Some events exist to entertain. Others exist to heal. Lights for Lahaina 2026 is firmly, beautifully, and purposefully in that second category. Presented by Aloha Amplified, Inc., this free two-day community gathering returns to the heart of historic Lahaina on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, 2026 — expanding from its inaugural 2025 edition into a richer, deeper, more spacious experience that gives the Lahaina community and its supporters more room to reflect, remember, and reconnect.
This is not a festival in the conventional sense. It is a gathering centered on the lived practice of aloha — and it is one of the most genuinely meaningful public events on the entire 2026 Maui calendar.
"Lights for Lahaina is not just an event; it is a testament to resilience and community spirit."
The Story Behind Lights for Lahaina
A Community's Resilience and Cultural Determination
The August 8, 2023 Lahaina wildfires were the deadliest natural disaster in the United States in over a century. The fires killed at least 102 people, destroyed more than 2,200 structures, displaced thousands of residents, and left the historic waterfront town of Lahaina — a place of profound cultural and spiritual significance to the Hawaiian people — in ash.
The response from the Lahaina community was, and continues to be, one of the most moving examples of collective resilience and cultural determination in the modern Pacific. Lights for Lahaina was born directly from that response.
In direct response to community feedback asking for more space and more time together, the 2026 edition expands into a two-day gathering.
Lights for Lahaina 2026: The Two-Day Programme
Day 1: Our Lahaina Story
Friday, September 11, 2026 | 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, 712 Waine'e Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
The first evening is built around shared roots and living memory. The programme includes:
- Interactive exhibit at the centre of the evening — inviting people to write, draw, and reflect on the everyday moments, voices, and memories that continue to shape Lahaina
- Local entertainment — Hawaiian musicians and performers whose connection to Lahaina is personal and deep
- Foods we grew up with — local food vendors serving the dishes and flavours that form part of the community's shared memory and identity
- Cultural practitioners and activities — Hawaiian cultural engagement across the grounds
- Storytelling and talk story reflections — guided and informal conversation circles where community members share their Lahaina memories
- ʻOhana Bingo and favourite games from the community's shared past
- Creative art and healing experiences for all ages including keiki
- Community resources — organisations supporting Lahaina's ongoing recovery and cultural preservation present throughout the evening
Day 2: The Light March
A Candlelit Journey Through Lahaina
Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Begins at Puʻunoa Beach, concludes at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church
At dusk on September 12, the community gathers at Puʻunoa Beach — a deeply significant stretch of Lahaina's shoreline — and walks together through historic Lahaina Town in a respectful, candlelit procession:
- Carrying light as a unified symbol of remembrance and resilience
- Kanikapila-style music woven gently along the march route — informal, participatory Hawaiian music in the tradition of community music-making rather than performance
- Shared stories offered along the route by community members and cultural practitioners
- Quiet reflection at specific points along the march through Lahaina Town
- Light refreshments available during the gathering
- Closing gathering at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church as the procession completes its route through town
The march route through historic Lahaina Town is itself an act of cultural reclamation.
Maria Lanakila Catholic Church: A Venue That Survived
A Symbol of Hope and Continuity
The choice of Maria Lanakila Catholic Church at 712 Waine'e Street, Lahaina as the anchor venue for both evenings of Lights for Lahaina 2026 is deeply intentional.
Maria Lanakila — "Our Lady of Victory" — is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Hawaii, established in 1846, and one of the historic structures that survived the August 2023 fires. The church grounds, adjacent to the Sacred Hearts School, sit in the heart of the neighbourhood that was most severely impacted by the fire, making them a place of profound significance for the community's ongoing healing and gathering.
The Organisation Behind the Event: Aloha Amplified
Community-Driven and Locally Rooted
Aloha Amplified, Inc. is the Lahaina-based nonprofit presenting Lights for Lahaina 2026. The organisation's board includes:
- Wilmont "Kamaunu" Kahaiali'i — Kumu Kamaunu, a Hawaiian cultural practitioner and one of the central figures in Lahaina's cultural community, who led the inaugural 2025 Light March to Puʻunoa Beach
- Linn Nishikawa — board member and spokesperson
- Lori Nishikawa — board member and spokesperson
The organisation operates in collaboration with Mālama Maui ʻOhana Foundation and a broad network of community sponsors that reflects the depth of institutional support for Lahaina's recovery.
The Sponsors and Supporters
A Community United
Lights for Lahaina 2026 is supported by a community of organisations representing Maui's civic, cultural, and philanthropic infrastructure:
- Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation
- Maria Lanakila Catholic Church
- Sacred Hearts School
- Na Kiʻaʻi O Maui
- Pacific Media Group (KPOA 93.5 FM)
- Rotary Clubs of Maui
- County of Maui Office of Economic Development
- Maui Pono Foundation
- Pasha Hawaii
- Maui Paradise Properties
- Tyler Coons Maui
The breadth of this supporter network reflects the community consensus that events like Lights for Lahaina are not optional. They are essential.
The Lahaina Time Capsule: A Living Legacy
Preserving Memories for Future Generations
One of the most quietly extraordinary dimensions of the Lights for Lahaina project is the Lahaina Time Capsule — a community memory archive that began at the 2025 inaugural event and continues to grow:
- Buried at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church — the physical location is marked with a commemorative bronze plaque and GPS marker
- Contents: Letters, drawings, photographs, and messages contributed by community members at the 2025 event, digitised before burial in December 2025
- To be opened in 2043 — twenty years after the fires
- The time capsule is an act of deliberate cultural memory — a decision by the Lahaina community to send something forward to the people their children will become
Why Visitors Should Attend Lights for Lahaina 2026
A Meaningful Way to Engage with Maui
Traveling to Maui carries a specific responsibility in 2026. Lahaina is still rebuilding. Thousands of community members are still navigating displacement, loss, and the slow, complicated process of returning to a place that looks different from the one they knew.
