GALLERY: Local hālau kick off the 63rd annual Merrie Monarch Festival
Every Easter Sunday, Hoʻolauleʻa brings hālau from around Hawaiʻi Island to start the 63rd annual Merrie Monarch Festival at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo.
The Merrie Monarch Festival has contributed to a renaissance of the Hawaiian culture, providing a platform on which cultural practices and values can be honored and passed from generation to generation.
Over the next two days, Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium and the Butler Building next door will turn into a bustling marketplace with more than 150 artisans and crafters selling their locally made goods.
The 2026 Merrie Monarch Hawaiian Arts and Crafts Fair is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.


















