Aloha Stadium

Address:99-500 Salt Lake Boulevard
Aiea, Hawaii

Overlooking the turquoise waters of Pearl Harbor lays Aloha Stadium, one of the most unique stadiums in any sport. Situated in Honolulu, the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium, on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, offers picture-perfect playing conditions against a backdrop of blue skies, clear water, and swaying palm trees. Hawaii's year-round sunshine makes Aloha State stadium a favorite destination for the many athletes who compete here in various sporting events.

Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Division I football program, as well as to many other events. The highlight events held at Aloha are the Annual NFL' Pro Bowl, where the best professional football players from the AFC face their counterparts from the NFC in the All-Star season closer and college football's Hula Bowl and Aloha Bowl. Aloha Stadium regularly hosts tractor pulls, and motocross races. Its biggest automotive money maker is the ever-popular swap meet, held in the stadium's parking lot every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hawaii's 50th State Fair, Farm Fair, and a sports carnival are held there annually. Aloha Stadium once served as home field for Minor League Baseball's AAA Hawaii team from 1975 to 1987 before the team moved to Colorado Springs. The Stadium even briefly played host to Major League Baseball when the promotion-minded San Diego Padres hosted the St. Louis Cardinals here for a three game series in April 1997.

Aloha Stadium can be reconfigured into various configurations so as to suit different types of sports, as well as for other purposes, and was the first stadium in the United States with this capability. In just 30 minutes, four movable sections, each weighing 3.5 million pounds, can be moved, using a system of air cushions, into a diamond configuration for baseball or soccer, an oval for football, or a triangle for concerts. In 2003, Aloha Stadium received a face-lift when its aging AstroTurf surface was stripped and replaced with state-of-the-art, NFL-endorsed FieldTurf which, aside from looking nicer and newer, may reduce the number of turf-related injuries.

The opening game at Aloha Stadium took place on September 13, 1975, before a crowd of 32,247, when the Rainbow Warriors were badly defeated by Texas A&I, 43-9. The 1992 season, in which the Warriors claimed its first Western Athletic Conference Championship, was witnessed by an average of 44,432 fans per game. The number declined during the mid-1990s, along with the team's success. But since Coach June Jones took over the helm in 1999, Hawaii has turned Aloha Stadium into a true home-field advantage once again. The Warrior football team sparked the best turnaround in NCAA football history, which was capped by a victory over Oregon State in the Jeep Oahu Bowl. The Warriors appeared in their third bowl game under Jones, as they defeated the University of Houston in triple-overtime in front of a national audience.

Many big-name musicians have graced Aloha Stadium. Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Van Halen, Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion have all rocked the complex.

Here is a tip for Pro Bowl goers. There is a little-known pre-game Tailgate Party at Richardson Field, directly across the street from Aloha Stadium (near the intersection of Salt Lake Blvd. & Kamehameha Highway). The event offers an up-close and personal chance to hang with NFL business partners and local dignitaries. The Official NFL Pro Bowl Tailgate Party includes appearances by NFL players and celebrities, the Pro Bowl cheerleaders, and NFL team mascots, as well as live entertainment, and an exclusive Pro Bowl gift for all attendees. The Tailgate Party is not well-publicized in order to keep attendance limited. But now you know the secret and can amaze your friends with your new-found insights.

Located in Halawa, the 104-acre Aloha Stadium complex is just 30 minutes from downtown Honolulu, and a 20-minute drive from Waikiki. There are entrances from Salt Lake Boulevard, Kamehameha Highway, and Halawa Heights Road. There is even a pedestrian bridge running directly from Aiea Elementary School to the stadium's parking area.