On Sunday, Nov. 1, the Instagram account that normally fills up with float sign-ups and holiday countdowns asked for something else. It needed people to carry the contents of the Historic Waimea Theater out to dumpsters. The call went out from @waimea_light_parade, and the Westside Ledger carried it forward. The cleanup ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Volunteers needed no skills, could stay for an hour or the whole day, and got lunch.
The Historic Waimea Theater & Cultural Arts Center ran the cleanup, and it also produces the 26th Annual Waimea Light Parade on Saturday, Dec. 19. The building at 9691 Kaumualiʻi Highway will be dark this winter, so the parade is the theater's entire public season. It will happen on the street outside.
"Our beloved Historic Waimea Theater needs our island's kōkua."
That was the organizers' line in the social media post the Westside Ledger quoted when it reported the cleanup.
What the County Found Inside 9691 Kaumualiʻi Highway
The building belongs to the County of Kauaʻi, and Hurricane Lowell made old problems worse. The Westside Ledger reported on Oct. 19 that an Oct. 1 county inspection found roof, drainage and water damage that must be repaired before the theater can safely reopen. The building had dealt with recurring flooding even before the storm.
County officials gave that paper a plain answer on timing: "There is no reopening date yet." They said the next steps are to set the full scope of repairs, build cost estimates and then set a timeline.
The money is split two ways. The county's Office of Economic Development supports the theater's programming, planning and operations. County facilities and construction staff handle major building work. This year's county budget includes a higher-than-usual allocation for theater maintenance, but officials told the Ledger, "A full restoration will require a larger investment."
A longer decision is moving alongside the repairs. The county is funding a study of the theater's future through the Kauaʻi Economic Development Board. KEDB held community meetings on Aug. 20 and 21, before the storm, to gather input on restoration needs, community uses and future operations. The study covers needed improvements, management options and a sustainable operating model, and its final report is expected by the end of 2026. Officials named restoration and a new lease for future operations as the expected next steps.
The county's stated position, as quoted in the Westside Ledger: "Our priority is to preserve the theater for West Kauaʻi and our entire community."
So the building's future depends on a report due within weeks. The Nov. 1 cleanup cleared the inside so the county's renovation work can begin. Meanwhile, the people who run the theater are planning the one event that never needed a roof.
The Same Group, Out on the Highway on Dec. 19
The official Waimea Light Parade site describes ¾ of a mile of lights, holiday music, food, drinks and local craft vendors. A free holiday concert follows at Hofgaard Park with complimentary refreshments and snacks. The site credits Paddy Boy Malama & ʻOhana with starting the tradition, and the emcees along the route are Hualani Duncan, Kapua Beniamina and Kukui Lang. The parade receives support from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority through its Community Enrichment Program.
Here's how the evening runs, based on the organizer's Eventeny listing and the Go Hawaiʻi event page:
| What | When or where |
|---|---|
| Road closures, both directions | Begin 5:00 p.m. |
| Parade start | 6:15 p.m. |
| Parade wraps | Around 8:15 p.m. |
| Live entertainment at Hofgaard Park | From 8:30 p.m. |
| Listed address | Historic Waimea Theater and Cultural Arts Center, 9691 Kaumualiʻi Hwy |
The listed address is the closed theater, and that fits. The building is the parade's reference point on the route, and the evening ends at Hofgaard Park a short walk away.
Last Year's Route and the Parking Rules
The County's Dec. 2025 traffic advisory laid out the route for the 25th parade on Dec. 20, 2025:
- Start at the Waimea Canyon Middle School parking lot.
- Proceed down Huakai Road.
- Continue along Waimea Canyon Drive to Kaumualiʻi Highway.
- End at the Alawai Road intersection.
Last year, the Kauaʻi Police Department closed all streets along the route from 5 p.m. to about 8:15 p.m. or until the parade ended. Kauaʻi Bus Route 100 ran adjusted evening departures from the Pāʻulaʻula State Historic Site stop that night.
This year's parking guidance on the parade site is specific. Park on side roads only, because on-street parking along Kaumualiʻi Highway is prohibited and reserved for the parade route. If you plan to leave right after the last float, park east of the Waimea Bridge and north of the Waimea Canyon Athletic Field. If you're staying for the Hofgaard Park concert, you won't need that exit plan.
Putting a Float on the Route
Float entries go through the Eventeny application, linked from the parade site. The application window opened Oct. 13, 2026, and closes Dec. 16 at 11:00 a.m. HST, three days before the parade. Under the entry rules, every entry has to carry a Christmas or holiday theme, and every entry has to be lit, tow vehicle included unless it's blacked out. Only one live or real-looking Santa is allowed in the whole parade, and that spot goes to the first approved application that asks for him. Inflatable and artificial Santas are fine on any entry.
The Rest of the West Side Between Now and Dec. 19
The parade stands out partly because so many of Waimea's other gathering places are still closed. In the County's Oct. 29 recovery update, as reported by Kauai Now, the Waimea Neighborhood Center main hall, Waimea Swimming Pool, Salt Pond Beach Park and its pavilions, and Hanapēpē Stadium were all listed as closed. The Waimea Neighborhood Center's side rooms were open. The Kekaha Neighborhood Center was accepting new reservations online through the County parks page.
A few weekly habits are running again before Dec. 19:
- Hale Puna farmers market, Thursdays 3 to 5 p.m. at 9600 Kaumualiʻi Highway in Waimea, appears on the County's list of reopened markets.
- Waimea Canyon Lookout reopened Saturday, Oct. 24, during daylight hours, including holidays, unless there's an emergency park closure. Only parking fees are collected, and entry fees are waived while the rest of the park stays closed.
The canyon reopening covers only that first lookout. The Puʻu Hinahina, Puʻu Ka Pele and Puʻu o Kila lookouts remain closed, along with Kōkeʻe State Park and the rest of Waimea Canyon State Park. The state's park notices page says Kōkeʻe Road remains closed until further notice beyond access to the lookout. All Kauaʻi camping is closed, and every Kauaʻi state park other than the lookout and Hāʻena remains closed, which includes Polihale.
The Kauaʻi Bus 900 and 950 express routes were not operating as of the County's Oct. 29 bulletin.
The parade's whole setup is a closed highway, ¾ of a mile of lights, and a concert at Hofgaard Park. The organization that spent Nov. 1 emptying its own building has that night booked for Dec. 19, and the KEDB report on the theater's future is expected by the end of the year.
If you'd like to talk through what a Waimea winter looks like, from Huakai Road to Hofgaard Park, Cheree Rapozo would be glad to share what she knows of West Kauaʻi. E Komo Mai. Let's find your Hawaiʻi home.
