KAPOLEI, Hawaii — Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Kapolei City Lights is coming back in full this year. The celebration will begin on Dec. 10, according to a news release.

The holiday cheer will kick off with a block party at Ala Kahawai and Ulu‘ōhi‘a streets near Kapolei Hale on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. A Christmas parade will start at 6 p.m.

What You Need To Know

  • Kapolei City Lights starts on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. with a block party near Kapolei Hale

  • A parade will start at 6 p.m.

  • A 45-foot Cook Pine tree will be installed Wednesday and displayed outside of Kapolei Hale

  • Decorations will remain until Jan. 3

The block party will include vendors, live music and the first viewing of decorations around Kapolei Hale that will remain on display until Jan. 3. For 2022, the inspiration for the decorations is the underwater environment. 

A 45-foot Cook Pine tree will stand outside of Kapolei Hale on the mauka side of the building. Harvested on Monday from Kahala; this year’s tree will be installed on Wednesday. 

The City’s arborists chose a tree with full and evenly dispersed branches, which was at least 50 feet tall.

“We need an extra couple of feet to bury part of the tree trunk into the ground as part of it being installed outside of Kapolei Hale. So the extra five feet is underground,” Nathan Serota, the Department of Parks and Recreation spokesperson, told Spectrum News Hawaii in an email. “The height specifications are also so the decorations fit properly.”

After the tree is installed, it will be decorated with lights and ornaments.

The parade will begin on Fort Barrette Road outside of Kapolei High School, turn left onto Kapolei Parkway and end at Kamaaha Street.

First held in 2001, Kapolei City Lights was a smaller event last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first year the parade and block party will be enjoyed since the beginning of the pandemic. 

The return of Kapolei City Lights comes after the City and County of Honolulu announced Honolulu City Lights would be back in full. The festivities for Honolulu City Lights start on Dec. 3. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her ideas and feedback at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.

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