A Hawaii Business’s Guide to Marketing for the Holiday & Festive Seasons (2026-2027 Edition)

A Hawaii Business’s Guide to Marketing for the Holiday & Festive Seasons (2025-2026 Edition)

The holiday and festive seasons in Hawaii aren’t just one big wave — they’re a year-round swell of opportunity. From the global spotlight of Merrie Monarch to the local love on Kamehameha Day to the massive winter tourist surge, smart Hawaii businesses treat these periods as their Super Bowl.

Get it right and you’ll see record months. Get it wrong and you’ll be fighting for scraps while your competitors surf the spending tsunami.

This annually updated guide gives retail stores, restaurants, and e-commerce brands in Hawaii the exact playbook we use with JB Brands clients to dominate every major festive period.

Your 2026-2027 Hawaii Marketing Calendar (Lock These Dates In Now)

• Merrie Monarch Festival – April 5-11, 2026 (Hilo) → Official Site

• Lei Day – May 1, 2026

• Kamehameha Day – June 11, 2026

• Independence Day – July 4, 2026

• Statehood Day (Admission Day) – August 21, 2026

• Aloha Festivals – September 2026 (statewide) → AlohaFestivals.com

• Halloween – October 31, 2026

• Black Friday – November 27, 2026

• Small Business Saturday – November 28, 2026

• Cyber Monday – November 30, 2026

• Christmas & New Year – December 2026–January 2027

• Chinese New Year – February 6, 2027 (Year of the Fire Goat)

Bookmark this page — we update it every October.

Proven Strategies That Actually Work in Hawaii (2025 Edition)

1. Merrie Monarch Festival (The Biggest Non-Winter Opportunity)

80,000+ visitors descend on Hilo. Most businesses outside East Hawaii completely ignore this goldmine.

Winning moves we’ve executed for clients:

• “Book Hilo, Shop Local” island-wide campaign driving Oahu/Maui/Kauai shoppers to buy gift certificates for visiting aunties

• Limited-edition Merrie Monarch product drops (we helped one retail client generate $87k in pre-orders)

• Targeted Facebook/Instagram ads to people searching “Merrie Monarch tickets” + “things to do in Hilo”

2. Kamehameha Day – The Most Underrated Local Holiday

Parades. Lei draping ceremonies. Massive local pride.

Top-performing ideas:

• “Buy one lei, gift one to kupuna” promotion (went viral on Instagram Reels)

• Special “Kamehameha Plate” menu items for restaurants (one client saw 43% sales lift)

• Email campaign to local list: “Show Your Kamehameha Spirit – 20% off today only”

3. Winter Holidays + Tourist Season (Your Make-or-Break Quarter)

Visitors spend 40% more than locals during December (Hawaii Tourism Authority data).

2025 strategies that are crushing it right now for our clients:

• “12 Days of Aloha” giveaway campaign (daily prizes = massive email list growth)

• Google Ads targeting “things to do in Hawaii December 2025” + “Hawaii Christmas events”

• TikTok & Instagram Reels showing “How to Celebrate Christmas Hawaii-Style” (one restaurant client hit 1.2M views)

• E-commerce SEO optimization for searches like “Hawaiian Christmas gifts,” “Made in Hawaii ornaments,” “aloha shirt Christmas” (these terms explode every November)

4. Black Friday / Cyber Monday (Yes, It Works in Hawaii)

Local myth: “Hawaii doesn’t do Black Friday.”

Reality: Our retail clients consistently see 300-600% sales spikes with the right strategy.

2025 winning formula:

• Start teasing deals November 1 (don’t wait)

• Create separate local + mainland shipping offers

• Run “Locals Only” early access 24 hours before Black Friday (creates FOMO

• Use Facebook/Instagram “Secret Sale” Stories that expire in 24 hours

The JB Brands System: Turn Seasonal Spikes into Year-Round Growth

Here’s what separates businesses that “do okay” during holidays from those that absolutely print money:

✓ 90-day pre-launch planning (most Hawaii businesses start 2 weeks before

✓ Multi-channel campaigns (Google Ads + Facebook + Instagram + Email + SMS + SEO)

✓ Hyper-local targeting that tourists can’t compete with

✓ Data-driven optimization (we monitor and shift budget daily during peak periods)

Real JB Brands Holiday Campaigns That Actually Worked

You’ve got the dates. You’ve got the ideas.

But let’s be real — most “holiday marketing guides” are just theory from people who have never run a single ad in Hawaii.

We’re different.

Below is an actual campaign we created, launched, and optimized for real Hawaii clients — complete with the exact creative, targeting, copy, and results.

No mockups. No “what we would do.” Just campaigns that already printed money for retail stores, restaurants, and e-commerce brands across the islands.

Steal the concepts, copy the structure, or just book a call and let us build the 2026 version for you.

Ready to Make 2025-2026 Your Best Year Ever?

Stop guessing what might work in Hawaii.

Book a free 30-minute Hawaii Holiday Marketing Strategy Session with JB Brands.

We’ll build you a custom 12-month promotional calendar tailored to your specific business (retail, restaurant, or e-commerce) and show you exactly how to dominate every major Hawaii holiday and festive period.

Because in Hawaii, the businesses that plan their holiday marketing in November are the ones counting money in January.

Let’s make sure that’s you.

JB Brands – Hawaii’s highest-ROI digital marketing agency for local businesses.