You can watch hula for free in Hawaii at shopping centers, at some resorts, at community festivals, and at the free events that happen around the big hula competitions.
This post where to find free hula shows in Hawaii was written by Hawaii travel expert Marcie Cheung and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
Shopping centers are the easiest for most families. The shows are short, you don’t need a ticket, and a lot of them are put on by a real hula hālau (hula school) with kids dancing.
I’ve been dancing hula for over 20 years, and I wrote my honors thesis at Washington State University on how hula changed from ancient times to modern day.
These days I’m a Hawaii travel consultant for families and host of the Hawaii Travel Made Easy podcast, and when a family isn’t sure their kids will sit through a luau, I point them to a free hula show.
Schedules change all the time, so you won’t find days or times in this post. What I can give you is the kinds of places that have free hula, which ones I’ve watched myself, and how to check what’s on the week you’re there.
If you’re still deciding between a luau, a smaller cultural experience, and a free hula show, this episode compares what each one costs and which families each one suits.
Where can I watch hula for free in Hawaii?
There are four kinds of places to watch hula for free in Hawaii: shopping centers, resorts, community festivals, and the events around hula competitions.
| Type of place | What you’ll usually see | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Shopping centers and public stages | A short show, often by a hula hālau with keiki (kids) and adults | The center’s events page and Instagram |
| Resorts and their restaurants | Hawaiian music and hula for hotel guests and restaurant diners | The resort’s activities or dining page |
| Community festivals | Lots of hālau taking turns on an outdoor stage | The festival’s website and the island events calendar |
| Hula competitions | Free exhibition nights, craft fairs, and parades. The competition itself is ticketed. | The competition’s official website |
I send my consult clients to free hula shows if they have young kids, if they aren’t sure their kids will have the patience for a full luau, if they’re tight on budget, or if someone has severe food restrictions.
Clients also ask me for a free luau, and I have to explain that those don’t exist. A luau includes dinner. If you’re weighing the two, read what to expect at a luau and my take on whether a luau is worth it with kids.
Are free hula shows at shopping centers worth going to?
Yes. A shopping center is where you’re most likely to see a real hula hālau perform, and a lot of those shows have kids in them.
I’ve watched the hula show at Coconut Marketplace in Kapaʻa on Kauai more times than I can count. I went when I was a kid myself, and I started bringing my boys when they were babies. My kids liked free hula shows, but mostly if there were kids performing.
On Oahu, I’ve been to the free hula show at Ala Moana Center a few times, and it’s fantastic. The one at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki is fabulous too. I’ve also watched their Lunar New Year presentation there, with lion dancing, so it’s worth looking at a center’s whole events calendar.
I watched the one at Lahaina Cannery on Maui a few years ago. I don’t remember the specifics, but it was cute.
These places were listing free hula when I checked in October 2026. Each link goes to the page where you can see what’s on during your trip.
| Island | Where | Check what’s on |
|---|---|---|
| Oahu | Kūhiō Beach Hula Show, on the hula mound near the Duke Kahanamoku statue in Waikiki. It’s outdoors on the grass and weather permitting. | Kūhiō Beach Hula Show |
| Oahu | Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki, at The Royal Grove (hula kahiko, plus hula lessons for adults and keiki) | Royal Hawaiian Center events |
| Oahu | Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, at Centerstage (including a keiki hula show) | Ala Moana Center hula show |
| Maui | Lahaina Cannery (a weekly hula show with young performers, plus hula lessons) | Lahaina Cannery calendar |
| Maui | The Shops at Wailea (a Polynesian show that includes hula) | The Shops at Wailea |
| Maui | Whalers Village in Kāʻanapali (a hula lesson, not a show) | Whalers Village |
| Kauai | Coconut Marketplace in Kapaʻa (keiki and adult dancers from Hālau Hula ʻO Leilani, led by kumu hula Leilani Rivera Low) | Coconut Marketplace entertainment |
| Kauai | Poipu Shopping Village (live Hawaiian music with dancers from Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leinaʻala) | Poipu Shopping Village entertainment |
| Big Island | Queens’ Marketplace in Waikoloa, at the Coronation Pavilion (kahiko and modern hula) | Queens’ Marketplace events |
If you’re trying to keep costs down, the Kūhiō Beach show is in my list of things to do in Waikiki with kids, and I have more ideas in my posts on free things to do on Oahu, free things to do on Kauai, cheap things to do on Maui, and free things to do on the Big Island.
