Merrie Monarch

The Merrie Monarch hula competition kicked off Thursday night with Miss Aloha Hula at the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo.

Smiles. Laughter. Hugs. ‘Ohana. Aloha. Even a few tears — of joy. And that was all before walking in.

A limited live audience returned to the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium Wednesday for the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival’s Hōʻike night.

Periodic road closures for the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo are slated to start today at noon.

Big Island police are informing the public of a change in traffic pattern for a street in Hilo during the upcoming Merrie Monarch Festival.

An event in conjunction with the Merrie Monarch Festival that showcases and supports Hawai‘i artisans and creators while celebrating hula and Hawaiian culture returns this year and is welcoming everyone back in person.

With the return of the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, other events that coincide with the event throughout the community also are coming back, including at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.

A Honolulu news outlet reported shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, April 3, that a beloved kumu hula from the Big Island has died.

Merrie Monarch Festival’s Hōʻike Night is sold out.

The 2022 Merrie Monarch Festival is welcoming the public back this year for its Wednesday night Hōʻike — but not for free.

Organizers for the Merrie Monarch Festival announced tickets for the event’s Wednesday night Hōʻike go on sale on March 15.

Plans for the 2022 Merrie Monarch Festival continue to evolve and a live audience could be watching.

Plans are still moving forward for the Merrie Monarch Festival to return to its regular schedule this year. And the county is working with organizers and leadership of the prestigious hula competition to make sure it does.

Tonight will conclude the 58th annual Merrie Monarch Festival with its ʻauana competition.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is known not just for the celebration of hula, but the local artists who share Hawaiian culture through the clothes they make, the woods they carve and the jewelry they create.

Hula hālau (hula school) participants from across the world have been taking the stage at the iconic Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium in Hilo for the past couple of days to participate in the 58th Annual Merrie Monarch Hula Festival.

The development of rigorous safety guidelines and a television broadcast plan will allow for the safe return of the Merrie Monarch Festival after it was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organizers and sponsors are working together on options for holding the Merrie Monarch Festival in 2021 amid the looming COVID-19 pandemic.

Winners of Merrie Monarch week’s hula events were awarded as follows…

The Group Hula ʻAuana competition is set for 6 p.m., Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium.