Waikiki Friday Fireworks Dinner Cruise 2026: Times & Options

Booking choice: The buffet and show cruise, from $139 per person. Check dates Tour details

Waikiki's Friday fireworks are one of the most asked-about extras on Oahu's evening cruises. Seeing them from the water means a dinner cruise that stays out after sunset, or a catamaran that sails at the right time.

The quick answer

On Fridays all three Star of Honolulu tiers sail 5:30 to about 8:20 PM instead of 7:30 PM, with an opportunity to see the Waikiki fireworks. The Friday Fireworks catamaran ($170) is a two-hour cruise with drinks and a light bento. Fireworks are never guaranteed: weather and sea conditions decide.

Fireworks over the Waikiki skyline at night — Fireworks over Waikiki on a Friday night.

Which dinner cruises see the Friday fireworks?

Every Star of Honolulu tier on a Friday, and Hawaii Nautical's Friday Fireworks catamaran cruise.

Cruise	Friday timing	Food	From
Pacific Star buffet	5:30 to about 8:20 PM	Buffet, one Mai Tai	$139
Three Star lobster	5:30 to about 8:20 PM	Five courses, toast, two drinks	$193
Nova Five Star	5:30 to about 8:20 PM	Five courses, jazz, top deck	$236
Friday Fireworks catamaran	About 2 hours	Light bento, two drinks	$170

Want dinner, the show and the fireworks? Pick a Friday on the buffet cruise.

Check dates for the buffet and show cruise

Are the fireworks guaranteed?

No. The operator calls Friday an opportunity to see the fireworks, and weather or sea conditions can change the plan.

The fireworks are Hilton Hawaiian Village's free Friday show, as KITV reports. The start time can change, so confirm it with the resort and be on deck early.

One guest on the Nova cruise in April 2026 wrote that wind and waves kept the ship from leaving the marina, so there were no fireworks that night. Cloud can hide the sunset too. Book a Friday early in your trip, so you have another chance.

A firework bursting over a harbor with city lights reflected in the water — The fireworks are short; the deck is the place to be.

Does a Friday cruise cost more?

Booked direct, yes: the operator's $20 promo code on the buffet cruise excludes Fridays. On Viator the Friday sailing is a separate option on the Star listings, priced for your date.

The operator's site lists one buffet price, $128.88 per adult, beside both the nightly and the Friday schedule. The code (PSD20, valid to December 31, 2026) takes $20 off per adult on the other six nights, so two adults booking direct pay $40 more on a Friday.

Where is the best spot to watch?

Out on deck: the operator points guests to the walk-around decks on each floor and the observation deck for both the sunset and the fireworks.

Finish your dessert before the fireworks start, and take a layer: it is cooler on the open deck after dark.

Guests on an upper deck at dusk looking toward Diamond Head — Walk-around decks on every floor give everyone a view.

Star of Honolulu or the fireworks catamaran?

Choose the Star for a full dinner, the show and a stable ship; choose the catamaran for a smaller boat closer to the water.

The catamaran carries up to 80 guests, serves a light bento and two drinks, and its fans love the crew and the view. Its critics are clear that it is not a full dinner cruise, and that the food is light. It rates 4.2 from 66 reviews, against 4.6 from 1,096 for the Star buffet cruise.

Prefer a catamaran? This Friday cruise is timed for the fireworks, with drinks and a light bento.

★ 4.2 · 2 hours · from $170

Explore the Friday fireworks catamaran Tour details

What should you know before a Friday cruise?

Arrive early, bring a layer, and plan the ride home: the Star returns about 8:20 PM, later than on other nights.

Check-in still opens at 4:45 PM.
If you booked the operator's Waikiki coach, it brings you back after the cruise.
Small children will be up late.
The Waikiki Beach sunset sail is for adults 21 and over on Fridays.