The 54th annual Merrie Monarch Festival, a weeklong celebration of the art of hula, gets underway Sunday in Hilo.
The festivities include 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 of 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-three halau will take part in the main hula event, held nightly Thursday through Saturday, with 14 in only the wahine group competition; three in the kane group competition and six entering both the kane and wahine competitions.
This year’s judges are Ainsley Halemanu, Rachel Lahela Ka‘aihue, Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele, Etua Lopes, Pi‘ilani Lua, Keali‘i Reichel and Kalena Silva.
Ten 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 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 Hoike and competitions will be televised on K-FVE, as well as streamed live online at http://merriemonarch.com/live-streaming Wednesday through Saturday. Wednesday’s coverage “Backstage at the Merrie Monarch” runs from 8-9 p.m. On Thursday and Friday, coverage runs from 6 p.m. to midnight with the Miss Aloha Hula Competition on Thursday and the Hula Kahiko Competition on Friday. Saturday’s coverage of the Hula Auana Competition runs from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday.
Info: www.merriemonarch.com. ■