Photo: Thomas Tunsch (CC BY-SA 4.0)Merrie Monarch Festival
The world championship of hula
April 5–11, 2026 · Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island
Dates
Apr 5–11, 2026
63rd annual festival
Where
Hilo
Hawaiʻi Island
Founded
1964
hula competition added 1971
Tickets
Mail-order only
most events are free
Every April, the top hālau (hula schools) from across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific converge on Hilo for a week that's part cultural homecoming, part fiercely judged competition. The Merrie Monarch Festival is the world championship of hula — most of the week's events are free to watch, and the small handful that require tickets are famously hard to get. Nothing in a resort lūʻau show compares.
The season
Merrie Monarch Festival
From economic booster to cultural cornerstone
The festival was founded in 1964 by a committee led by chairman Gene Wilhelm, with County Chairwoman Helene Hale as the driving force and George Naʻope on the founding committee — conceived as an economic booster for Hawaiʻi Island's struggling sugar-plantation economy, inspired by Maui's Lahaina Whaling Spree. The earliest editions featured a King Kalākaua beard-lookalike contest and a coronation reenactment, not hula. Interest faded by the late 1960s, and it was executive director Dottie Thompson who redirected the festival toward Hawaiian cultural perpetuation — bringing back George Naʻope for pageantry and Albert Nāhaleʻa for music. The hula competition itself debuted in 1971 with nine women's hālau; a men's (kāne) division followed in 1976.
The week
The festival opens with the free Hoʻolauleʻa on Sunday, followed by free midday hotel entertainment and the Merrie Monarch Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair through the week. Wednesday's Hōʻike exhibition night is free and open to all, with no ticket required. The judged competition runs Thursday through Saturday: Miss Aloha Hula (individual women's competition) on Thursday, Group Hula Kahiko (ancient style) on Friday, and Group Hula ʻAuana (modern style) with awards on Saturday evening. Saturday morning closes the week with the Royal Parade through downtown Hilo.
Two venues, one festival
The judged competition nights and Hōʻike run at the Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium, the competition's home since the event outgrew its original venue in the 1970s. The Hoʻolauleʻa and the Arts & Crafts Fair run separately at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, Hilo's original 1957 civic auditorium — both venues are in active use for different parts of the same festival week, not a historic-versus-current either/or.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Getting competition tickets
This isn't a book-anytime show. Tickets to the Thursday–Saturday competition nights are sold by mail order only — requests must be postmarked no earlier than December 1 for the following year's festival, limited to 2 tickets per person, paid by cashier's check or money order, with no blocks sold to tour groups or agencies. Demand far exceeds supply, and the process functions as a lottery in practice; tickets are typically gone within the request window. Check merriemonarch.com for the current year's exact request form and postmark date.
If you don't get tickets
Most of the week is free regardless: the Sunday Hoʻolauleʻa, the Wednesday Hōʻike exhibition, the Arts & Crafts Fair, and the Saturday Royal Parade through downtown Hilo all require no ticket. The competition nights are also livestreamed for free (Hawaiʻi News Now has carried it in recent years, in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English).
Nearby
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is about 45 minutes from Hilo, making it an easy pairing with a Merrie Monarch trip.
Book it
Tours & experiences
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$189+Kilauea Volcano & Stargazing
$189+Visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, see active lava flows, then stargaze at 6,500 feet.
$99+Manta Ray Night Snorkel
$99+Swim with giant manta rays on the Kona Coast — one of Hawaii's most iconic experiences.
$139+Big Island Waterfall Tour
$139+Visit three stunning waterfalls on the Hamakua Coast including Akaka Falls.
Good to know
Merrie Monarch Festival FAQ
When is the Merrie Monarch Festival in 2026?
The 63rd annual festival runs April 5–11, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island. The festival is anchored to the week following Easter Sunday, so the exact dates shift every year.
How do I get tickets to Merrie Monarch?
Competition-night tickets are sold by mail order only, with requests accepted starting December 1 the year before — no online or box-office sales, limited to 2 per person, and typically oversubscribed. Most years the tickets are gone quickly. Check merriemonarch.com for the current request form.
What can I see for free at Merrie Monarch?
The Sunday Hoʻolauleʻa, the Wednesday Hōʻike exhibition night, the Arts & Crafts Fair, and the Saturday Royal Parade through downtown Hilo are all free and open to everyone — no ticket needed.
What's the difference between Hula Kahiko and Hula ʻAuana?
Hula Kahiko is the ancient style, performed with chant and traditional percussion. Hula ʻAuana is the modern style, performed with instruments like ʻukulele and guitar. Merrie Monarch judges both as separate group competition nights.
Where is the Merrie Monarch Festival held?
The judged competition nights and the Hōʻike exhibition are held at the Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium in Hilo. The Hoʻolauleʻa and Arts & Crafts Fair are held separately at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, also in Hilo.
How old is the Merrie Monarch Festival?
The festival was founded in 1964 as a general cultural celebration; the hula competition that made it famous was introduced in 1971, with a men's division added in 1976. 2026 is its 63rd year.
Plan around it
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