Halloween on Maui is the Mardi Gras of the Pacific. Every year, thousands of costumed revelers frolic down Lahaina’s Front Street in an unofficial parade of sorts. And despite the three-year absence of a sanctioned event due to complaints that it has become too risque and rowdy, die-hards kept on cruising along in character.
Since 2011, Front Street festivities have been reborn, taking on a mellower approach; one that’ll be less about boozing and bar hopping and more about family-friendly fun. During the day, there will be food, face painting and the annual Keiki Halloween Costume parade. By night, live music and an adult costume contest will be the buzz. There definitely still will be a bar scene; except this time, businesses have been banding together to prevent drunk driving by offering non-alcoholic beverages to designated drivers.
Front Street is also closed to cars on Fright Night, leaving room for the estimated 20,000 to 30,000 who show up every year. This includes visitors; some fly to Maui specifically for its Front Street festivities; others just happen to be here. So make sure to pack your best costume if you’re planning on joining in on the Halloween fun.
That lobster’s too cute to eat!
The best part about the event is that it’s absolutely free. The live music, costume contests and fright you experience have local sponsors that make it all possible. The street performers offer even more free entertainment while you cruise Lahaina, and of course, the best show of all would be the sea of Halloween creativity that pours through Front Street every year.
Photo Courtesy: Lahaina Halloween Facebook
LAHAINA HALLOWEEN • Front Street, Lahaina, Maui • www.lahainahalloween.com • Metered street parking but limited; parking available at Lahaina Cannery Mall (15-minute walk from downtown)
