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2026 Events and Festivities
Maui events in September 2026 lean cultural, not commercial. The island opens its Festivals of Aloha calendar, a competitive hula festival returns to the MACC, and the Lā ʻUlu Breadfruit Festival fills Maui Nui Botanical Gardens on Labor Day weekend. It's a quieter, more local month than the resort high seasons. Here's what's worth planning around, with official September dates checked again in early July.
Festivals of Aloha (Maui Nui Style)
Maui's chapter of the statewide Aloha Festivals kicks off the month with the Wailuku First Friday street party on Market Street (Sept 4). Later in the month, the official Festivals of Aloha schedule lists the Aloha Friday gathering at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center in Kahului on September 11, followed by the Richard Hoʻopiʻi Leo Kiʻekiʻe Falsetto Contest at the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua on September 19. The same calendar pushes additional Maui Nui events into October — Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Hāna, Wailea, and Makawao dates — so treat September as the opening stretch, not the whole season.
When: September 4th (Wailuku First Friday); September 11th (Aloha Friday at QKC); September 19th (Falsetto Contest), 2026
A free, family-friendly festival at the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens celebrating ʻulu (breadfruit) — a staple of the Hawaiian diet. Expect Hawaiian music and hula, cultural activities, cooking demos, small-plate chef tastings, and ʻulu products and trees for sale. Parking is free across the street at the War Memorial complex.
A two-day competitive hula festival at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, bringing adult hālau together for solo, group, and kūpuna categories across both kahiko (ancient) and ʻauana (modern) styles. It's a ticketed event and a rare chance to see hula judged at the competitive level. The organizer has posted 2026 dates as September 11-12.
One of Hawaiʻi's classic team races, the Hāna Relay runs in stages along the winding Hāna Highway, with teams handing off baton-style through the rainforest curves of East Maui. The 56th annual running is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 2026 — worth knowing about even if you're not racing, since traffic on the road to Hāna gets busy that morning.
Labor Day falls on Monday, September 7 in 2026. It's a three-day weekend, so expect busier beaches and a livelier feel across the island — worth factoring into your timing if you're visiting that week.
When: Monday, September 7th, 2026
Where: Statewide
September is a strong cultural month on Maui — the Festivals of Aloha opening events, Lā ʻUlu, and Kū Mai Ka Hula are the ones to build a trip around. Looking just past the month: the Maui County Fair returns to the War Memorial complex in Wailuku October 1-4, 2026, and the Festivals of Aloha schedule continues with additional Maui Nui dates through late October.
Mostly dry this morning with light to moderate trade winds, a few showers over windward and mountain slopes. Winds weaken and turn south tonight into Wednesday as a low-pressure system develops north of the islands, starting a wet stretch.
Wednesday afternoon through Friday, rain increases across the island, heaviest on south-facing slopes and coasts. Isolated thunderstorms are possible Wednesday night into Thursday. Rain timing and intensity depend on where the rainband sets up. No flood watch is in place yet, but conditions will be wet. Saturday and Sunday clear out as normal trade winds return.
Beach and water activities work best today and early Wednesday; plan indoor time for Wednesday through Friday as rain increases. Save hiking and summit drives for the weekend.
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Mostly dry right now with light to moderate trade winds. South-facing shores have elevated surf near advisory levels through tonight.
Winds weaken and shift south starting tonight into Wednesday as a low-pressure system develops north of the islands. Wednesday afternoon through Friday, showers and rain increase across Maui, heaviest on south-facing slopes and coasts. Isolated thunderstorms are possible Wednesday night into Thursday. Rain intensity and timing remain uncertain depending on where a rainband sets up—conditions will stay wet and may limit activity.
Saturday into Sunday, normal trade winds return and rain clears. Beach and water activities work best today and early Wednesday; plan indoor time for the wet stretch ahead. Hiking and summit trips are better suited for the weekend.
0:000:44
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Mostly dry this morning with light to moderate trade winds. Windward and mountain slopes have a few scattered showers.
Winds weaken and turn southerly tonight into Wednesday, and rain increases Wednesday through Friday across the island—heaviest on south-facing slopes and coasts. Isolated thunderstorms are possible Wednesday night into Thursday. Timing and intensity depend on exactly where the rain sets up and how long it lingers. Saturday and Sunday clear out and trade winds return to normal.
Get your beach time in today and early Wednesday morning. Plan indoor activities for the wet stretch, and save hiking and summit drives for Saturday.
0:000:53
Voice
Read the transcript
Mostly dry right now with light to moderate trade winds. Windward and mountain areas have a few scattered showers, but south-facing shores have elevated surf near advisory levels through tonight.
Starting Wednesday, winds weaken and turn south as a low-pressure system develops north of the islands. Rain will increase, heaviest on south-facing slopes and coasts. Isolated thunderstorms are possible Wednesday night into Thursday. Rain intensity and timing are uncertain—it depends on where a rainband sets up and how long it lingers. Saturday and Sunday, normal trade winds return and rain clears out.
Beach and water activities work best today and early Wednesday. Move indoor or covered plans to Wednesday through Friday as rain picks up. Save hiking and summit drives for the weekend.
Created with AI from the official NWS forecast discussion · verify with NWS before heading out
Created with AI from this HawaiiGuide page and read by a computer-generated voice. Double-check fees, hours, and reservations on the full page before you head out. Hawaiian pronunciation is tricky for synthesized speech and a few words may land slightly off; mahalo for your patience as we keep refining.
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