The Big Island After Dark: 10 Things to Do at Night

1. Snorkel with Manta Rays at Night

One of the most unique things to do on the Big Island is to night snorkel with manta rays. It is one of my most memorable activities on the island and is a MUST-DO, imo.

A boat will take you out to a known feeding ground for manta rays. You’ll get in the dark water with a light-up boogie board that shines a blue light down into the water. 

The light attracts plankton which in turn attracts manta rays who come to eat them. 

As you’re holding on to the board and floating in the water in a Superman pose, these enormous creatures put on a show of somersaults coming within inches of your face. In my case, one even touched me.  

It’s a completely safe activity, even for nonswimmers, and one you’ll never forget. 

Check Options for Manta Ray Night Snorkel Tours

2. Attend a Luau

A quintessential Hawaiian experience is attending a luau. It’s always a festive evening of eating traditional Hawaiian foods, listening to soothing Hawaiian music, and watching exciting Polynesian dancers. 

Some luaus offer hands-on arts and crafts and hula lessons. If you’re really lucky, they’ll have an imu ceremony where they pull the roast pig out of the ground.

Most offer a welcome mai-tai, if not having a completely open bar throughout the evening (that’s what I go for!😜).  

My favorite dishes at a luau are usually the Kalua pork and haupia (gelatinized coconut pudding). I always try the poi (taro root “porridge”) hoping I’ll like, but it hasn’t happened yet lol!

Now, I will be the first to say that these cultural dinners-with-a-show are astronomically expensive. But FOMO (fear of missing out) is real and attending a luau is one of THE things most visitors do in Hawaii. 

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3. Stargaze at Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is considered one of the top stargazing spots in the world, thanks to its dry atmosphere and minimal air disturbance. 

The Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station (VIS) is located at 9,200 feet of the mountain’s total 13,803-foot elevation. 

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: Take the warning of altitude sickness seriously. I am a relatively healthy person and even I got caught off guard by it at the visitor center.

From here you’re at a great elevation for stargazing, looking for constellations and planets. A lot of the time you can see the cloudy cluster of the Milky Way too.

If you rented a 4WD, you can head up to the summit for sunset (after acclimating to the altitude), but you’ll need to return to the VIS afterward for stargazing, as the summit closes 30 minutes after sunset. 

After twilight ends, the VIS staff will give a free, laser-guided presentation of the stars.

Or, if you’re lucky, sign up for their once-a-month telescope experience.

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: Bring a warm jacket and/or blankets, as it can get chilly up here (I mean, it does snow up here from time to time!❄️).

Alternatively, I enjoyed taking a guided stargazing tour away from the crowds in a quiet lava field with nothing but us and the Milky Way.

Check Options for Mauna Kea Stargazing Tours

4. Take a Ghost Tour

Take a guided night walking tour that takes you through Kona’s haunted sites and mysterious landmarks along Ali’i Drive with Big Island Ghost Tours.

Explore places like:

• Hulihe’e Palace
• Mokuaikaua Church
• Ahuena Heiau
• Kamakahonu Beach
• Kona Inn Shopping Village

As you wander through these historic locations, your knowledgeable guide will share spine-tingling stories of ghostly apparitions, mysterious disappearances, and unexplained phenomena. You’ll hear about the legends of Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, and other ancient spirits that still linger on the island today.

You’ll get to see evidence of paranormal activity that your guide has collected through years of research and firsthand experiences. You might even experience unexplained phenomena yourself. 

This is a small-group experience, limited to 10 people.

Book Directly with Big Island Ghost Tours

5. View Lava at Kilauea

When lava is flowing, the best time to see it is when it’s dark so you can see the orange glow best, making it one of the few things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at night.

The park is one of the main attractions on the Big Island. Nowhere else in the US can you get this close to a volcano with frequent active lava. 

There are a few different locations to view the lava:

• Volcano House – the hotel within the park has a direct line of sight where the lava erupts from, with no hiking required and large windows to watch from inside if you want.
• Steam Vents Overlook – easy access with a short walk from the parking lot to the crater’s edge and view the lava
• Old Crater Rim Drive Trail – easy 1-mile hike; a paved path leads to the other side of the crater with unhindered panoramic views of the lava

Again, lava sightings are not guaranteed because volcanic activity can be unpredictable. Check current lava conditions here.

