Upcoming Hawaii Bowl dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Picking a Hawaii Bowl seat
Get a sideline grandstand seat. This year's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl kicks off on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, 2026, at 2 p.m. local time (7 p.m. Eastern), with ESPN televising from the Ching Athletics Complex at UH Manoa. The venue is compact, so even the upper rows on a sideline feel close, and the expanded sideline stands also hold the hospitality areas.
- Sidelines: the best view in the house, and the first seats to go.
- End zones and corners: added in the stadium's expansion; fine for soaking up the atmosphere, weaker for following plays.
- Sun: almost nothing is roofed, so an early-afternoon start leaves you in direct sun for hours. Plan on sunscreen and a hat, because umbrellas are on the university's prohibited list for football.
Inside a 15,000-seat bowl venue
Since 2022 the bowl has used the campus venue instead of Aloha Stadium, whose site is being redeveloped as the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District, and 2026 marks a fifth straight year on campus. The university facility dates to 2015. Its football capacity was about 9,000 in 2021; bigger sideline stands, extra seats behind each goal line and enclosed corners took it to 15,194 for 2023, and standing room stretches it to about 16,000.
One useful clue to fan placement: at the 2025 game, the visitors' band was placed in the east end zone, the one facing Diamond Head, toward the ocean (makai), while the Mountain West band went on the mountain (mauka) side. Each school's supporters tend to gather near their band, so watch for that year's arrangement if you want to sit among your own fans.
If the Rainbow Warriors are playing, buy fast
The single biggest swing factor is the home team. As long as the Rainbow Warriors qualify for a bowl and miss the playoff, the invitation is theirs. In 2025, Hawaii beat California 35–31 before 15,194, a full house. In the three earlier games on campus, with two mainland teams, crowds sat between about 6,600 and 7,100.
- Hawaii in the game: local demand alone can absorb most of the inventory, and resale supply thins out right after the announcement.
- Two mainland teams: the long, costly holiday flight limits how many visitors travel, and seats stay available close to game day.
- The exception: a mainland program with many alumni living on the islands or along the Pacific coast travels better.
When the June schedule came out, 2026 conference partners were still unannounced. Lately the bowl has pulled from the American and the Mountain West; Conference USA filled slots in earlier years. Watch for the matchup in early December.
Christmas Eve on campus: getting there and getting in
Lower campus parking at UH Manoa is limited. What the bowl told fans for the 2025 game:
- TheBus: the U line added pregame buses every 15 minutes from the Skyline rail stop at Ahua Lagoon Drive to campus, and ran them back afterward.
- Parking: the campus garage opened three hours early, accepted cards only and was entered from Dole Street or the Waialae entrance.
- Tailgating: not allowed, and no alcohol in the lots.
- Entry: 10 gates, every one ADA accessible, opening two hours ahead; certain gates allowed re-entry.
- Bags: a single clear bag each, maximum 12 by 6 by 12 inches.
Rules can change each year, so read the bowl's gameday page before you go. On TV, the game is the second half of a Christmas Eve bowl doubleheader that starts with the New Mexico Bowl. Reserved Seat ships every order free.
Not the Aloha Bowl
Searches mix up the two names. The Aloha Bowl was a 1982–2000 game at Aloha Stadium, carried for most of its life by Jeep, with Pac-10 teams appearing more than any other league's. For the 1998 and 1999 seasons it teamed with the Oahu Bowl in college football's first televised doubleheader. The Jeep money disappeared after the DaimlerChrysler merger, a planned move to San Francisco fell through, and the game lost its certification.
The Hawaii Bowl is its own event. A new committee earned certification in 2002 for a Christmastime bowl, held it at Aloha Stadium and inherited the calendar slot, but none of the older game's records. If you want Aloha Bowl tickets, the game that exists today is this one.
Overtime marathons and other Hawaii Bowl history
- Christmas Day 2002: Tulane won the inaugural game 36–28 over Hawaii, with 35,513 at Aloha Stadium.
- 2003: Hawaii outlasted Houston 54–48 in three overtimes, a combined 102 points.
- 2008: Notre Dame, the first independent invited, won 49–21 over the hosts.
- 2010: Tulsa against Hawaii drew 43,673, the record at Aloha Stadium.
- 2024: South Florida needed five overtimes to get past San Jose State, 41–39, an FBS bowl record that stood for two days.
- Not played: 2020 (pandemic) and 2021 (Hawaii pulled out).
Hawaii leads all schools with 10 appearances and a 6–4 record. Title sponsors have been ConAgra Foods in 2002, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Hawaii from 2003 through 2013, SoFi in 2018 and 2019, EasyPost from 2021 through 2023, and Sheraton again starting in 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best seats at the Hawaii Bowl?
Sideline grandstand seats. The Ching Complex is small, so even higher sideline rows are close to the field, while end zone and corner seats give a weaker angle.
Is there shade at the Ching Complex?
Very little. The stadium is open air, and with a 2 p.m. kickoff you should plan for sun. Umbrellas are prohibited at university football games.
What time is the 2026 Hawaii Bowl on the mainland?
Kickoff is 2 p.m. in Honolulu on December 24, 2026, which is 7 p.m. on the East Coast. ESPN has the broadcast.
Do Hawaii Bowl tickets sell out?
When Hawaii plays, they can: the 2025 game against California filled the stadium with 15,194. Games between two mainland teams on campus have drawn around 7,000.
Can I take the bus to the Hawaii Bowl?
In 2025, TheBus ran added U-line trips every 15 minutes between the Ahua Lagoon Drive Skyline station and UH Manoa before the game, with returns afterward.
Is the Hawaii Bowl the old Aloha Bowl?
No. The Aloha Bowl ended after the 2000 season, and a new committee got the Hawaii Bowl certified in 2002 as a different game.