Kona Village programs multigenerational holidays with chef pop-ups and beach gatherings
Rosewood's Hawaii resort runs festive programming from Thanksgiving through New Year's with visiting chefs, sound baths and activities for families.
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort is programming the holiday season across three months, from Thanksgiving in late November through New Year’s Day, with a calendar of gatherings designed around multigenerational stay-overs on Hawaiʻi Island’s Kona coast.
The 150-unit property, according to its announcement, will host keiki—the Hawaiian word for children—crafts, Santa’s arrival on Kahuwai Bay, moonlit sound baths, glow-in-the-dark pickleball, island cultural traditions, artisan pop-ups and holiday feasts. Tracy Stoltz, the resort’s managing director, said the season aims to capture “joy in its simplest form: a child’s face when Santa comes ashore, a family laughing together under the stars.”
Thanksgiving and December arrivals
Thanksgiving week opens with children painting pumpkins and racing in a Turkey Trot at the Keiki Club, while adults compete in a holiday pickleball tournament. On November 21st and 22nd, Bar BenFiddich, a Tokyo bar named to the World’s 50 Best Bars and led by Hiroyasu Kayama, will set up at the resort to pour farm-driven cocktails. The same dates bring a trunk show from Jewels by Piper at Island Copra Boutique, and November 27th hosts pop-ups from Vicki Jean Leather Works and The Palm Club, where guests can monogram leather bags and craft puka shell jewelry.
December programming opens December 11th through 13th with chef Dustin Valette, who holds Michelin recognition and is described as a friend of the resort. Valette will oversee one-night-only dinners at two resort restaurants and lead an excursion to Hawaiian Vanilla Co., which the source identifies as the country’s first commercial vanilla farm.
Tree lighting and Christmas on the beach
The resort’s annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place December 13th, featuring an island-inflected tree of natural wooden poles, handwoven wreaths and a rustic wooden star. December 23rd brings a Supermoon Sound Bath, while December 27th offers Moonlight Match—pickleball under the night sky. Family Pajama Yoga follows on December 29th.
On Christmas Eve, Santa’s Workshop keeps children occupied with craft activities. That evening, Kahuwai Cookhouse hosts a holiday edition of Pūlehu Night, a Hawaiian tradition of wood-fired cooking and gathering. Christmas morning at 9 a.m. brings Welcome Santa on the Beach, with the family gathering that evening at Moana restaurant for a Christmas dinner drawing on Hawaiian flavors, including Taro and Crab Cakes, Pumpkin and Sage Risotto, and chocolate peppermint mousse.
New Year’s close and cultural continuity
New Year’s Eve programming centers on Kīpuka Nanea, where an expansive feast pairs caviar, truffles and seafood towers with champagne, traditional Hawaiian entertainment and live music, followed by dancing and fireworks on Hoʻea Lawn. January 1st opens with an Intention Setting Sound Bath at Hale Hoʻokipa, pairing sound with guided reflection.
Beyond the holiday calendar, Kona Village offers daily sunrise canoe paddles, petroglyph tours and workshops at Kaʻuluola Cultural Center in lei making and other traditional crafts. The resort’s Asaya Spa, Rosewood’s integrative wellness concept, provides additional healing treatments and breathwork sessions throughout the season. Larger families can book the ‘Ohana Pool Four-Bedroom Kauhale or either of two oceanfront four-bedroom Kauhale suites.
Holiday programming runs through January 2nd, 2027.
This article was compiled by the CityLifeBytes editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.
