Without a doubt, the best attended event during Merrie Monarch week, at least in person, is the Merrie Monarch Festival Royal Parade.
Every year, thousands arrive in downtown Hilo to secure their favorite viewing spot at least a couple of hours prior to the parade’s 10:30 a.m. start.
The parade — which is sponsored by Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corp. — will occur, rain or shine, so akamai parade-goers will bring both sunscreen and a hat, plus an umbrella. Some enterprising folks also set up a tarp tent for temporary shelter at their viewing spot.
Parade participants organize beforehand on Piopio Street. The parade starts with a left turn to proceed up the knoll on Pauahi Street. That’s followed by a right turn on Kilauea Avenue, then proceeding straight through Keawe Street, with right turns at both Waianuenue and Kamehameha avenues, and concluding where the parade started at the corner of Pauahi Street.
“As with every year, parade safety and access remain a top priority,” said Kanoe Wilson, the parade co-chair with Koralisa Wilson. “Road closures and detours will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on parade day.
“We’re asking motorists to plan ahead and show patience and aloha as the community gathers in celebration.”
Kamehameha Avenue between Waianuenue Avenue and the State Fisheries Research Station driveway, will be closed in both directions from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for float and participant staging. Traffic on Hilo Bayfront Highway will be detoured through Hilo Bayfront Park, and Waianuenue Avenue and Pauahi Street will be closed at Hilo Bayfront Highway.
Wilson said it’s anticipated more than 100 entrants will pass in review of the judges’ station atop the Central Pacific Bank building on Kilauea Avenue. That’s also where the parade’s main emcee and narrator, KAPA-FM afternoon drive personality Tommy “Kahikina” Ching, will hold court for spectators within earshot of the rooftop public address system.
“One of the things that we’ve been doing over the years is expanding our emcee stations,” Wilson said. “We’re partnering with Hilo Downtown Improvement Association to have an emcee station at Mo’oheau Park. We’re still partnering with our friends over at Hilo Town Market to have a station on their spot at the corner of Waianuenue Avenue and Keawe Street. There’s also our partners at Mokupapapa Discovery Center who help to host the station at the corner of Waianuenue and Kamehameha avenues. And the station by Ben Franklin Crafts will be live-streaming the parade in the Hawaiian language.
“We provide scripts to all our emcees in both English and Hawaiian, so they can do whatever they’re comfortable with.”
One entrant to the parade certain to draw glowing reviews from Ching is the Kahuku High School Marching Band from Oahu. Ching is a proud alum of Kahuku, where the Red Raiders are the “Pride of the North Shore,” winners of 11 state football championships in this century, most recently in 2023 — and where the haka is performed by players before every gridiron contest.
Another marching band also will fly in to participate in the parade, the Robert L. Patton High School Panthers Marching Band from Morganton, N.C., a town of about 17,500 tucked away in the foothills of the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.
“There’s also a Japanese ‘ukulele group that’s coming as part of the Southwest Airlines float,” Wilson said.
Of course, Big Island high school marching bands also will add their musical flavor to the movable feast of sight and sound. And no Merrie Monarch parade would be complete without the palaka-clad Hawaii County Band.
“We’ve also gotten a commitment from our new mayor (Kimo Alameda), who will be walking in the parade, along with the Hawaii County Band,” Wilson added.
The parade’s grand marshal this year is Missy Kaleohano, who retired as marketing manager of the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau and is the former volunteer Royal Parade coordinator for the Merrie Monarch Festival.
“She was the predecessor who taught Koral and I the ropes for the parade. So it’s definitely a celebration moment for all of us,” Wilson said.
Pa‘u princesses on horseback will represent each of the main Hawaiian Islands. The pa‘u king this year is Thomas Dean Kaniho, while the pa‘u queen is Daisy Mae Ululani Naihe Kamohai.
And for the second consecutive year, Hawaii Police Department Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz will lead an equestrian contingent of officers in the parade. That occurred as the behest of noted local horsewoman Pudding Lassiter, former longtime member of the county Police Commission, who thought the police — which has officers who come from paniolo backgrounds — should be represented.
“She was persistent,” Moszkowicz told the Tribune-Herald. “And just to get rid of her, I told her, ‘Look, if they’re going to ride in the parade, I’ve got to ride with them, too, and I don’t know how to ride a horse.’
“She just wouldn’t quit. So I ended up on her ranch outside of Hilo and she taught me how to ride a horse. And by last year, I was riding in the parade, and this year, the aunties who run the show (Merrie Monarch President Luana Kawelu and her daughter, Vice President Kathy Kawelu) asked us to come back and participate again this year.”
What sets this parade apart is its deep cultural roots and sense of place. Set against the stunning backdrop of Hilo’s Bayfront, the event is not just a spectacle — it’s a gathering that honors the legacy of King David La‘amea Kalakaua, the “Merrie Monarch” himself, who championed the revival of hula and Hawaiian cultural traditions. His enduring spirit is felt in every oli, every flower lei and every smiling face lining the streets.
And since this is the Royal Parade, the mo‘i kane, Christopher Michael Piliki Kua, the embodiment of King Kalakaua for the week, and mo‘i wahine, Dawn Ka‘e‘eonalanikalaniumi Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder, the embodiment of Queen Kapi‘olani, are present and will reign over the proceedings.
“The king, the queen, their attendants, the kahili bearers, the pu (Hawaiian conch shell) blowers, will be on the Hawaiian Airlines float,” Wilson said.
It’s also a significant milestone for the Hui Okinawa Kobudo Taiko drum corps, stalwart parade participants, as it’s the 125th year anniversary of the arrival of Okinawan immigrants to Hawaii.
“Every year they come out, they always bring their best and are always top contenders when it comes to the floats,” Wilson said.
The Merrie Monarch Royal Parade is more than just a march through town. It is a living expression of Hawaiian pride, a celebration of culture and a tribute to the community that uplifts and sustains this world-renowned festival.
“Mahalo, Hilo,” Wilson said. “This is the one event in the festival that all of Hilo can come out to celebrate the Merrie Monarch — and our way to say thanks to Hilo for always supporting the festival.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.