Hawaii

Oahu is deep into its 80th annual Aloha Festivals, with the free Waikiki Ho’olaule’a block party taking over Kalakaua Avenue on September 19th and the Floral Parade following through Waikiki on the 26th. Kauai's celebrations are more subdued this week — the island is still recovering from Hurricane Lowell, which knocked out power to thousands of residents, and officials are asking visitors to hold off on North Shore and Princeville trips until repairs catch up. On the Big Island, Kilauea remains at an elevated Watch alert level, while Waimea works through its own Paniolo Festival Week, culminating in the 74th annual parade on September 19th. Maui is still rebuilding, too: Lahaina's Front Street is more than three years into reconstruction after the wildfire, though there's real progress to point to. History buffs have a fresher reason to visit Pearl Harbor, where the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum just finished renovating its galleries, and coffee lovers can start planning now — the 55th Kona Coffee Cultural Festival runs November 6th through 15th. Waikiki, Diamond Head, the Road to Hana, Kilauea, and the Na Pali Coast — this week's Social Travel News recap covers all of it from real traveler footage.