💁‍♀️ Tab’s Trip Tip: Avoid lava viewing crowds by arriving early in the morning, just before sunrise.

6. Lava Tubes

A lava tube is a natural tunnel created when flowing molten lava beneath already hardened lava drains out, leaving behind a hollow passage. So basically, it’s a cave made from lava.

Lava tubes are already naturally dark inside, so it doesn’t matter if you visit during the day or the night. Just bring a headlamp or flashlight! 🔦

Lava tubes to visit at night:

• Thurston Lava Tube – HVNP is open 24/7 which means you can visit during the night. Lights in Thurston Lava Tube are turned off from 8pm-8am.
• Kaumana Caves – easy access from the road with two different directions to explore

7. Live Music

You can keep your evening simple by finding some live music while you sip a fruity cocktail in the warm tropical air. 

Live music can be found at several spots on the Big Island, some of which are:

1. Huggo’s on the Rocks – A beachfront bar and restaurant that offers live music every evening, with a mix of Hawaiian tunes, rock, and reggae.
2. The Blue Dragon Tavern & Cosmic Musiquarium – A vibrant venue offering live music, dancing, and dining in an open-air setting, with a variety of genres from Hawaiian to rock.
3. Volcano House – Overlooking the Kilauea Caldera, this historic hotel often features live Hawaiian music in the evenings, providing a cultural experience along with stunning views.
4. Lava Lava Beach Club – A laid-back beachfront venue with live music daily, perfect for enjoying a sunset with your toes in the sand.
5. Pineapples Restaurant – Hilo’s only open-air restaurant frequently features live music in the evenings, making it a popular spot to enjoy great food and drinks while listening to local musicians.

These locations are just a few of the places where you can find live music.

I would check with your hotel if any entertainment is scheduled at their onsite bars or nearby during your stay or ask some locals for their favorite music spots.

8. Paniolo BBQ

A little-known luau alternative is the Paniolo BBQ Dinner on the Kohala Peninsula. You’ll get a cultural dinner with entertainment, and it offers more bang for your buck than a traditional luau!

We learned about the history of ranching in Hawaii before enjoying an expansive all-you-can-eat prime rib buffet on an open-air deck with sunset views.

There’s engaging activities like playing horseshoes, cornhole, and learning how to lasso.

Live country music plays throughout the evening, and we even learned some line dancing.

Before the night ended, we roasted s’mores, ate them around the campfire, and branded our own souvenir shingle.

On clear nights, you can also stargaze through their giant telescope and search for planets.

9. Uncle Robert’s Night Market

Uncle Robert’s Night Market is a lively weekly event held every Wednesday evening in Kalapana. 

Named after the beloved founder Uncle Robert Keli‘iho‘omalu, the market is an authentic blend of local culture, food, and music.

There is a cover charge to enter the market. 

Inside you’ll find an array of food vendors to choose from (I hear the mahi mahi plate is delicious!). 

Listen to live performances as you sit at communal picnic tables under the covered seating area.

Consider visiting Uncle Robert’s after soaking in the Pohoiki Hot Springs nearby.

10. UFO Tour

If you believe in aliens, you might want to join Dr. Lisa Thompson, a Galactic Ambassador and Channeler, who will introduce you to all-things extraterrestrial on the Big Island.

Meet her at sunset, where she will equip you with military-grade night-vision goggles and with cutting-edge satellite tracking software to help you clearly observe and identify various objects in the sky.

You’ll be on the lookout for unusual sky activity, learning to differentiate between objects that don’t conform to typical aircraft and satellite patterns. Aliens? Maybe.

You’ll also learn why the Hawaiian Islands are considered a UFO hotspot, including the mass sightings on the Big Island in October 2020 and off the coast of Oahu in December 2020, where a craft was seen diving into the ocean.

Lisa will share her personal UFO encounters and invite you to share your own experiences if you have any.

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