Merrie Monarch Festival

The 64th annual Merrie Monarch Festival takes place in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, from March 28 through April 3, 2027. The week combines free cultural performances and an arts fair with a ticketed, three-night hula competition and a Saturday parade. The organizer’s 2027 schedule (opens in a new tab) lists each event and venue; several activities are open to visitors without competition tickets.

Hula dancers perform before a seated stadium audience at night · 1 / 3

The illustrations in this guide represent festival settings; they are not photographs of the 2027 edition.

What Merrie Monarch celebrates

Merrie Monarch is a spring cultural festival centered on hula and Hawaiian culture. The Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce started it in 1963, and a community organization took over its operation five years later. The festival’s stated purpose is to perpetuate, preserve, and promote hula and Hawaiian culture. Its name honors King David Laʻamea Kalākaua, remembered as the Merrie Monarch and a patron of music and dance. The organizer describes the week as a combination of hula, music, crafts, demonstrations, and community events. Read the organizer’s about page (opens in a new tab) and history of King Kalākaua (opens in a new tab) for its account of that purpose and history.

Hula is presented in several forms during competition week. On Thursday, individual contestants perform hula kahiko, hula ʻauana, and oli (chant) in the Miss Aloha Hula competition. Friday’s group competition focuses on kahiko, which the organizer describes as an ancient style; Saturday’s group ʻauana program features modern-style dances and concludes with awards. These are judged performances, so the stadium experience is different from the free exhibition night and daytime activities.

2027 schedule at a glance

The published schedule begins Sunday, March 28, with a free 9 a.m. Hoʻolauleʻa at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. The organizer describes it as a celebration featuring performances by local hālau. From Monday through Friday, free midday entertainment is listed at Grand Naniloa Hotel at noon and Hilo Hawaiian Hotel at 1 p.m.

The Merrie Monarch Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair runs Wednesday, March 31, through Friday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. On Saturday, April 3, the fair is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The organizer describes it as a free event with local artists, crafters, and entertainment.

Wednesday evening offers another free program: the Hōʻike begins at 6 p.m. at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium. It is an exhibition of hula and folk dance from around the Pacific, and the organizer says no ticket is required. The ticketed competition begins Thursday at 6 p.m. with Miss Aloha Hula, continues Friday at 6 p.m. with group hula kahiko, and ends Saturday at 6 p.m. with group hula ʻauana and awards.

The Royal Parade starts at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 3, in downtown Hilo. The listed route begins and ends on Pauahi Street, continuing along Kilauea Avenue, Keawe Street, Waiānuenue Avenue, and Kamehameha Avenue. Check the official schedule (opens in a new tab) close to your visit for any updates to times or locations.

Tickets: what is free and what needs planning

Most festival-week activities are free, including the Hoʻolauleʻa, midday performances, arts fair, Hōʻike, and parade. Tickets are required for the three-night stadium competition. The organizer’s ticket information (opens in a new tab) explains the request process and seating arrangements. For the 2027 competition, it says mailed requests must be postmarked November 16, 2026, or later. The instructions differ for international applicants, so read the current guidance and request form before preparing a mailing. The organizer also states that it does not sell or guarantee blocks of competition tickets to tour groups or travel agencies.

If you are planning around a particular competition night, confirm your ticket plan before committing to nonrefundable arrangements. If you would rather keep the schedule flexible, the free Hōʻike, daytime performances, fair, and parade offer several ways to experience the week without entering the ticket process. Check which venue hosts the events you want to see; the program moves around Hilo during the week.

Getting to Hilo and moving between events

Hilo International Airport (ITO) is about two miles east of Hilo. The State of Hawaiʻi’s airport site lists access by car and taxi, as well as the county’s Hele-On public bus. Check the latest airport ground transportation information (opens in a new tab) and bus timetable when you plan your route. The festival uses several venues around Hilo, so verify how you will travel between your lodging, the auditorium, hotels hosting midday performances, the stadium, and the downtown parade route. Check current bus times and leave room between stops.

Use the Hilo accommodation search (opens in a new tab) to compare lodging; rates and availability depend on your dates. If the stadium competition is your priority, settle ticket arrangements first and compare lodging and transport around the nights you plan to attend. A broader visit also leaves time for daytime events and Hilo itself.

Attending with care

Merrie Monarch is organized to support the continuation of hula and Hawaiian culture. Treat performances as cultural presentations rather than a photo opportunity: the organizer prohibits unauthorized photography and video during the competition and asks audience members to stay quiet and limit movement while dancers perform. Its ticket page (opens in a new tab) also lists stadium rules, including no outside food or drink and no stadium chairs. Review those directions before entering, and follow venue staff instructions at free events as well.

Recheck the festival’s official 2027 page (opens in a new tab) and ticket guidance (opens in a new tab) close to your trip for the latest schedule, venue, and application details.