4th of July in Hanalei Bay

It’s 4th of July in Hanalei Bay, and it’s the place to be.

According to my friend/car lady/Auntie*, Peaches, Hanalei Bay is “the playground of Kauai,” and with the summer in full swing, cars rolling into town, and packed beaches — she’s right.

I’m not patriotic, but there’s something about 4th of July energy that has a grown-up “school’s out for the summer vibe,” and I am here for it.

Everyone is meeting at the Bay for surfing, beach hangs, drinks, BBQs, and to see and be seen. I meet up with some friends from work and find out there’s a DJ playing later.

As the day rolls into the afternoon, we start hearing that low bass bump as the DJ prepares for the hoards of hippies and rich kids waiting to dance the night away.

After scoring some watermelon and a hot dog from a neighboring BBQ, I put my surfboard in the car and hop into my change of clothes for the night’s festivities.

It’s 6 pm, the music is in full swing, and the crowd is starting to gather. They do things early here :)

I wander over to the DJ tent set up on the beach, about 20 feet back from the water. There are string lights stretching out from the canopy, connected to palm trees and lifeguard chairs. There’s a few people dancing, but most people are tailgating in the parking lot, or standing in the trees around the tent waiting for their beers or mushrooms to kick in. Fireworks are shooting off all over the beach, dotted in between the mini bonfires popped up across the shore. It’s the backdrop to a perfect summer night.

I can’t wait to start dancing — do you know how long I’ve been waiting to dance to EDM?! I step into the tent and start dancing with some ladies from work. I make friends with their friends and a girl named Gigi wearing a thong bikini yells over the music, “DO YOU WANT A TEQUILA SHOT?”

“YAS QUEEN!”

The sun goes down, and slowly more and more people wander into the tent. The 4th really has brought together a smattering of all different types of people from the island.

There are the local guys, wearing flat brim Tamba hats and hanging by their Tacomas in the parking lot. There are the local girls in their string bikinis and jean shorts, who will surely lure in the local guys with just a few more glances.

And then there’s everyone else. The girls wearing crochet fringe vests and cowgirl boots. The girls wearing flowy hippie skirts. The guys with crystals around their necks. The hippies who work on farms and sell jewelry or art or drugs or cryptocurrency. The other “locals” AKA children of rich parents who have second homes on the island. The tech bros who came over during COVID. The surf shop and restaurant workers. Old hippies, young hippies, flowing scarves, crystals, bikinis, board shorts, and lots and lots of skin. A guy wearing a shirt that says “in dog beers I’ve only had one.” All ages, dancing together, celebrating life and having a good-ass time.

Suddenly rain pours down, everyone packs into the tent and starts getting D O W N. Everyone is grinding and people have their tongues down each other’s throats as if their life depends on it. It’s like we’ve been locked up for a year or something. Diplo bangs across the speakers as our bodies touch, sway, bump and grind, all together. I’m not sure if the moisture from people’s bodies is saltwater, sweat, rain, or all of the above.

A very tan man wearing a cowboy hat, aloha shirt and puka shell necklace yells “HAPPY 4TH OF JULY” in some sort of foreign accent.

I dance with a hot blonde guy who I can only assume is a professional surfer because he “just got back from shooting a campaign on his board.” He tells me I have great energy, I tell him he does too and we dance all night.

As for me, I’m barefoot wearing a purple tube top and denim cut-off shorts, with a June Shine kombucha in my hand and a scrunchie around my wrist that’s perpetually in the air.

This. This is what I’ve been waiting for. I love dancing and DJs and people and hippies and ocean and fun. The island doesn’t have a big nightlife scene, so this feels like a big release, especially after last year.

I wander to the water, taking a breath. I’m out of dancing shape, man! Jacob*, the hot surfer I’ve been dancing with, asks if I want to walk on the beach with him. I say sure and we find an abandoned bonfire to relax in front of. Talking leads to kissing and soon the rain is pouring down once again. Jacob takes out his umbrella to shield us from the rain and says “do you want to come to my house? We’re basically in front of it.”

Smooth moves, Jacob. You live in Hanalei? Do I want to see your house? Abso-fucking-lutely.

___

Aaaaaaand that, my friends, was my 4th of July. When I have more followers I’ll share more juicy details!

Love ya,

Laur

* “Auntie” is a term for local women over a certain age on the island. “Uncle” is also used, but I hear Auntie more frequently.

** “Jacob” is not his real name.

*** This story has been edited.