The 61st annual Merrie Monarch Hula Festival wrapped up on Hawaiʻi Island over the weekend, and residents are already looking forward to next year.
The event is a Hilo tradition and every year around this time, residents in this rainy little town know exactly what to expect.
“Our house is packed. Every single room in our house is rented out to our friends for free. Just the energy you feel in Hilo when everyone’s here. We love it,” said Hilo business owner Keahi Camara.
Camara and his wife, Jordan, own Kahua ʻĀina, which sells plush pillows, stickers and backpacks featuring Native Hawaiian species like fish and birds.
“I think one of the biggest things for us with Merrie Monarch is there’s just such a want for mea Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian products),” Camara said. “A lot of things to do with hula, but also just culturally based products.”
Camara was posted up at the Kākoʻo Hawaiʻi Craft Fair at Sangha Hall, along with Hilo fashion designer Jessica Wong, owner of Kamea Designs.
“My favorite thing about Merrie Monarch is just to see how the community comes together to support the culture,” Wong said. “But also to support small, local businesses.”
For Hilo musician and 14-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Mark Yamanaka, Merrie Monarch is a time for the town to come together.
“All the pilikia (problems) that goes on throughout the year gets thrown out the window, you know?” Yamanaka said. “Politics, war, all that kind of bad stuff, to me everybody has this one week to forget about everything that bothers them.”
Yamanaka and fellow musician Kellen Paik of Kūpaoa were also at the craft fair with their new clothing line Everyday Local.
"Merrie Monarch is something that us Hilo-ans generally look forward to," Yamanaka said. "The anticipation grows the closer we get to the event. The craft fairs, of course, the hula, just the pop-ups everywhere, at the hotels, the shopping center."
But once the crowds leave Hilo after Merrie Monarch, all folks can think about is next year.
“I mean, as soon as this is done, you just keep counting the days OK, 365 days until next year, you know?” Wong said.
Past coverage of Merrie Monarch Festival 2024:
