Media/Traffic Advisory: UH Mānoa commencement ceremony on Saturday

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will hold its fall commencement exercises on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at the Stan Sheriff Center for more than 800 students who will be receiving their bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. 

The student procession will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the commencement program at 9 a.m. The ceremony is expected to end at about 11:30 a.m. and will be followed by guests meeting the graduates on the Clarence T.C. Ching Field (last names A–K) and the Les Murakami Stadium field (last names L–Z).

Expect heavier than normal traffic on the H-1 Freeway near the university in both directions along with Dole Street and University Avenue after the start and end of the ceremony. 

Balloons, strollers, confetti, noisemakers, and large signs are not allowed inside the Stan Sheriff Center. Overflow seating for the ceremony is in the Les Murakami Stadium. The ceremony will be shown live on the stadium screen. Food will be available for purchase at concession stands in the Stan Sheriff Center.

The ceremony is also available via webcast from the Mānoa Commencement page: http://hawaii.edu/itunesu/vlive/?s=manoagrad.sdp. 

Parking and carpooling

On-campus parking will be free. Disability accessible parking stalls are located on the third-floor Diamond Head side of the parking structure, with additional stalls distributed on each floor on the ʻEwa side of the parking structure and throughout lots on the main campus. For disability access information, call the Mānoa Commencement Hotline at (808) 956-GRAD (4723).

Those presenting lei to graduates are asked to leave the plastic clamshell lei containers behind as they overwhelm the trash receptacles. To preserve our newly renovated athletic fields, potentially damaging shoes (i.e. stiletto heels, metal cleats, etc) are prohibited. 

For more information on commencement, go to: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/commencement/.