Merrie Monarch Festival

Absolutely one of the best Hawaiian events all year and undoubtedly the best hula event in the world! The passion and talent expressed by hula dancers and their kumu dancing and chanting their hearts out, the sweetness of pikake and plumeria from leis and headpieces wafting through the air cut only by the smells of laulau and chicken long rice, Hawaiian melodies drifting through the stadium by some of the best and well-​known musicians in Hawaii, and the best display of Hawaiian culture as the Merrie Monarch himself, King David Kalakaua, would have wanted it.
First off: tickets — HARD TO GET as there are only 4,200 seats for the event. You don’t buy these «day-​of» (unless you’re willing to press your luck as one of those many people holding a sign at the stadium entrance asking for tickets), you buy these about 3 months prior. The only way is to send money (i.e. money order — no checks) with a completed ticket request form w/​SASE on/​after ¹²⁄₂₆ and NO SOONER, then pray and wait! Like a lottery — only some win and tickets show up one day in your mailbox! While you may not get the seats you request, you may get a lesser category of seats (if you indicate you’re willing to accept this option) but at least you get inside! Unfortunately, the vast majority (and those who postmarked their requests BEFORE ¹²⁄₂₆) will get their requests & money sent back. Tickets for 2013 were sold out by February since it was the 50^th year.
Seats — well, closer to the elevated stage are rows and rows of folding chairs on the main floor. There are rows of benches up three sides of the stadium (the stage-​rear benches are for the halau). The event organizers do their best by providing padded folding chairs, but the 1^st night sitting on them really tested our tailbones and blood circulation! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND bringing a discrete pad to help comfort your tush for nearly 6 hours of hard sitting! (Many people did!)
In addition to the 3 nights of competition — which runs from 5:45 p.m. till about midnight — there is the ho’ike: a non-​competitive celebration of hula and the festival itself.
Keep in mind the entire Merrie Monarch Festival is not just the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights of hula competition but a week-​long event starting with the ho’olaule’a on Sunday. Arts & crafts fairs, hula events, art exhibits, even a Kalakaua beard look-​alike contest occur throughout the week turning the sleepy town of Hilo into an active visitor scene. But it’s the 3 nights of competition that receives all the attention and live television coverage.
We were lucky enough to receive tickets to the 50^th Merrie Monarch Festival and what a wonderful experience it was… 24 Miss Aloha Hula performances and 58 halau performances over 3 nights by the best hula dancers and kumu in the world! The beauty of the performances often left us with misty eyes and fond memories we will not soon forget…
Hana hou!

The most entertaining and endearing hula competition in the world, awesome people-​watching, and a great vibe.
Listen to the Aunties gossip about the various halau, watch the bikers wrangle the crowd and, whatever you do, don’t forget your seat cushions!

This is THE première hula event in the world. For Hula aficionados, sitting on old hard benches for 5 – 6 hours, navigating the crowds, migrating their way to sleepy Hilo town is a labor of love. My mother is one of those who sits through every second of the four day event. The population of Hilo swells with all of the halau’s and visitors alike. They come from all over the world, especially many from Japan, to be immersed in the chants and dancing for a few days.
In addition to the actual competition they have parades and a ton of craft shows that showcase many of Hawaii’s première artisans. This is our favorite part. We’ve bought everything from necklaces to clothing, food, and toys.
The only real drawback of watching it in person is that you have to really know your stuff. On television they explain things and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. They also use a biker «club» for security and they’re not really known for their customer service as well. One great suggestion, bring your own pillow to sit on.
Located in Edith Kanaka’olé Tennis Stadium (
) it’s really a great festival. If you’re interested in attending, I’d check the website for information. There are strict guidelines for ordering tickets and they sell out almost instantaneously.