What to know about a February vacation to Hawaii

When should you plan to visit Hawaii? Is February a good month for a Hawaii vacation? We’ll explore all the important factors — weather, crowds, hotel prices, and special events — to help you decide if February suits your needs and desires for a Hawaii vacation.

Before we get into the details, here’s a spoiler alert — anytime is a great time to visit Hawaii. February is no exception. We’ve always enjoyed our February trips to the Hawaiian Islands.

What’s the weather like in Hawaii in February?

Hawaii’s proximity to the equator keeps the weather warm year-round. Even in February, the weather is pleasantly warm at the beaches with average daytime high temperatures ranging from about 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Nighttime low temperatures near the beaches range from around 63 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit on average.(Use this link to convert temperatures to Celsius.)

The days are warm enough for all sorts of adventures and leisure beach activities, like sunbathing and swimming. Speaking of swimming, Hawaii’s ocean temperatures don’t fluctuate dramatically from season to season. You can swim in the ocean in Hawaii in February even though it is one of the cooler months. See our Hawaii ocean temperature article for more details.

Though most of Hawaii’s annual rainfall comes in winter months, February is relatively dry-ish compared to the other winter months. That could partly be attributed to the fewer number of days in the month. In comparison to the dryer summer months, February is definitely wetter in comparison to the dry summer months as you can see from the following rainfall chart.

Anecdotally, we should add that we visited Kauai, the Hawaiian island with the most rainfall, in February. Rain didn’t really hamper our daytime sightseeing and activities. What rain did fall, mostly occurred overnight. Early mornings were a bit overcast, but by about 10am, the weather was mostly sunny. By the way, the photo we’ve used at the top of this article was taken during a February visit to Kauai.

If you are concerned about rain during a vacation to Hawaii in February, you can decrease the likelihood of rain by staying in one of the areas that tend to get the least rainfall throughout the year.

Additionally, we recommend that you wear quick-drying clothing and bring a light, breathable rain jacket for your daytime adventures. Of course an umbrella is also helpful to keep you dry during a passing rain shower.

Is February a crowded time to visit Hawaii?

Per our analysis of HTA visitor arrival data, the number of visitors coming to Hawaii in February is below average as a whole. The only exception is that Valentine’s Day can be a popular time to visit Hawaii. We’ve been in Hawaii for Valentine’s Day a number of times and we only really felt it being crowded during a Waikiki stay.

Is February a cheap or expensive time for a Hawaii vacation?

From our ongoing analysis of Hawaii hotel rates and trends, February hotel rates hover just slightly above average. During the week around Valentine’s Day to Presidents Day, rates tend to be the highest for the month of February. The following chart shows how Hawaii hotel rates vary from month to month.

Airfare is more unpredictable. That being said, we typically see good airfare for February being advertised as early as October and as late as early January. See our suggestions for finding the cheapest flights to Hawaii.

Are there any special events, festivals or reasons to go to Hawaii in February?

The peak of the humpback whale season is in February. It’s a very, very exciting time to be in the Hawaiian islands.

Top festivals and events in Hawaii in February are as follows:

Hawaii, the Big Island

• Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival in early February
• Panaewa Stampede Rodeo

Kauai

• Waimea Town Celebration in mid-February

Maui

• Maui Whale Festival with various events throughout February

Oahu

• February is part of the big wave season on Oahu’s North Shore. Various surfing competitions are held in the month of February.

Several other festivals and events are held throughout the island in February. For a more comprehensive list, check out the events search feature on GoHawaii.com. Also check our events posts that we typically issue prior to February.

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How does February compare to other months for a Hawaii vacation? See our article on choosing the best time to go to Hawaii.

Have you been to Hawaii in February? Where did you go? How was your experience?