The HTA Haleʻiwa Pro Presented by Hurley and its longboard division open their holding period at Haleʻiwa Aliʻi Beach Park on Thursday, November 5. The window closes November 14. Last year the same contest didn't start until November 29. This year the surf event will be finished two weeks before the North Shore Chamber of Commerce lights its Christmas tree.
If you swim, paddle or walk the park every day, the November 5–14 window looks different from last year's late-autumn routine. Here's how the window works and what follows it.
Three Weeks Earlier Than Last Year, and Earlier Than the City's Own Calendar
The World Surf League's 2025 schedule announcement put that year's event, then billed as the HTA HIC Haleʻiwa Pro, in a window beginning November 29. WSL's 2025 event page lists it as November 29 through December 7, and the announcement gave December 6 as the end date.
That late-November slot is also where Honolulu's Department of Parks and Recreation placed the contest. The city's North Shore Triennial Calendar for September 2026 to May 2027 lists "Haleiwa Pro (4)" across the weeks of November 29 through December 12. It lists "Sunset Pro (4)" in the two weeks before that and marks November 1 through 14 as "HOLIDAY."
WSL's October 6 announcement moved both events earlier. The HTA Sunset Pro got October 26 through November 2, and Haleʻiwa got November 5 through 14. The Sunset Pro did start on its new dates, so these aren't just placeholders.
| City triennial calendar, 2026–27 | WSL dates, 2025 | WSL dates, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset Pro | Nov. 15–28 | Nov. 19–26 | Oct. 26–Nov. 2 |
| Haleʻiwa Pro | Nov. 29–Dec. 12 | Nov. 29–Dec. 7 | Nov. 5–14 |
| Pipe Pro | Not listed under this name | Florence Pipe Pro, Dec. 10–20 | Billabong Pipe Pro, Jan. 29–Feb. 8 |
The city has run a triennial calendar for North Shore surf events since fall 2018. It covers four parks: Sunset Beach Park, ʻEhukai Beach Park, Waimea Bay Beach Park and Haleʻiwa Aliʻi Beach Park. The calendar now online is the third in that series, according to the DPR Surf & Shore Water Events page.
Ten Days on the Calendar, Far Fewer in the Water
For a park regular, the most useful thing to understand is that November 5 through 14 is a window. The contest won't run on all ten days. The city's North Shore surf application instructions separate an event's competition days from its waiting period. Their example is a four-day event given a seven-day holding period. The triennial calendar allots the Haleʻiwa Pro four contest days. That allotment was written for the late-November slot.
At Sunset this fall, according to WSL's daily coverage of the HTA Sunset Pro, the window played out like this:
- Running when the surf showed up. Rounds were completed on October 26 and 27. On day two, WSL reported "solid eight-to-ten-foot, occasional plus sets, wave faces" at Sunset Point.
- Calling it off for weather. With a storm reaching the North Shore, organizers called competition off for Wednesday, October 28.
- Standing by. WSL's event page then showed the contest on standby with its next call at 7 a.m. HST on October 30. Surf News Network reported it off for both October 29 and 30.
The Sunset window was posted as ending November 2, though a later WSL preview gave November 3. Either way, there's a short gap before Haleʻiwa opens on the 5th. At Aliʻi, expect the same pattern of morning calls followed by a run day, a lay day or standby. Busy contest days should come in bursts, not as a ten-day stretch. Each event plan the city reviews has to account for traffic and parking, keep room for other park users, and preserve vehicle access for residents and government services.
What's Different at Aliʻi This Year
Because the window is earlier, this year's contest will look different on the beach and online.
A new name on the banners. Hurley joins as presenting partner for 2026. That's why the event is billed as the HTA Haleʻiwa Pro Presented by Hurley, while the 2025 event ran as the HTA HIC Haleʻiwa Pro. The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority remains the title sponsor.
A live broadcast for the first time. WSL says a live broadcast is new for 2026 and will stream on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL App. You can follow heats from home on days you'd rather skip the beach.
Longboards open a season here. Kai Sallas and Sive Jarrard won WSL's first-ever longboard event in Haleʻiwa, and the division returned in 2025. This year's HTA Haleʻiwa Pro Longboard is Stop No. 1 for longboarders trying to qualify for the 2027 WSL Longboard Tour. Their qualifying season starts at Aliʻi.
Defending champions. Finn McGill and Bettylou Sakura Johnson won the 2025 shortboard event. Sive Jarrard and Nelson Ahina III won the 2025 longboard event. WSL notes that McGill won both Sunset and Haleʻiwa in 2025 and expects to return to competition at Pipeline in 2027.
The shortboard contest is a QS 2,000. For the men and women in the draw, it's one step in a points race toward the Challenger Series and the Championship Tour. WSL calls Haleʻiwa a "predominantly right reef break," and that right is what the field will be surfing whenever a call goes on.
After November 14, Haleʻiwa's Calendar Belongs to the Holidays
Under last year's dates, the contest window opened November 29. That was also the first day of the slot the city calendar gives the event this season. This year, the town's holiday events start a full two weeks after the contest window closes:
- Saturday, November 28: The Christmas Tree Lighting Festival on the Great Lawn at North Shore Marketplace.
- Friday, December 11: The 24th Annual Haleʻiwa Christmas Parade on Main Street, which the North Shore Chamber of Commerce lists from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Main Street closes to traffic at 5:30 p.m., and the Chamber suggests allowing extra time for parking. Parade entry costs $50 for businesses and $25 for nonprofits, and it's free for youth groups and schools, with support from McDonald's of Haleʻiwa.
- Saturday, December 12: The Haleiwa Town Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Waialua Community Association, 66-434 Kamehameha Highway.
The parade page lists a 6 to 8 p.m. time in one place, so check the Chamber page the week of the event before you pick a viewing spot.
The next big contest window on WSL's North Shore schedule is the Billabong Pipe Pro, January 29 through February 8. It has been upgraded to a Regional QS 6,000 and runs at Pipeline, so Aliʻi isn't involved. The triennial calendar also books the Haleiwa International Open at Aliʻi in late December and early January. It shows four contest days in the weeks of December 20 through January 9.
That leaves a quiet stretch at Aliʻi from November 15 until the International Open's window opens. During those weeks, the town's events are the tree on the Great Lawn, the parade on Main Street and the market at the community association. The park's busiest November days will happen while the WSL App is still posting morning calls, and by the time the Chamber turns on the lights on November 28, the scaffolding will have been gone for two weeks.
If contest season has you watching Aliʻi's lineup from the shore and thinking about a place near it, NS Luxury Living can help. Jill A Lawrence knows Haleʻiwa's calendar and the walkable, harbor-side homes near the park. Schedule a private consultation and we'll go over what's available near Aliʻi before the town's holiday season starts.
