Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
January
The PGA golf tour kicks off each year with the
Hyundai Tournament of Champions
(
www.kapalua.com/golf/hyundai-tournament-champions
) held during the first week of
January at the Kapalua Plantation Course.
February
Chinese New Year
(
www.visitlahaina.com
)
celebrations are held in the evening along
Front Street in Lahaina and include a lion's dance, martial arts demonstrations, live music,
food, and, of course, firecrackers.
For artists, the
Maui Open Studios
(
www.mauiopenstudios.com
) take place during
each weekend in February, showcasing the talent of the island's local art community.
The
Maui Whale Festival
(
www.mauiwhalefest.org
)
is sponsored by the Pacific
Whale Foundation and features live music, festivals, fun runs, and community activities
through the month of February. The annual
World Whale Day
takes place at Kihei's
Kalama Park and is the largest event of the festival.
Seeing as February is the peak of whale season, it only makes sense that another event,
Whales Tales
(
www.whaletrust.org
)
, is held during the busy month. The event at the Maui
Theatre supports local whale research teams such as the Whale Trust, Center for Whale
Studies, and Hawai'i Whale Research Foundation.
THAR SHE BLOWS! WHALE SEASON
December-May the waters of Maui County house the largest population of hump-
back whales found anywhere in the world. If whale-watching is high on your list of
iconic Maui experiences, it's important to time your visit during the peak of whale
season and not show up in the summer.
Officially, whale season in Maui runs December 15-May 15, although the first
sighting is usually mid-October and whales can linger through the end of May. For
whale-watching, however, the peak season is the 10-week span of January 15-March
31. During the month of April, there are noticeably fewer whales by the day. Whale-
watching tours will usually operate December 15-April 20, after which time there
is no guarantee of seeing whales. (Boats will often advertise “whale searches” as
opposed to a “whale watches” during the extreme beginning and end of the season,
