Lahaina Halloween Front Street

Get ready! Halloween on Maui is right around the corner. And there is no better place on Maui to spend Halloween than in Lahaina town on Front Street! With over 30,000 residents and visitors walking up and down the street you can count on a Mardi Gras type atmosphere without any of the "weirdness."

It was rumored for a while that this celebration on Front Street was going to be stopped. But no way. This is one of the best and unique events you can experience on Maui all year long. What happens you ask?

Well first of all...they totally shut down ALL of Front Street to car traffic and the bars and restaurants are booming. You can walk up and down (preferably in a crazy costume) and you will lose yourself! Any maybe scare the pants off your neighbors and tourists!

The event usually kicks off right before sunset with the Keiki/children's parade and costume contest around 3-4 PM. Parking can be a challenge, so if I was you, I would arrive in the *early* afternoon. Even the traffic coming from the other side can be very heavy on this day. So as an alternative, you could always ride the "Pride of Maui" which is a cruise going from Maalaea harbor to Lahaina harbor.

Don't have a costume? Don't worry. You don't have to have one sometimes you can just act weird and that's good enough. One year I just grabbed my snorkel gear and called it good. As always,  this festivity is completely free with no admission fee.  Some of the bars and restaurants may have a charge to go in and listen to their band.

One question I always get is "Is it Safe?" The short answer is "Yes!" Lahaina has really bulked up the police patrol on this event. (Yes they did have a few super rowdy years - the glory days so to speak!)  Last I heard, over 100 police officers are assigned to the area. I now would consider Lahaina to be one of the safest places to be on Halloween. I actually lived directly on Front Street and attended the event from my house and I can tell you that my kids and my wife never felt safer.

The only big footnote here.... later in the evening the costumes can get a little bit more skimpy and maybe a few over excited people running around. But nothing even close to dangerous.

BTW, don't be surprised if you see drunk driving checkpoints going out of town after the event. After all there is only one road in and out!

If you plan to drink,  I would have a designated driver, call a cab, or stay in a hotel or condo within walking distance of Front Street. But that should be a standard policy these days no matter the event...ya!

Enjoy the event this year.

Boo!

Eric West 808.298.2030