Hawaii Fireworks Firecrackers

Fireworks are a big part of Hawaii and have been for a long time. You’ll hear and see them during America’s Independence Day on July 4th each year. They’re also incredibly popular around New Year’s Eve each year and they’re also a huge part of Chinese New Year in Hawaii. You’ll probably even hear them popping off around Thanksgiving and Christmas times each year. The people of Hawaii flat out love fireworks!

Are Fireworks Legal In Hawaii?

As it turns out, fireworks are legal in Hawaii. At certain times of the year you can walk into grocery stores and buy them. I’m not talking about the drug store smoking fireworks (smoke bombs, snakes, punks) or those cheesy pull-the-string things either.

Of course, there’s more to it than “yes, they’re legal” in Hawaii. In fact, there’s a lot more to it. First off, they’re only legal at certain times of the year. For example, on Oahu you can set off firecrackers between 9:00 PM on New Year’s Eve and 1:00 AM on New Year’s Day. But there’s more to that as well. You need a permit to purchase the fireworks and that permit will cost you $25 and you must be at least 18 years old to purchase or use firecrackers.

You’d think that a $25 permit would stop people from buying firecrackers but it doesn’t. People buy their permits and line up at various stores around the island as if the next iThing or Star Wars movie was coming out. All of that just for firecrackers no less! The good stuff (fountains, fireworks that shoot in the air, and even sparklers) is all illegal on Oahu for the average consumer.

Of course, illegal or not, you’ll still see it all going off. It always amazes me to see the amount of illegal fireworks going off in all of the surrounding neighborhoods here.

Note that these fireworks laws are likely to change over time so always check on updated laws so you know what is and isn’t allowed on each island.

Leave It To The Professionals

I love fireworks and when I was younger I loved lighting them and watching things go BOOOOOM. It’s fun to watch them shoot up in the air or maybe watch that old Lego figure blow apart. Or lighting a paper tank and watching it scoot along 6 inches along the ground while shooting sparks out. Sure, it only last 10 seconds and cost me $10 but it seemed like fun at the time. I was probably lucky to keep all my digits intact so these days I leave it to the pros.

Besides, professional fireworks are way better, way safer, and don’t require any work or money on my part. Better yet, professional fireworks don’t require any cleanup! So rather than dealing with permits, spending money on fireworks, and hopefully not losing a finger in the process, enjoy some real fireworks from the pros when you’re in Hawaii.

Professional fireworks are pretty common all over the islands during various holiday celebrations and the displays are often very impressive. Check our Events Calendar where we post show times and locations for many of the more common fireworks shows. If you ignore my advice and plan to partake in the fun that is fireworks then be safe.

And remember, light fuse and get away!

Hawaii Fireworks & Firecrackers

Are Fireworks Legal In Hawaii?

Leave It To The Professionals