Lahaina isn't just a pretty resort town on Maui with beaches and tropical drinks. Once a year the historic whaling town cuts loose and spills out on the streets for a night of merry making.

Halloween in Lahaina has become a really KILLER event on Maui. Thousands of crazy people make it their destination for a fun filled day or night on October 31st every year. Who knows when this wicked tradition began? Did it have dark roots in the whaling days when drunk and boisterous sailors swaggered about in the dirty streets? Or was it the scantily clad, drug loving hippies back in the liberal sixties? Whatever it was that started this annual party, it's too late to stop it now! With a momentum like this, you just have to stand back and enjoy, be a part of it, or stay the HELL away. If you're driving over, get an early start to avoid traffic snarls.

Early in the day the festivities begin, with preparations for the many costume contests and parades. Under the od banyan tree in the middleof town, kids get to have their own costume event, with prizes and candy and supervised fun. Parents can bring their kids out for a safe time with other like minded mischief makers. But take your children home well before midnight if you know what's good for them. There are goblins and creeps in the streets and alleys, if you know what I mean. Adults lurk around, waiting for it to get dark, so they can get into some real trouble.

Front Street closes off and becomes a bizarre thoroughfare of noisy revelers, with all kinds of creative costumes everywhere you look. Restaurants and barsare noisy and overflowing. If you're planning on getting dinner, be prepared to wait, which isn't difficult, with the stream of engagiing creatures passing by. From the elaborate multi-person swimming sharks or ghouls, to the prehistoric jungle people adorned with only leaves and vines, it's all good. Ghosts, vampires, hula girls, ninjas and clowns of all types. As the night wears on, it seems that the costumes get a little skimpier as pieces and parts come off and get tossed aside. Those sweaty masks get twisted around, and you can't tell who's coming or going. Don't worry, there will be plenty of big guys in police uniforms to keep things from getting too murderous and nasty. They'll crack your head if you're acting like a lunatic.

What's the matter? Are you scared of having a little too much fun?

Are you ready for Halloween in Lahaina? IT'S READY FOR YOU.