December 19 is the Saturday to keep open in Hawaiʻi Kai this holiday season. The craft fair takes over the sidewalks at Koko Marina Center that day, and the marina's Christmas Boat Parade is scheduled for the same date. Most of the other Saturdays between now and then feed into that day. Nearly every holiday event in the neighborhood happens on a Saturday, and nearly every one ends up at the marina.
Two different groups are behind these events. Koko Marina Center hosts the land events: a monthly night market, a monthly craft fair and the Thanksgiving-weekend parade. The Hawaiʻi Kai Marina Community Association, the annual sponsor of the Christmas Boat Parade, has set December 19, 2026, as this year's parade date. Both calendars land on that Saturday.
Every Saturday Starts Near Hana Sushi
The one event that runs every week sits across the highway area at Hawaiʻi Kai Shopping Center. The Saturday farmers market there, run by Abl Market, goes from 8 a.m. to noon near Hana Sushi. It sells locally grown produce and rotating food products, with family-friendly educational activities and games. Live music, cooking demonstrations and garden demonstrations show up some weeks.
The market is new. According to a September 30 update from Hunt Companies, the center's owner, the market launched in June. The same update reported that Bakehouse by Island Brew held its grand opening in early August, after a soft opening in July. So this is the first holiday season where a Hawaiʻi Kai Saturday can start with a market and a new bakery in the same parking lot, before any of the Koko Marina Center events open.
The market runs through every Saturday covered below, so each of the bigger days builds on top of it.
The Lions Club Parade Marches to the Marina
The first big Saturday is November 28, the weekend after Thanksgiving. The Hawaiʻi Kai Holiday Parade is organized by the Hawaii Kai Lions Club and sponsored by Koko Marina Center. The route is short and it points one way. Here is how the morning runs, according to Koko Marina Center's event page:
- 10 a.m. The parade starts at the corner of Lunalilo Home Road and Hawaiʻi Kai Drive, next to the HK Skate Park.
- 10 to 11 a.m. It marches down Lunalilo Home Road and ends at Koko Marina Center.
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Christmas Carnival runs in the Marina Courtyard, with photos with Santa Claus, Christmas crafts and giveaways, balloon art, carnival games, and cookie decorating with New Hope Church.
- 1 p.m. All activities end. The center says some activity lines may close early to fit the timeline, and some items are available only while supplies last.
If you plan to go, know how the games work. A new, unwrapped toy gets you 10 tickets, each good for one play at each carnival game. That makes the games free for anyone who brings a donation. The event's listed sponsors are the Hawaii Kai Lions Club, Helping Hands Hawaii and New Hope Hawaiʻi Kai.
Because the carnival games stop at 1 p.m. and lines can close sooner, families with young kids are better off lining up when the parade arrives. Watching from the start by the skate park and then walking down Lunalilo Home Road puts you at the courtyard with the rest of the parade crowd. Starting at the farmers market at 8 a.m. leaves two hours before the 10 a.m. step-off.
First Saturdays Go After Dark
The parade happens in the morning. The next event at Koko Marina Center runs at night. Eastside Underground's Saturday Vintage Night Market, called the 1st Saturday ESU Night Market on the center's calendar, runs on the first Saturday of every month from 4 to 8 p.m. with local vendors.
The November market happened on November 7, so the next one is December 5. A Blood Bank of Hawaii drive is also on the center's calendar for December 5. The night market matters for this season because it brings a crowd to the center after dark two weeks before the boat parade date.
Third Saturdays Bring the Craft Fair
The 808 Craft & Gift Fairs run at Koko Marina Center on the third Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with more than 70 local vendors. The remaining dates this year are November 21 and December 19.
The November fair falls one week before the parade, so it's the earlier chance to shop local gifts. The December fair matters more for this calendar. It falls the same day as the boat parade.
December 19 Holds Both Ends of the Day
Line up the Koko Marina Center calendar with the marina association's date and December 19 becomes the busiest day of the season. Here is how it stacks up:
| Timing | Event | Where | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 a.m. to noon | Saturday farmers market | Hawaiʻi Kai Shopping Center, near Hana Sushi | Abl Market |
| 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | 808 Craft & Gift Fair | Koko Marina Center | 808 Craft & Gift Fairs |
| Sunset in 2025 | Christmas Boat Parade | Hawaiʻi Kai Marina | Sponsored by the Hawaiʻi Kai Marina Community Association |
The boat parade is the one holiday event that happens on the water, and last year's format shows what to expect. The 2025 parade, also called the Festival of Lights, took place on December 13. The Cougar Connection, Kaiser High School's student news site, reported that boats made a lap around the marina in the evening. The same report said a committee judged the boats on size, style and presentation and named an overall winner. Hawaiʻi Pacific University's 2025 community calendar listing described the parade as free to attend, starting at sunset, and invited spectators to vote for their favorite boats. The association's site links its 2025 winners list and a video of last year's Festival of Lights.
That changes how the day plays out. The craft fair ends at 2:30 p.m., and if the boat parade follows last year's pattern, it starts at sunset in the same marina. Anyone who stays for both is in the same spot for most of the afternoon and evening. The parade on November 28 ends at Koko Marina Center. On December 19, the marina next to the center is where the parade happens.
The association that sponsors the parade posts updates on its website and on Instagram at @hkmca_hawaii. If you plan around the boat parade, watch those two channels between now and December 19 for the 2026 start time.
The Six Saturdays, Laid Out
As of publication on Thursday, November 12, there are six Saturdays left through the boat parade. Here is the season in one place:
- November 14. Abl farmers market, 8 a.m. to noon, Hawaiʻi Kai Shopping Center.
- November 21. Farmers market, then the 808 Craft & Gift Fair at Koko Marina Center, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- November 28. Farmers market, then the Hawaiʻi Kai Holiday Parade at 10 a.m. and the Christmas Carnival in the Marina Courtyard until 1 p.m. Bring a new, unwrapped toy.
- December 5. Farmers market in the morning, then the 1st Saturday ESU Night Market at Koko Marina Center from 4 to 8 p.m.
- December 12. Farmers market.
- December 19. Farmers market, the December craft fair, and the Christmas Boat Parade on the marina.
Over the season, the events shift from morning to evening. The parade ends at the marina by 11 a.m., the night market runs until 8 p.m., and last year the boat parade went out at sunset.
When the boat lights are out on December 19, the Hawaiʻi Kai team at Jaymes Song will be along the marina too. If you own on the water or near Lunalilo Home Road and want to know how this stretch of Hawaiʻi Kai is valued now, we're glad to talk it through. Expect better. Schedule your free market consultation.
