The parade through downtown Hilo is one of the final events of Merrie Monarch. Below are photos and videos of the 2008 Merrie Monarch parade which showcases Hilo and the Big Island's schools, police, military, county offices, Merrie Monarch hula visitors, Hawaiian groups, and numerous groups participating in the event.
The first video is of the Hawaiian Royal Entourage at the begining of the Merrie Monarch parade.
This is a much longer video of all the local Hilo school bands and the Hawaiian immersion language charter schools in the parade. It is about 9 minutes long.
This is a video of Mayor Kim (now ex-Mayor) walking down Kamehameha Avenue in the parade followed by the County of Hawaii police force and Fire trucks.
Below are pictures of the parade in order of appearance. I was standing on Kamehameha street in downtown Hilo facing towards Hilo Bay. The parade lasted about 4 hours with long waits between the floats and bands. The crowd enjoyed the clear and warm day and everyone chatted and played while waiting and then cheered when the next portion of the parade arrived.