Three years after wildfire tore through West Maui, Lahaina is preparing for its second annual Lights for Lahaina gathering, expanding from a single evening in 2025 into two full nights of remembrance this September 11 and 12. The free community event will center on Maria Lanakila Catholic Church and nearby Puʻunoa Beach, weaving live music, storytelling and quiet reflection into a program organizers say is meant to help survivors heal together rather than alone.
The 2026 event builds directly on the inaugural gathering held in September 2025, according to Maui Now, which first reported the expanded schedule. That first-year event, a single-day gathering co-presented by Aloha Amplified Inc. and the Mālama Maui ʻOhana Foundation, introduced lantern decorating, community storytelling and the Lahaina Time Capsule project, elements that now anchor the larger two-day format.
Admission to both nights remains free, and the event is presented by Aloha Amplified Inc., a Hawaiʻi-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to strengthen Hawaiʻi's communities by amplifying voices, empowering cultural values and advancing initiatives that foster connection, economic vitality and long-term resilience, per the same account. Kumu Wilmont Kamaunu Kahaialiʻi, a Lahaina wildfire survivor, cultural practitioner and board president of Aloha Amplified Inc., said the gathering exists because healing does not happen alone.
Two Nights, Two Distinct Gatherings
The first night, called Our Lahaina Story, runs from 4:30 to 9 p.m. on September 11 at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, 712 Waineʻe St. in Lahaina. It will feature local food trucks and vendors, cultural practitioners and activities, community nonprofits, schools and groups, creative activities, ʻohana bingo, and contributions to the Lahaina Time Capsule, plus live entertainment from the Kahaialiʻi Brothers, Kevin Brown, Eric Gilliom & Friends, the Wilson Kanakaʻole Trio, Marty Dread and Hammah House Band.
The second night shifts to the water's edge. On September 12, a Light March begins at Puʻunoa Beach, the calm, reef-protected shoreline locally known as Baby Beach on the north end of Lahaina, near the oceanfront resort villas of Puʻunoa Beach Estates that reopened in March, according to a PR Newswire release. The march runs from 6 to 9:30 p.m., continuing through historic Lahaina town to Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, and includes storytelling, quiet reflection and gentle mele honoring Lahaina's people, places and moʻolelo. It concludes with a kanikapila gathering at the church featuring music by the Lahaina Style Band and local food.
A Church That Survived, and a Message From Its Board President
Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, established in 1846 with its current stone sanctuary completed in 1873, miraculously survived the August 8, 2023 wildfires virtually untouched while surrounding Lahaina structures burned, according to the Diocese of Scranton. The church, whose name means Our Lady of Victory, reopened for services later that year and has since become a central symbol of the community's resilience, which helps explain why both nights of the 2026 gathering are anchored there.
“Many ʻohana are still healing and finding their own path forward,” Kahaialiʻi said. He added that Lights for Lahaina provides a place to gather, remember loved ones, share stories and draw strength from one another. Organizers describe the event's purpose simply as bringing the community together to honor Lahaina's history, resilience and hope for the future.
A Time Capsule Sealed Until 2043
Among the activities woven into Our Lahaina Story is the ongoing Lahaina Time Capsule initiative, which has accepted public submissions of digitized letters, artwork, photos and audio recordings and is set to be opened in 10 years, according to organizers. The capsule, reported separately by Maui News, is meant to be sealed and buried on the church grounds, timed to mark the 20th anniversary of the fire in 2043. The 2026 gathering carries sponsorship and volunteer opportunities as well as openings for food trucks and vendors, with backing that includes the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the County of Maui Office of Economic Development, the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, Sacred Hearts School, the Rotary District 5000 Foundation Maui Fires Relief Fund and Pacific Media Group.
The Recovery Backdrop: Progress and Persistent Hurdles
The gathering unfolds against a backdrop of both real financial progress and unresolved legal friction three years after the disaster that FEMA has called the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century, with 2,207 structures destroyed and an estimated $5.5 billion in damages. Hawaii's $175 million One ʻOhana Fund has now delivered more than $155.7 million across 162 eligible claims, resolving all 102 death claims and 60 serious injury claims tied to the fires, as previously reported by Hoodline. Separately, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation's Maui Strong Fund has raised more than $212 million from 240,000 donors across 78 countries since the fires, committing over $182 million toward local housing, mental health care and community resilience programs.
Yet a proposed $4.037 billion global civil settlement for wildfire victims remained stalled in the Hawaii Supreme Court as of early 2026, held up by insurance company appeals over subrogation rights, according to The Garden Island. Insurers have paid roughly $2.3 billion in claims and are seeking reimbursement before the settlement fund can distribute awards to an estimated 24,000 claimants. Meanwhile, Front Street's commercial rebuilding continues alongside the cultural gatherings, with local leaders and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement preparing to open ʻUlu o Lele, an $8 million interim marketplace at the former Outlets of Maui site, next month.
Event details, sponsorship information and volunteer sign-ups for Lights for Lahaina are available through lightsforlahaina.org, organizers said.
