The 64th Merrie Monarch Festival runs from 28 March to 3 April 2027 in Hilo, on Hawaiʻi Island. Held every year since 1964 and named for King David Kalākaua, who restored hula to public life in the nineteenth century, it is the most prestigious hula competition in the world, with hālau from across Hawaiʻi and far beyond.
Tickets are sold by post only. The festival accepts 2027 ticket request forms from Monday 16 November 2026 and returns anything postmarked earlier. Each request needs a cashier's check or money order in US dollars and a stamped addressed envelope; the limit is two tickets a person, each covering up to three competition nights, and the festival does not sell blocks to tour groups or travel agents.
If the competition nights escape you, the free opening Hoʻolauleʻa on Hilo Bay is hula in its proper outdoor setting. The atlas page has the shape of the week, from the Royal Parade to Miss Aloha Hula, and what to expect from Hilo's rain.
