seasonal fluctuations in prices to whale-watching opportunities. We’ll dig into these factors in the following guide on when to visit Honolulu, which breaks down the O’ahu year by relative visitation into two peak seasons and two shoulder seasons. We hope it helps you with your Honolulu trip-planning.

December to Mid-April: Peak Season

• Pros: Peak season for big-wave surfing and whale-watching; lots of festivals and other events; warm, pleasant “winter” weather compared to much of the U.S.
• Cons: Higher rates and prices; crowds; higher potential for heavier rain

The heart of O’ahu’s “winter” (Hoo-ilo) season, this stretch of the calendar is one of two high seasons for tourism and, generally, the busiest. After all, it overlaps with the end-of-the-year holidays as well as spring break and also coincides with wintry weather in more northerly climes: Many from mainland North America (and other areas) flee to Hawai’i this time of year for a break from snow, ice and bone-rattling cold.

And a break is indeed what they get, on account Honolulu—like the rest of the Hawai’ian Islands—experiences a decidedly different sort of winter season than the continental U.S. Winter temperatures on O’ahu typically range between lows in the low 60s F and highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, only marginally cooler than the summer/high-sun weather. We’re talking average monthly temperatures in the coldest months of January and February in the low 70s—not bad.

This is also the rainy season, technically and winter storms such as Kona systems can indeed bring bouts of heavy rainfall. But such rainstorms are often of short duration, lasting perhaps a few hours to a couple of days. They’re unlikely to spoil your vacation, unless you’re only in Honolulu for a day or two; winter here serves up lots of sunshine and prime beachgoing weather.

The burly northerly swells of winter make this the season of pro-level, big-wave surfing on Oahu’s North Shore. Even if you’re not an elite board-rider, you might consider a trip out of Honolulu to go watch the massive breakers and the surfers who tackle them on the other side of the island.

This is also the best time to see humpback whales in O’ahu waters; the leviathans’ journey to the Hawai’ian Islands from Alaska to breed and calve in these balmy channels. Watch for humpbacks from beaches, headlands and other coastal vantages or on whale-watching cruises (many of which depart from Honolulu).

There are plenty of annual events on the winter calendar in and around Honolulu, including O’ahu surfing competitions such as the Volcom Pipe Pro at the North Shore’s celebrated Banzai Pipeline reef break, Hawai’i’s largest charity golf tourney (the Sony Open, in January) and the Honolulu Festival in March, which celebrates Hawai’ian, Pacific and Asian cultures.

It goes without saying that this peak tourism season in Honolulu comes, accordingly, with higher prices for just about everything; the need to book accommodations, dining reservations and the like well in advance; and heavier crowds and traffic.

Mid-April to Mid-June: Shoulder Season

• Pros: Less crowded; less expensive; continued whale-watching opportunities; near-perfect weather
• Cons: Fewer festivals and events underway

The “spring” shoulder season is one of the best times to visit Honolulu. With the crowds of winter in the rear-view mirror, you’ll find a bit more elbow room on the sands of Waikiki Beach and other popular destinations. Humpback whales continue to be visible in O’ahu waters in April and May, extending the world-class whale-watching for which Hawai’i is known into springtime.

Another reason why this is a contender for the best time of year to visit Honolulu? The weather, which is all-around stellar: Daily temperatures range roughly between the mid-60s and the low 80s and rain showers are rare indeed. Hikers are less likely to run into mud and swollen creeks, particularly in leeward Oahu.

Ocean waters are calming down, too, expanding opportunities for swimming, snorkeling and beginner-level surfing. (Bear in mind you can always find such opportunities in Honolulu, but they’re more seasonal along, for example, the Oahu North Shore, battered as it is during the winter by those gnarly waves.)

Events-wise, this spring window in Honolulu is something of a lull, but you will find some happenings underway, not least the Waikiki Spam Jam.

Mid-June to August: Peak Season

• Pros: Reliably warm, dry, sunny weather; great season for hiking, swimming, snorkeling, SUP; lots of festivals and events
• Cons: Higher prices and more crowds again

The heart of summer is another top season to visit Honolulu, no question. That’s primarily because families with school-age children are taking advantage of summer vacations. So expect plenty of crowds, pricier airfare and the potential for booked-up lodgings, tours or cruises.

The high-sun weather on O’ahu is pretty ideal. The average temperature of Honolulu’s all-around warmest month, August, is about 80 degrees or so. This is the dry season, too, with very scanty precipitation and a lot of sunshine.

Calm summer waters make for ideal swimming, snorkeling, paddling and other ocean fun and hiking conditions tend to be excellent. And there’s a busy lineup of events, from the King Kamehameha Festival in June and the Hawaii State Farm Fair in July to Waikiki’s Duke Kahanamoku Ocean Festival in August.

September to November: Shoulder Season

• Pros: Fewer crowds; lower prices; lots of annual events
• Cons: Rain becomes more frequent; hurricane season

Oahu’s “fall” shoulder season is another great time to visit Honolulu. You’ll find the city and the island less crowded and less pricey, while the weather remains generally postcard perfect. That said, precipitation tends to increase in October, ushering in the start of the rainy season. This is also the main window for hurricanes, but in fact these tropical cyclones are quite rare in the Hawai’ian Islands, with direct hits few and far between.

There are quite a few high-profile annual events around Oahu during the fall stretch, another reason to visit this time of year. They include the Aloha Festivals, an epic celebration of Hawai’ian culture and heritage, as well as the Hawai’i Food & Wine Festival, the Hawai’ian international Film Festival and Hawai’i Fashion Week. As big-wave surfing season gets underway by November, surf competitions such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing also crank up.

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