The 52nd annual Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration of the art of hula, kicks off Sunday in Hilo.
The 52nd annual Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration of the art of hula, kicks off Sunday in Hilo.
The festival includes art exhibits, craft fairs, demonstrations, performances, a parade, and a three-day hula competition that draws thousands from around the world to Hilo.
Merrie Monarch week commences at 9 a.m. Sunday with a hoolaulea featuring a lineup local halau. The free event will be offered at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, which is located off Manono Street.
Free mid-day entertainment will be offered Monday through Friday at noon at Hilo Naniloa Hotel and at 1 p.m. at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.
The Merrie Monarch Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. This free event features products by local artists and crafters, as well as live entertainment.
An exhibition night of hula and folk dance from around the Pacific, the festival’s Hoike Performances gets underway at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Edith Kanakaole Stadium on Kalanikoa Street. The performances are free to the public.
Twenty-four halau will take part in the main hula event, held nightly Thursday through Saturday, with 14 entering in the wahine group competition; six in the kane group competition and four entering both the kane and wahine competitions.
Twelve young ladies will compete Thursday for the title of Miss Aloha Hula at Edith Kanakaole Stadium. The event starts at 6 p.m. and features individual competition for the title with contestants performing hula kahiko, hula auana and oli (chanting). Tickets are required required to attend this event.
Both men and women will dance in Friday night’s hula kahiko (ancient hula) and Saturday night’s hula auana (modern hula) competition. The event starts at 6 p.m. both nights; tickets are required. An awards ceremony will be held following competition Saturday evening.
At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, take to the streets for the annual Merrie Monarch Royal Parade. The parade begins and ends at Pauahi Street. It winds through downtown Hilo via Kilauea Avenue, Keawe Street, Waianuenue Avenue and Kamehameha Avenue.
The Merrie Monarch Festival, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1963 by the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce and continued by the private Merrie Monarch Festival community organization. The weeklong event strives to perpetuate, preserve and promote the art of hula and Hawaiian culture.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit merriemonarch.com