How do I tell a hula hālau show from background entertainment?
Read the listing on the venue’s website. A hālau show will usually name the hālau, especially when kids are performing. Otherwise the listing usually names a production company, the same way luaus do.
Coconut Marketplace is a good example. Its page names the hālau and the kumu hula (teacher) who leads it.
A production company name means you’ll be watching professional entertainers.
I’ve been on both sides of this. I danced with three hālau in the Seattle area over the course of 20 years, and one of them did paid performances and danced casually at a Hawaiian restaurant. In college I danced with the Hawaii Club and the Pacific Islanders Club at Washington State University, and we did two performances each year.
Once the show starts, I watch how it opens. A show that begins with chanting and hula kahiko (ancient hula) will probably be more about the culture, and that’s especially true at hālau shows with kids. I wrote a whole post on what else I look for:
Can I watch hula at a resort if I’m not staying there?
Sometimes. It depends on whether the hula is a resort activity or part of a restaurant.
Resort activities are usually for guests. I’ve watched hula on the lawn and by the pool at Disney’s Aulani on Oahu, and all of Aulani’s activities are for guests only. We’ve stayed there twice and paid for both stays ourselves (the second was on rented Disney Vacation Club points).
I can’t think of a time I’ve seen hula in a hotel lobby. I think I caught some at the Grand Hyatt Kauai years ago during happy hour, on a little stage. As of October 2026, Hyatt’s dining page says the Seaview Terrace lounge has live entertainment, but it doesn’t mention hula. Ask before you plan a night around it.
Restaurants are different, because anyone can book a table. In Waikiki, I’ve had dinner with hula dancing at House Without a Key at the Halekulani and at Kani Ka Pila Grille at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort. You’re paying for dinner or drinks, so it isn’t really free, but there’s no ticket for the show.
I’ve always made a dinner reservation at House Without a Key. As of October 2026, the Halekulani recommends reservations for dinner and doesn’t take them for the hula show and cocktail seating. If you’re only going for drinks, get there early to make sure you get a table.
Outrigger’s page lists live Hawaiian music every night at Kani Ka Pila Grille, but it doesn’t promise hula. Ask when you book.
Which Hawaii festivals have free hula?
Community festivals are the best place to see a lot of hālau in one day for free. Look for a hoʻolauleʻa (a celebration, usually with stages and food booths), Lei Day, and hula festivals that aren’t competitions.
I’ve never been to a hula festival in Hawaii in person. I did co-produce the Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival at Seattle Center for 5 years, and I performed there with my hālau for a few of them.
What people don’t realize is how much rehearsal time these dancers put in. They usually make their own lei, and their own tī leaf skirts if they’re wearing them. They live and breathe hula for months before they step on that stage.
Three to look up if your dates line up:
- Lei Day. May 1 every year. Honolulu’s celebration at Kapiʻolani Park is free and has hula and Hawaiian music, according to the City’s Lei Day page. I have a post on Lei Day celebrations across the islands.
- Aloha Festivals. Each September in Waikiki. The Waikīkī Hoʻolauleʻa is a street party on Kalākaua Avenue with hula hālau on several stages, and there’s a floral parade too. Dates are on the Aloha Festivals site.
- Prince Lot Hula Festival. Held in Honolulu in July by the Moanalua Gardens Foundation. It’s free, and it’s known as the largest hula festival in Hawaii that isn’t a competition.
For anything else, the state’s visitor site has an events calendar for each island.
Can I watch a hula competition without a ticket?
Not the competition itself, but the big ones have free events around them, and you can usually watch the competition on a livestream.
The Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo is the best-known hula competition, and it happens every spring. As of the 2026 festival, competition tickets were sold only by mail-in request, with a limit of two per person, and they sell out. The details are on the festival’s ticket page.
