Merrie Monarch Festival
- Dates
- Mar 28 to Apr 3, 2027
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium
- Price
- $10 to $55
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 23, 2026
Merrie Monarch Festival returns to Hilo, HI, Mar 28 to Apr 3, 2027. Froligo tracks current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
Listen
No official playlist linked yet. Find Merrie Monarch Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
Lineup not yet announced. Email me the day it lands.
Getting there
Nearest airport ITO.
How do I get to Merrie Monarch Festival?
By car
Most people drive to Merrie Monarch Festival. The nearest major airport is ITO, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
By bus & public transit
Route 101 stops directly at ITO and runs to Moʻoheau Bus Terminal downtown via Banyan Drive (Hilo's hotel row) roughly hourly, weekdays/Saturdays ~6:30am-7:30pm. Fare-free through 31 Dec 2028 per the transit agency. It reaches downtown Hilo and the Banyan Drive hotel strip well but does NOT have a stop directly at the stadium itself (~1.5 miles further, off Mamo St/Piʻilani St) a third-party 2026 visitor guide explicitly warns 'Public transit in Hilo is limited and won't get you where you need to be on a festival schedule,' so treat this as useful for hotel-to-airport legs, not the final stadium hop
Book / info →Festival shuttle
Not a standing hotel amenity Hawaiian Airlines, as a festival sponsor, has operated a complimentary shuttle specifically between select Hilo hotels and the stadium throughout the three competition days in past years (confirmed for the 2026 festival via the airline's own newsroom). Confirm current-year participation and hotel list closer to festival dates before relying on it noted here rather than omitted since it's a real, officially-documented service, just seasonal and sponsor-run rather than a year-round transit option
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare
National rideshare apps are not reliably available at ITO per multiple airport-guide sources; holoholo offers door-to-door ITO pickup with fixed fares, booked in advance or on demand, and is the practical alternative. the stadium is a comparable short hop
Book / info →Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
On site parking available. Cost Hawaii County's own Parks & Recreation facility directory describes the stadium as equipped with 'ample parking' as a standard site amenity, with no prepay platform found. a third-party 2026 visitor guide instead warns to 'expect traffic' and allow extra time near the stadium on competition nights and along the Saturday parade route in downtown Hilo, since 'Hilo is a small town that suddenly has to handle thousands of extra visitors.'.
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at ITO
A third-party 2026 visitor guide explicitly recommends renting a car since 'public transit in Hilo is limited and won't get you where you need to be on a festival schedule' genuinely the primary option for fly-in attendees, especially those staying outside Hilo proper (Volcano Village, Hamakua Coast, or the Kona side) once Hilo hotels sell out, which the same guide says happens months ahead of festival week
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Merrie Monarch Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Hotels nearby 4
On Banyan Drive, Hilo's hotel row facing Hilo Bay roughly 1.5-2 miles / a short drive from the stadium at Hoʻolulu Complex; on the Hele-On Route 101 corridor for the airport leg
Link coming soonAlso on Banyan Drive, oceanfront; free onsite parking per a third-party visitor roundup. Similar short-drive distance to the stadium as the Grand Naniloa
Link coming soonSecluded property close to town per a third-party visitor guide's #1 recommendation; a short drive rather than walkable, but on the Hilo side (not requiring the Volcano/Kona overflow options below)
Link coming soonAirbnb & private camping
Multiple third-party 2026 visitor guides independently confirm Hilo hotel rooms sell out months ahead of Merrie Monarch week and recommend fallback bases in Volcano Village (~30 min south), the Puna/Hamakua Coast (vacation rentals), or the Kona side (2+ hours west, day-trip only) once Hilo itself is booked out a genuine, well-documented surge/scarcity pattern specific to this festival rather than typical seasonal pricing
Search Airbnb →Hawaiʻi Island's Hipcamp listings run mostly around Volcano/Puna-district farms and off-grid land, which lines up with the Volcano Village fallback-lodging pattern documented above for sold-out festival week
Search Hipcamp →Pricing
Price history and tiers
Got fresher info? Tell us, a real person checks every tip, and we love fresh info.