More than 50 costumed contestants are expected to pack the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa on Halloween night as the hotel's long-running 21-and-over costume contest returns with cash prizes on the line. The event, themed “Gotta Spook ’Em All,” runs alongside a family-friendly trick-or-treating session earlier in the day, giving the Waikīkī property two very different Halloween crowds under one roof.
Per KHON2, organizers describe Halloween at the Hyatt as the largest indoor and outdoor Halloween costume party on Halloween night for more than a decade. The contest itself will award $2,000 in prizes to contestants, according to the same report, with past entries including a do-it-yourself X-wing fighter and a fiery sun god costume. Event organizers Zachary Mau of Racesauce Events and Tatianna Kamm of Kamm Group are slated to appear in costume themselves — Mau in a yellow electric mouse getup and Kamm as a purple shadow character, a nod to the Pokémon-inspired theme running through the night.
Family Fun Comes Before the Late-Night Party
Before the 21-and-over crowd takes over, the Hyatt is hosting trick-or-treating throughout its Pualeilani Atrium from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on both Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, according to KHON2's reporting. That keiki-friendly window wraps up well ahead of the adult festivities, with tickets for Halloween at the Hyatt available at the door beginning at 8 p.m. on Halloween night.
Other sources describe the broader scope of the evening event. According to nateeatshawaii.com, the party runs from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, with costume-contest registration open from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. and the contest itself starting shortly after. The site also lists general admission at the door at $35, payable by cash or card.
Indoor and Outdoor Scenes, Plus VIP Service
The celebration spans both indoor and outdoor spaces at the resort, according to hyatthalloween.com, which also notes that VIP table-service reservations include admission, dedicated entry, bottles and access to a dedicated VIP seating area. KHON2 separately describes the gathering as Honolulu's largest indoor/outdoor 21-plus Halloween party, citing multi-room DJ stages, VIP bottle service and dynamic light installations, and places the venue at 2411 Koa Avenue in Waikīkī.
The prize figure attached to the costume contest varies slightly depending on the source. KHON2's reporting on the Hyatt event states the contest awards $2,000 in prizes, while hyatthalloween.com advertises over $2,000 in costume contest and prizes, and nateeatshawaii.com lists the prize line as up to $2,000. KITV confirms the event is open to anyone 21 and older and notes that the festivities continue afterward at The District Nightclub.
Not the Only Costume Contest in Town
Hyatt's bash is just one entry in a crowded field of island costume competitions this Halloween. The District Nightclub is separately hosting its own contest with $3,000 in prizes, per KHON2's roundup of cash-prize events, while Hula's Bar & Lei Stand's 21-and-over contest is described in one KHON2 report as offering more than $1,500 in cash and prizes and in another as offering more than $2,000 — a discrepancy KHON2's own coverage does not resolve.
Family and keiki-focused contests are happening across the islands too. Lahaina Cannery and Kukui Grove Center in Līhuʻe are both hosting free costume contests with categories spanning toddlers through adults, according to KHON2's costume contest guide, while Wet'n'Wild Hawaiʻi planned a contest for children ages 3 to 12 with prizes including a birthday party and park passes. The Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi planned a canine costume contest offering gift certificates for dogs along with a $100 resort gift certificate for their owners.
In Waikīkī specifically, the Royal Hawaiian Center already held its own Halloween Keiki Costume Contest on Oct. 25, inviting keiki from infancy through age 10 along with their parents, according to royalhawaiiancenter.com. That contest judged entrants across four categories with first, second and third place prizes plus a grand overall prize, giving Waikīkī families an earlier shot at Halloween glory before the Hyatt's adult crowd takes the stage on Halloween night itself.
