Stanward Oshiro illuminates Puna for 18th year with synchronized Christmas light show

After the sun set on Christmas Eve, hundreds of families and residents embraced the holiday spirit as they parked their cars in Hawaiian Paradise Park in Keaʻau to watch a colorful light show illuminating the street and sky and perfectly timed with holiday music.

It was the 18th year of Punalights, the annual Christmas light show orchestrated by one man, electrical engineer Stanward Oshiro, who continues to surpass his previous displays with a larger and more elaborate show this holiday season.

“A friend of mine sent me a video of a synchronized home in 2007, and I was hooked by the concept,” Oshiro said. “I had to try it the next year.”

The light show encompasses his house and front lawn, spanning about 50 feet with thousands of lights consistently changing colors to go along with the holiday music.

He was able to create his own synchronized light show in 2008. When more and more people came to see it, “the addictiveness of the hobby only grew from there,” he said.

This year, Oshiro has added a couple of new elements to the show, including an LED laser light and a small nativity scene converted to pixels. He also has incorporated trees into a pixel tree forest and has four moving lights on the roof and a haze machine that enhances the light images.

Oshiro began planning this year’s show in August. But it was a little different because he decided to add a Halloween show for the very first time, after being asked to do so since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was difficult to even do one holiday,” Oshiro said. “Since the demand was high, I decided to try it out this year. Surprisingly, Halloween actually helped with Christmas this year since a lot of the physical setup was completed in October.”

Although it takes a lot to set up the lights every year, the hardest part for Oshiro has been managing traffic on his residential road, especially since the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day shows bring hundreds of cars to the area.

Having had people involved in minor accidents in the past, he ensures to be present and on his feet managing traffic the entire time. Fortunately, Oshiro receives assistance with traffic control from his neighbor, Kit Carson.

“Truthfully, if I didn’t have my neighbor, I don’t think I could pull this off,” he said. “My family doesn’t always want to help, and it is an exhausting job. My legs hurt every night”

Oshiro added that Carson is 72, so “I’m not sure how long he can keep running around. I don’t even want to think about my neighbor retiring; it would be sad.”

For traffic duty, Oshiro ensures that one lane remains open for his other neighbors and emergencies. He also watches out for pedestrians and makes sure everyone has their lights on for visibility.

Despite having a background as an electrical engineer, Oshiro believes that it does not take much knowledge or experience to create a synchronized light show at home. He said most anyone can do it with a little motivation.

“It really comes down to the amount of time it takes and the finances to put it all together,” Oshiro said. “As far as planning the show and music, though, it is something anyone could learn on YouTube and something I can foresee myself doing for a long time.”

The light show costs several hundred dollars each year, with expenses stemming from new displays and the electric bill. However, any fundraising done during the holidays goes to the Hawaiʻi Island Food Basket, Oshiro said.

“I’m not doing this for money or anything like that. I put it on every year because I love it, and I know so many others love it,” Oshiro said. “The only part of the process that is too difficult for me to do alone is the traffic control, so I could see that as the only reason to stop.”

Oshiro urges visitors to drive and wait in line because walking can be dangerous in the dark. He also asks parents to watch over their children because he often observes kids running around the street in the dark.

“It is hard to describe, so I suggest people come out to see it before the end of the year,” Oshiro said.

Those interested in watching Punalights can do so at 15-2053 18th St. in Keaʻau. The light show is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. tonight and then the hours will change to 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 26, through Wednesday, Dec. 31.