Attending Lights for Lahaina is one of the most direct and most meaningful ways a Maui visitor can demonstrate that their presence on the island is not just consumption. It is participation. It is showing up for a community that showed up for itself on the worst night in its modern history.
The event is free. It is open to all. It asks nothing of you except your presence, your respect, and your willingness to walk through Lahaina Town carrying light with the people who call it home.
Practical Information for Lights for Lahaina 2026
Getting There
- Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, 712 Waine'e Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
- From Kahului Airport (OGG): Approximately 45 to 50 minutes west via the Honoapiʻilani Highway
- From Kāʻanapali Beach resort corridor: Approximately 10 to 15 minutes south into Lahaina Town
- From Wailea: Approximately 1 hour north and west along the Piilani Highway connecting to the Honoapiʻilani
Day 2 Light March Starting Point
A Symbolic Walk Through History
- The Light March on September 12 begins at Puʻunoa Beach — approximately 10 minutes walk north of Maria Lanakila Church along the Lahaina shoreline — and concludes back at the church
- Participants are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a light layer for the evening sea breeze
Accommodation Near the Event
Where to Stay
- Royal Lahaina Resort and Bungalows — Kāʻanapali Beach, 10 to 15 minutes north; also the venue for the Emma Farden Sharpe Hula Festival on August 22
- Aston at the Whaler on Kāʻanapali Beach — condo-style accommodation within the Kāʻanapali corridor
- Lahaina town guesthouses and inns — several properties within walking distance of the Maria Lanakila venue
Contact and Information
Stay Connected
- Official website: lightsforlahaina.org
- Email: lahaina@alohaamplified.org
- Donations to support the event: givebutter.com/lights-for-lahaina-2025-copy-kgvbcq
The Broader September Maui Context
A Time of Reflection and Celebration
Attending Lights for Lahaina on September 11 and 12 places you in West Maui during a deeply meaningful window of the 2026 Maui calendar:
- Wailuku First Friday — September 4, Market Street, Wailuku (one week before Lights for Lahaina)
- Maui Obon Bon Dance season closes on September 7 at Hāna Buddhist Temple
- Coral Coast Rally 2026 (Fiji) — September 11 to 23 for Pacific island travelers in the same window
A visitor staying in West Maui the week of September 7 to 14 could close the Obon season at Hāna on September 7, experience Our Lahaina Story at Maria Lanakila on September 11, and walk the Light March through Lahaina Town on September 12.
Carry the Light
Join the Community in a Symbolic Walk
On the evening of September 12, 2026, a community will gather at Puʻunoa Beach as the sun goes down over the Lahaina waters, pick up their lights, and walk together through a town that refused to disappear. They will carry those lights past the banyan tree that survived, past the church that survived, past the spaces where buildings once stood and new ones are slowly rising.
You are invited to walk with them. The event is free. The dates are September 11 and 12, 2026. The address is Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, 712 Waine'e Street, Lahaina, Maui. And the only thing you need to bring is yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Things People Always Want to Know
When is Lights for Lahaina 2026?
Lights for Lahaina 2026 runs on Friday, September 11 (4:30 to 8:00 PM) and Saturday, September 12, 2026 (6:00 to 9:00 PM) at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, Lahaina.
Is Lights for Lahaina 2026 free?
Yes, completely free and open to the public.
Where exactly does Lights for Lahaina 2026 take place?
Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, 712 Waine'e Street, Lahaina, HI 96761. The Day 2 Light March begins at Puʻunoa Beach and concludes back at the church.
What is the Light March?
A respectful community walk through historic Lahaina Town on the evening of September 12, beginning at Puʻunoa Beach at dusk and concluding at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church — carrying light as a symbol of remembrance and resilience, accompanied by kanikapila music and shared stories.
Who organises Lights for Lahaina?
Aloha Amplified, Inc. in collaboration with Mālama Maui ʻOhana Foundation, supported by the Maui Strong Fund, County of Maui, Pacific Media Group, Rotary Clubs of Maui, and a broad community of Lahaina sponsors.
What is the Lahaina Time Capsule?
A community memory archive of letters, drawings, photographs, and messages contributed at the 2025 inaugural event — buried at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church with a bronze plaque and GPS marker, to be opened in 2043.
Verified Information at a Glance
- Event: Lights for Lahaina 2026
- Category: Free community memorial and healing gathering
- Day 1: Our Lahaina Story — Friday, September 11, 2026 | 4:30 to 8:00 PM | Maria Lanakila Catholic Church
- Day 2: Light March — Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 6:00 to 9:00 PM | Puʻunoa Beach to Maria Lanakila Catholic Church
- Venue: Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, 712 Waine'e Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
- Entry: Free, open to the public
- Presenter: Aloha Amplified, Inc.
- In collaboration with: Mālama Maui ʻOhana Foundation
- Programme highlights: Interactive memory exhibit, local entertainment, community foods, storytelling, cultural activities, keiki art, ʻohana bingo, healing experiences, community resource tables (Day 1); candlelit Light March through Lahaina Town with kanikapila music and shared stories (Day 2)
- Lahaina Time Capsule: Buried at Maria Lanakila, to be opened 2043
- Contact: lahaina@alohaamplified.org
- Official website: lightsforlahaina.org
- Donations: givebutter.com/lights-for-lahaina-2025-copy-kgvbcq
- Nearest airport: Kahului Airport (OGG) — approximately 45 to 50 minutes west
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