Halfway down Hōnaunau Road, between the Hōnaunau Post Office and Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau, there is a rodeo arena with a covered grandstand, a judges' stand and a pavilion with a concession counter. Most weeks it sits quiet. On Saturday, Dec. 12, the gates open at 1:30 p.m. for the Hōnaunau Hoedown, and the arena fills with boots, folding chairs and the Electric Slide until 9 p.m.
The event is a line-dance afternoon, a mechanical bull contest and a holiday gift market all at once. It also shows what the arena was rebuilt to do, when the County committed $5.1 million in 2016 to a facility meant for rodeo and for South Kona's gatherings in the same place.
What the County's rebuild was designed to include
Big Island Now reported in January 2016 that ground would break on Feb. 5 that year on a full reconstruction of the arena at 84-5134 Hōnaunau Road. The project was a $5.1 million investment from Hawaiʻi County Mayor Billy Kenoi's administration and the Department of Parks and Recreation, with strong support from Councilwoman Maile David. Isemoto Contracting Co. Ltd. was expected to finish the work by October 2016.
The scope went well past the dirt and the rails:
- A 2,000-square-foot pavilion with a concession area
- A new comfort station, a judges' stand and covered spectator stands
- Paved parking stalls
- New panels, pens and infill material in the arena itself
- A completely rebuilt water system, with spigots available for public use
- Full ADA compliance across the facility
The new pavilion was planned to support rodeo events and also to give South Kona residents a space for public meetings, private parties and other community functions. Today the arena is on the County Parks and Recreation facility directory as a South Kona community facility with a pavilion, water and restrooms, along with information on public rentals.
That intent explains the shape of the Dec. 12 event. The concession pavilion handles food vendors, the stands give spectators shade for the competitions, and the arena floor works as a dance floor.
How a line-dance afternoon uses a rodeo arena
The Hoedown is hosted by Mauka Bound Line Dancing, and the event listing on Humanitix opens with an invitation to "grab your boots and bring the ʻohana" to the Hōnaunau Rodeo Arena for line dancing and paniolo fun. The schedule builds from lessons toward competition and then a party, so a first-timer can arrive knowing nothing and be on the floor for the final dance.
The listing gives the afternoon in this order:
- 1:30 p.m. Gates open.
- 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Open mechanical bull riding, for an additional fee.
- 2 to 3 p.m. Beginner line dance workshop. No partner is needed.
- 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Improver line dance workshop for anyone ready for the next step.
- 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mechanical bull riding competition, with riders already selected.
- 6 to 9 p.m. Dance party under the stars.
- 7 to 7:30 p.m. Line dance competition, in the middle of the party.
- 9 p.m. The night closes with the Electric Slide.
The workshops come before the competitions on purpose. Someone who takes the 2 p.m. beginner session has a few hours to practice before the 6 p.m. party, and dancers who want to enter the 7 p.m. competition are asked to message @maukaboundlinedancing on Instagram.
The bull ride that ends at the Angel Tree
The 4:30 p.m. mechanical bull competition carries the day's most specific holiday purpose. According to the listing, the competition riders are raising money for The Salvation Army Angel Tree.
The vendors are framed the same way. The listing describes a lineup of local food vendors and local shopping vendors and suggests the afternoon as a chance to pick up last-minute Christmas gifts while supporting local sellers. With the event falling on Dec. 12, that leaves just under two weeks before Christmas.
So a family can take a beginner lesson, watch the bull riding, finish holiday shopping and stay for the dancing at one South Kona venue on one Saturday, in a pavilion the County built for this kind of day.
Tickets, parking and what to bring
The practical details are all on the Humanitix listing and its ticket page:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Adult general admission | $25, plus sales tax and a $2.72 fee |
| Keiki, ages 5 to 12 | $10, plus sales tax and a $1.89 fee |
| Younger children | Free |
| Mechanical bull, open riding | Additional fee, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. |
| Parking | Free, with attendants directing cars |
| Food and drink | No outside food, beverages or coolers; water bottles allowed |
| Seating | Bring your own chairs |
Chairs are the one thing worth packing. The covered stands are part of the arena, but the listing asks guests to bring their own seating so they can settle in for the full afternoon and evening. Because outside food is not allowed, plan on eating from the vendor lineup.
In recent Januaries, the arena has belonged to cattle
In recent years, the arena's January calendar has centered on a ranch rodeo. Hoʻomau Ranch, a working ranch on Old Mamalahoa Highway in Captain Cook between the 86 and 88 mile markers, has staged its rodeo here. On its own site, the ranch describes an active conservation program with guided forest tours, forest management, ecological restoration and habitat protection. The ranch also offers UTV rides through cattle pasture that paniolo manage.
Big Island Now previewed the second annual Hoʻomau Ranch Rodeo for Jan. 13 and 14, 2024. The events included calf mugging, ranch broncs, dummy roping, barrel racing, goat undecorating, team roping, double mugging and bull riding. Admission was $10 for adults 18 and older, and keiki got in free. The ranch then scheduled its fourth annual rodeo at the arena for Jan. 17 and 18, 2026, starting at 7 a.m. It is worth checking the ranch's events page around the turn of the year.
The two events are close relatives. The Hoedown's mechanical bull is a friendly version of the bull riding the January rodeo has featured, and the line-dance floor is set inside the pens and panels the reconstruction called for, built for real stock. The ranching tradition behind all of it goes back a long way in Hawaiʻi. The Paniolo Preservation Society records that cattle were gifted to Hawaiʻi in 1793 and that King Kamehameha III invited vaqueros to mentor Hawaiians, which is where the paniolo story begins.
Keeping the steps going into the new year
For anyone who leaves the Hoedown wanting more practice, Mauka Bound's class page lists its winter session:
- Beginner: Thursdays, 5 to 6 p.m. and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., starting Jan. 7
- High-beginner and intermediate: Tuesdays, 5 to 6 p.m. and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., starting Jan. 5
Registration and venue details are on Mauka Bound's site. A beginner who takes the 2 p.m. workshop on Dec. 12 would be lined up for a Thursday class less than four weeks later.
The arena's own rhythm runs in a similar loop. This December brings a holiday dance, recent Januaries have brought a ranch rodeo, and between events the pavilion is available for the meetings and parties it was built for, at 84-5134 Hōnaunau Road.
Some of the best parts of life on the Kona Coast are close to home, from a paniolo afternoon on Hōnaunau Road to the quiet evening drive back afterward. If you're thinking about South Kona as your place for the long term, the team at Hōkūlia would be glad to show you the land, the views and the community around it. View Properties.
