Haleʻiwa's Winter Season Opens at Aliʻi Beach Park This Year

The HTA Sunset Pro opened the WSL's North Shore winter at Sunset Point, with a window from October 26 through November 2. Next up is the first big contest inside Haleʻiwa itself. The HTA Haleʻiwa Pro Presented by Hurley opens its window at Haleʻiwa Aliʻi Beach Park on Thursday, November 5, and runs through November 14.

The order matters more this year than usual. The World Surf League's regional schedule puts Haleʻiwa second in line and saves its regional Pipeline contest for the end of the season, starting January 29. Town events like the tree lighting, the Eddie's opening ceremony and the Christmas parade fill the weeks in between. So the busiest stretch on Haleʻiwa's own streets runs from early November to mid-December.

How the WSL Lined Up the North Shore This Winter

The WSL announced the schedule on October 6, 2026. It calls the North Shore leg a "three-event stint" for its Hawaiʻi/Tahiti Nui Qualifying Series and its Regional Longboard Qualifying Series. Robin Erb, the league's VP of Tours & Events, put it this way in the WSL's announcement: "It's incredible to see all three of the North Shore's most iconic venues back for our QS and LQS athletes this winter."

Here is the full winter in date order, with the Eddie and Pipe Masters added:

The regional contest at Pipeline carries the season's biggest QS rating, 6,000, and it comes last. The league calls it the event that will "determine the final rankings of the 2026/2027 QS season." That puts the qualifying finale after the holidays. In November the competitive focus sits at Aliʻi Beach Park.

What Is New at the Haleʻiwa Pro

The HTA Haleʻiwa Pro event page lists a ten-day window. Two changes make this year's contest bigger than usual.

The first is the longboard division. Longboarders join the QS field at Haleʻiwa, and for them it is Stop No. 1 of a season that decides who qualifies for the 2027 WSL Longboard Tour. So two fields share one window at one park.

The second is the broadcast. The WSL says a live broadcast is new for 2026. It will stream on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL App. On a heat day, you can check the stream before deciding whether to walk down to the harbor end of town or skip it.

Hurley also joins this year as presenting partner. Finn McGill won both Sunset and Haleʻiwa in 2025, and the league has him aiming to return at Pipeline in 2027.

One scheduling quirk: the North Shore Chamber of Commerce's surf contest calendar still shows a "Haleiwa Pro" from November 29 to December 7 at Haleiwa Beach Park. It also shows a Sunset Pro from November 16 to 25. The WSL's own pages give the earlier dates, and those are the dates the league is running.

The Shuttle Is Still Bringing Day Visitors Through December

Not all of the extra foot traffic this season comes from surfing. The North Shore Huakai shuttle started June 29 as a 90-day pilot. It was built to help Haleʻiwa and Waialua businesses recover after the March Kona Low storms. It was supposed to wind down in late September. Instead, Hawaii News Now reported on September 30 that daily round trips from Waikiki to Haleʻiwa and Waialua will continue through December. Service from Ko Olina was set to continue only through the end of October "for now."

The same report gave these figures for the pilot's first three months:

• More than 4,400 riders since June 29
• Every business that answered the organizers' voluntary survey wanted the program to continue
• 82% of those businesses said it had a positive impact
• Riders who answered a separate survey reported spending an average of $219 per party
• The round-trip fare rises from $5 to $10 to help cover operating costs

"North Shore businesses told us they want the Huakai to continue, and we're listening."

Hawaiian Council CEO Kuhio Lewis gave that quote to Hawaii News Now. Riders get time at the Waialua Sugar Mill area and in Haleʻiwa, plus a North Shore Passport listing participating businesses. When the program launched, riders needed proof of a purchase to board the return shuttle. Through December, then, a steady stream of day visitors will arrive with a passport and a reason to shop in town, on top of whoever drives up for the contests. Schedules are at NorthShoreHuakai.com.

The Town Calendar That Fills the Gap

Once the Haleʻiwa Pro wraps on November 14, the surf schedule goes quiet until early December. The town's own events fill that stretch. Here they are in order, all within a short drive of Haleʻiwa's main street:

1. Saturday, Nov 7, 8 a.m. to noon. Arbor Day & Plant Sale at Waimea Valley's Landmark Lot, with a free tree giveaway.
2. Wednesday, Nov 11, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Makahiki Festival at Waimea Valley, with Te Moana Nui games, hula and cultural activities. The same day, active and retired military get free admission from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Veterans Day.
3. Saturday, Nov 14, 2 to 4 p.m. Holoholo to Haleʻiwa at the Kamehamalu Courtyard in Haleʻiwa Store Lots, with Wahiawa Hula Studio and keiki hula. That is also the last day of the Haleʻiwa Pro window.
4. Sunday, Nov 15. King Kalākaua Birthday, with free kamaʻāina admission at Waimea Valley from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
5. Saturday, Nov 28. Lā Kūʻokoʻa, Hawaiian Independence Day, with free kamaʻāina admission at Waimea Valley. The Christmas Tree Lighting Festival happens the same day on the North Shore Market Place Great Lawn. No time has been posted for the lighting yet.

Every Thursday, the FarmLovers Haleʻiwa Farmers Market runs at the Historic Haleʻiwa Gym property, 66-434 Kamehameha Highway. The organizer lists hours of 3 to 7 p.m. That is an hour later than the 2 to 6 p.m. reported when the market left Waimea Valley in 2025, so check the organizer's page before a Thanksgiving-week trip. Waimea Valley itself closes on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. It closes at 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Nine Days in December When Everything Overlaps

The heaviest run starts the week after Thanksgiving. Surf events and town events land within days of each other:

• Thursday, Dec 3: The Eddie's opening ceremony at Waimea Bay, according to Rip Curl's event page. The contest window opens December 6 and stays open until March 4, 2027.
• Tuesday, Dec 8: The Lexus Pipe Masters window opens at Pipeline and runs through December 20.
• Friday, Dec 11: The 24th Annual Haleʻiwa Christmas Parade runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Haleʻiwa's main street closes to traffic at 5:30 p.m. The route follows Kamehameha Highway from Weed Circle to Haleiwa War Memorial. Waimea Valley offers 50% off kamaʻāina admission that day for Prince Lot Kapuāiwa Birthday.

On paper, the Eddie window and the Pipe Masters window both overlap parade night. Neither event runs every day of its window, and big-wave days happen only when the surf allows. If you are trying to get through town that Friday, the 5:30 p.m. closure is the fixed time to plan around. The North Shore Chamber of Commerce asks attendees to allow extra time for parking.

The parade is a local production. With support from McDonald's of Haleʻiwa, the Chamber has kept entry fees at $50 for businesses and $25 for nonprofit organizations. Youth groups and schools enter free, and the lineup is partly set by registration date. One week later, on Saturday, December 19, two events close out the town calendar before Christmas. Haleʻiwa Store Lots hosts its second Holoholo to Haleʻiwa in the Kamehamalu Courtyard from 2 to 4 p.m. Waimea Valley offers half-price kamaʻāina admission for Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop Birthday. Haleʻiwa Store Lots notes that its calendar is subject to change.

At Hokua Hawaii Realty, we follow Haleʻiwa's winter calendar as closely as its sales, because a contest window or a parade night shapes the town as much as any listing does. If this season has you wondering what your North Shore home is worth, ask us for a free home valuation. We'll base it on how your part of Haleʻiwa actually lives from November through February.