Hawai‘i Bowl Returns To Traditional Christmas Eve Timeslot
HONOLULU – The 21st annual Hawai‘i Bowl returns to its traditional Christmas Eve timeslot for the 2024 edition, Tuesday, Dec. 24 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa campus.
The annual holiday bowl game will feature teams from the Mountain West and Conference USA and will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. HT) on ESPN. Last year, the game was played outside of Christmas Eve slot for just the fifth time in bowl history.
“We are excited to return Hawai‘i's holiday tradition, the Hawai'i Bowl, to Christmas Eve and look forward to creating once-in-a-lifetime memories for our participating teams and their fans,” said executive director Daryl Garvin.
The Ching Athletics Complex will play host to the Hawai‘i Bowl for the third consecutive year while the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District is being completed. Aloha Stadium, the former home of the bowl game, hosted the bowl game annually from 2002 to 2019.
A Mountain West team has played in the Hawai‘i Bowl every year since 2012 while C-USA will send a representative for the 14th time. C-USA teams have won nine Hawai‘i Bowls while MW teams have won four times.
The Hawai‘i Bowl is known for high scoring, thrilling offensive performances and close games with two overtime contests and eight games decided by one touchdown or less. In addition to promoting the island way of life by sponsoring events intrinsic to Hawai‘i, the bowl supports many non-profit organizations through the Hawai‘i Bowl Foundation. More than $1 million has been awarded to local charities since the inception of the Hawai‘i Bowl Foundation. Additionally, through the Extra Yard for Teachers program, the Hawai‘i Bowl has partnered with Teach for America Hawai’i to support teachers, schools and students.
Last season, Coastal Carolina defeated San Jose State, 24-14 in the bowl’s 20th edition. The game was low scoring heading into a thrilling fourth quarter which saw the Spartans rally from a 17-point deficit to within three. CCU’s Sam Pinckney caught an 8-yard touchdown from Ethan Vasko in the closing minutes to seal the victory. Vasko was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The bowl game was created in 2002 after the hometown Rainbow Warriors finished the 2001 season with a 9-3 record and were not invited to a bowl game. The University of Hawai’i has participated in the bowl a record nine times.
Tickets are expected to go on sale later this summer.
Support provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Signature Events Program.
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.
About Hawai‘i Tourism Authority
Authority is the state agency responsible for representing The Hawaiian Islands around the world, and for holistically managing tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with community desires, economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, and visitor industry needs. HTA works with the community and industry to Mālama Hawaiʻi – care for our beloved home. For more information about HTA, visit hawaiitourismauthority.org or follow @HawaiiHTA on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Twitter.
