Merrie Monarch Festival

The whole weekend was an amazing immersion into hula and Hawaiian traditions. The music, flowers, people, and dance were wonderful. I'd go every year if I could.

We know that this place has a great meaning, we don't do it every day, it's an important production day. Be sure to come to see the promise at that time. Thank you.

Wonderful and well organized cultural event for the Hilo community.

The drive was comfortable with ease in locating the grounds. The vendor location was filled inside with booths offering a variety of local made items, dance regalia, art, musical instruments and food. We enjoyed poi balls, Kahului pork and rice, shaved ice and found a vendor with the thinnest sliced jerky we ever ate. There was dance presentations open to the public, however for the competitive performances we didn’t have tickets. It was a cultural experience worth the drive and spending a good part of the day wandering amongst the vendors and island people.

It was an amazing experience!! What a treat to have been included in the Festival due to the kindness of a very kind snd generous lady. I was mesmerized and so impressed with the dedication and passion of the performers and supporters.

I went to the MMF 2016 and it was a great experience. I enjoyed the crafts and food during the day and watching the dancing in the evening. Here is my only recommendation if you're going: make sure you plan which dances you want to see. If you leave your seat for the restroom and they start dancing, you will NOT be allowed back in until the dancing has concluded. Definitely worth seeing.

FOR THE LOVE OF HULA, if you are looking for one of the best times, come to Merrie Monarch Festival, every year in May

People who know, know this is the heart of hula. Tickets are obtained lottery style because of the demand. I was there Wednesday and people from all over the world could be heard around me. This is something very special. The associated craft and food fair is worth a stop even if you can't get into the show.

This is THE premiere 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 premiere 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'ole Tennis Stadium (http://www.yelp.com/biz/edith-kanakaole-tennis-stadium-hilo ) 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.

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 50th 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 1st 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 50th 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!