On August 14, 1945, when word reached Hawaii that Japan had accepted the Allies’ terms of surrender, effectively ending World War II, the islands erupted in spontaneous, around-the-clock celebrations.
In Honolulu — especially along Hotel Street, which was the city’s bustling entertainment district for sailors and soldiers — crowds poured into the streets. Thousands of servicemen from Pearl Harbor, Hickam Field, and other nearby bases joined civilians in a whirlwind of parades, dancing, drinking, and shouting. Church bells rang, sirens wailed, and ships in the harbor blasted their horns.
Many accounts describe sailors tossing their caps into the air, embracing strangers, and even commandeering vehicles for joyrides. The scene was chaotic but mostly good-natured — a cathartic release after years of tension, rationing, and the heavy losses of the Pacific War. Honolulu police and military shore patrols were out in force to keep order, but they often just let the exuberance run its course.
Hawaii’s reaction carried a special emotional weight. Pearl Harbor had been the site of the December 7, 1941, attack that brought the U.S. into the war, and for many in the islands, the surrender announcement felt like a full-circle moment. Newspapers the next morning were filled with bold headlines like “JAPS QUIT!” and “PEACE!,” capturing both the relief and the raw, wartime language of the era.
(Photos by Eliot Elisofon; LIFE magazine archives)
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