The same week has free events: a hoʻolauleʻa with hālau from the island, a free exhibition night called the Hōʻike, an arts and crafts fair, and a parade through Hilo. The festival also streams the competition live on its website.
I haven’t been to Merrie Monarch yet. I grew up watching Merrie Monarch DVDs, and I watched the livestream back when I was dancing hula. I used to watch the kids’ hula competitions when they were livestreamed too. I’ve never competed myself.
Hawaii has keiki competitions as well, like the Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition in Honolulu in July and Hula O Nā Keiki on Maui in the fall. Both are ticketed.
I wouldn’t plan a trip around a hula festival or competition unless someone in your family is a serious hula dancer. These are all-day events, and sometimes they run for several days.
How do I check what’s on during my trip?
Check the venue’s own website and Instagram, and then check again right before you leave. That’s what I do for my own trips.
- When I’m planning, I do a quick search online for hula shows near where we’re staying.
- I follow those places on Instagram, because that’s usually where the most current info is.
- Right before our trip, I go back to the website and confirm the dates and times.
Shows get canceled when a hālau is off-island for a competition, and outdoor shows depend on the weather. The Kūhiō Beach Hula Show is a good example. When I checked in October 2026, its site listed two dates that month with no show.
Do I need to pay or tip at a free hula show?
You don’t have to, but you should donate. The free shows put on by a hula hālau almost always ask for monetary donations.
Think of all the money you saved by not booking a paid activity. These hālau need the money so they can keep sharing Hawaiian culture. If you’re working out what your trip will cost, grab my free Hawaii family budget planner.
For photos and video, wait to hear them say whether it’s permitted. If it is and you post something, try to tag the hālau.
I also get really annoyed when the audience is talking loudly or not watching. As a dancer, it was always disheartening to look out and see that. Dancers get their energy from the audience.
FAQ
Where can I watch hula for free in Hawaii?
You can watch hula for free in Hawaii at shopping centers, at some resorts, at community festivals like Lei Day and the Aloha Festivals, and at the free events around hula competitions like Merrie Monarch. Shopping centers are the easiest for families. Check the venue’s website and Instagram for current dates, because schedules change often.
Is there a free luau in Hawaii?
No. A luau includes dinner, so there’s no such thing as a free one. You can see hula for free at shopping centers and festivals, and a few luaus sell a cheaper ticket for only the show.
Are free hula shows good for toddlers and young kids?
Yes. They’re short and casual, and you can leave whenever you need to. I started bringing my boys to the Coconut Marketplace show on Kauai when they were babies, and they liked hula shows most when kids were performing.
Should I donate at a free hula show?
Yes, if the hālau asks for donations, and most do. That money helps the hālau keep performing and sharing Hawaiian culture. You’re still spending far less than you would on a paid show.
Can I take photos or video at a hula show?
Wait for the announcement. Most shows tell you whether photography and video are permitted. If they are and you post, tag the hālau.
Is the Merrie Monarch Festival free?
Parts of it are. As of the 2026 festival, the hoʻolauleʻa, the Hōʻike exhibition night, the craft fair, and the parade were free. The hula competition needs tickets, which are sold by mail and sell out, but it’s streamed live.
Still not sure whether to do a free hula show or a luau?
If you’re stuck between the two, start with a free hula show and see how your kids do. I talk through luaus and other cultural activities on the Hawaii Travel Made Easy podcast, including my honest rankings of the luaus I’ve been to on Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. And if you’d rather talk through your own trip with me, a Hawaii travel consultation is a one-on-one video call, $149 for 60 minutes or $199 for 90 minutes. I’m not a travel agent, so you book everything yourself. I just help you figure out what’s worth your time.
 | About the author: Marcie Cheung is a Hawaii travel consultant for families who has visited Hawaii more than 40 times. She is the founder of Hawaii Travel with Kids and host of the Hawaii Travel Made Easy podcast. She offers one-on-one Hawaii trip planning consultations and itinerary reviews for families, couples, and honeymooners. |