This is THE premiere hula event in the world. For Hula aficionados, sitting on old hard benches for…read more5-6 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…read moreworld!! 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!!

It was just meh...pretty small compared to most county fairs but most everyone was friendly. Just…read moresomething to do while on vacation.

Extremely over-priced (cost my 2 kids and I $75 to ride on three rides). The Ferris wheel was…read moremicroscopic. Chaotic lines for the rides. The employees were rude. HORRIBLE!

Aloha, wow what high energy in Hilo this week! Merrie Monarch Festival shopping is so fun. Great…read morevendors, everyone is friendly with music & dance everywhere. Finally got my Niihau shell earrings, whoohoo! Also met designer Ben Muti & got an awesome hook necklace made of bone & koa for our son. Pretty darn cool stuff everywhere! Hubby went for the food & bought 5 bags of Kona chips, furikake kine too. Everyone should make it a point to visit Merrie Monarch Festival shopping, it's sooo fun & ono kine food too!

The Merrie Monarch Festival lasts for an entire week. It's a cultural festival that takes place…read moreannually in Hilo, Hawaii during the week after Easter. I just happened to be here during this internationally recognized festival. Although I didn't get a chance to see any performance and missed the Miss Aloha contest, I get to walk around and see many Hawaiian art & craft exhibition and displays from local artists. A lot of handmade jewelry, hats, and art pieces. The admission is free and everyone is welcome. There are some local musicians play soft Hawaiian music on the stage. Two of local mommy just took of their sandals and started the Hawaiian ocean wave dance off the stage. I had a lot success shopping. My purchases included a seashell necklace, pink shell earring, straw hats with flower, fresh plumeria flower ($1), a bag of taro chips, lilikoi passion fruit shortbread, and of course a lemon blast icy pop. It's so hot out here. So I change my Nike T-shirt to a Hawaiian flower shirt, wear my straw hot with the plumeria flower and a pink shell earring. Now I totally fell like a local when I walk out of the festival. What a fun day!

The fruits and veggies in Hilo are huge and vibrant that may be from all of the rain. I love that…read morethis farmers market is here and open daily. The farmers market has good variety, multiple booths with a little something different--from mangosteen, multiple varieties of mangoes, egg fruit, soursop, and jackfruit to seasonal local favorites. I always make it a point to visit during Sharwil avocado season. They're rich, buttery and string-free, definitely my favorite avocado. And don't miss lychee season. It's an open market that is shaded that creates a cool environment while you shop. parking available across the street and directly in front. The vendors are very helpful and will allow you to try a fruit on the spot. Most are cash only.

Drove here from the other side of the island and ended in disappointment. I think we were hoping…read morefor more in terms of the farmer market over here. There's vendors of people selling souvenirs, art pieces and stickets, and a couple of ladies selling jewelry. Beware the prices of the jewelry pieces. I think $47 for a ring is expensive personally. I can't justify spending $80+ on two rings, which are made of stainless steel and look to be worth $10-15 on Amazon. The ladies here don't even say if they're handmade or anything, but anything for a memento I guess. Across the street is the fruits and produce. Lots of flies and bugs around. Parking lot is on rough rubble and it's a one way and small. Be careful and take care driving in, don't want any popped tires or anything. Overall a quick visit for us after walking through. I think we saw someone setting up to play some live music for the atmosphere.

Very informative tour. We learned a lot about the process of growing and processing cacao into…read morecacao nibs which are then sold to be used to make chocolate. We tasted delicious chocolate that was made from cacao grown from these fields. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour and chatting with the owner. Highly recommend.

The cacao farm is breathtakingly beautiful. Very informative tour - we really learned how much…read morework goes in to growing and processing cacao for chocolate. Also appreciated learning how the owner used her engineering background to perfect the growing, drying and roasting processes. The chocolates we tasted were delicious! We highly recommend this tour.

Definitely recommend this hike. It's easy and quick. The trees provide a nice shade and the breeze…read morefrom the ocean makes this a relaxing walk.

You pass a beautiful and scenic drive on the way to the trail. The trail is a bit bumpy, so it can…read morebe difficult for younger toddlers. It is definitely not ideal for strollers, so use a baby carrier instead, if you have it. The trail is relatively quick, and ends at at a breathtaking view of the water. Definitely one of my favorite moments so far in Hilo! If you continue up the jungle-like path, you will end up at the botanical gardens. So if you don't wish to walk there and then back after the gardens, you should take the same route back, to avoid the extra walking.

The 100 year old Palace Theater is truly a gem in downtown Hilo. Friendly and welcoming, it is the…read morehome of live theater, concerts, movies and community events, and is open several nights a week in a town that usually rolls up the sidewalks early. Itʻs a must see if youʻre visiting Hilo. Learn more at https://hilopalace.com/

terrible venue with terrible air flow suffocating their patrons. terrible architecture and set up…read moreof the building t

Finally made it here for my very first merrie monarch hula festival in April. There is lot of…read moreparking all over the place so even with a packed stadium we were able to find a stall. It's open air so it's nice and breezy and sometimes even a bit cold. There are a lot of bathrooms there so the wait isn't so bad. I hope to return to this stadium next year and be on that stage!

Seeing the location of the Merry Monarch programs every year was an experience. The stadium looks…read moresmaller to me in person than on television. It's good use of space.