5 Great Places Where You Can See Pretty Christmas Tree Light Displays

The best places to see festive holiday lights.

December 19, 2016

Maria Kanai,

Christmas is less than a week away, and many O‘ahu neighborhoods are lit—with red, green, silver and gold lights, that is. Here are our top five places to check out memorable Christmas displays before the holidays are over.

1. Waikele

Photo: Brittney Nitta-Lee

There’s nothing better than homemade charm when it come to Christmas lights. Every year, the 14 homes at Anapau Place comes to life with gorgeous displays, inflatables, figures and more. But the star of the show is resident Keith Yoshida’s synchronized musical light show that sparkles and dazzles 60,000 fixtures to the sounds of fun Christmas songs like “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” “Mele Kalikimaka,” and “Let It Go” (yes, apparently it is now a Christmas song).

2. Honolulu Hale

Shaka Santa and Tutu Mele at Honolulu Hale.

Photo: Ron Slauson

The Honolulu City Lights are a crowd-drawing classic for a reason. Until Jan. 1, you can see the 21-foot tall Shaka Santa and his wife TuTu Mele, as well as a 50-foot Norfolk pine Christmas tree decorated with specially made Christmas ornaments each year.

Inside Honolulu Hale, there’s a courtyard of festively decorated Christmas trees—see if you can spot the Moana one—and a corridor of creative wreaths. On Friday, Dec. 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., enjoy free milk and cookies at the front steps of Honolulu Hale, sponsored by Hawaiian Values Snack Co. Take free photos with Santa at the Gingerbread House inside Honolulu Hale every night until Dec. 24. There are also rides by Xtreme Fun Keiki Rides, kettle corn, piping hot Leonard’s Bakery malassadas and plate lunches.

3. Kāne‘ohe Christmas Lane

Photo: Maria Kanai

Located on Namoku Street, off Koa Kahiko Street behind Windward City Shopping Mall, there’s a whole lane with local homes decked out with lights and inflatables. It’s not as crowded as the Waikele neighborhood or Honolulu City Lights, so it’s a good choice for families with little babies. Santa might make an appearance, so make sure you’re nice and you might receive free candy canes. One house this year has a tent set up with a large Santa outside, with lights strung across the doorway to make it a lowered height entrance. Venture inside, and there are free toys for keiki.

4. Kapolei City Lights

Photo: Courtesy of Kapolei City Lights

Presented by the City and County of Honolulu, the Kapolei City Lights started off early this month with a parade on Ulu‘ōhi‘a Street fronting Kapolei Hale. There’s a large tree with decorations along with a holiday courtyard inside the Hale, with trees decked out by employees and the community. Hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., nightly until Jan. 1.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF KAPOLEI CITY LIGHTS

5. Bishop Museum

Let us help you get into the Holiday Spirit! Bishop Museum's J. Watumull Planetarium is featuring a HOLIDAY LASER SHOW all month with matinee and evening shows! For details on show times and ticket prices, go to: http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/
A photo posted by Bishop Museum (@bishopmuseum) on Dec 2, 2016 at 11:55am PST

Bring the family for something a little more high-tech with the laser light shows at the Bishop Museum. Through Jan. 3, the museum is throwing a show called “Laser Holidays,” featuring lasers that dance and groove in perfect sync to all your favorite holiday songs. Evening show prices are $10 general admission, $7 for ages 4 to 12 and free for keiki under 3.