Merrie Monarch Festival

Competition kicked off Thursday night at the 2025 Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo with the soloist competition. Thirteen contestants competed for the title of Miss Aloha Hula, including Jaedyn Pavao, who represented Kauaʻi's only hālau in this year's festival. HPR contributor Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

Tariffs are now beginning to take their toll on the fashion industry. This comes as many Hawaiʻi designers are front and center at the Merrie Monarch arts and crafts fair. The Conversation talked to Georja Skinner of the state's Creative Industries Division about the uncertainty around higher prices.

John Letoto, the founder of Kalo & Cream, spoke with HPR's Maddie Bender about how his small business has been preparing for the Merrie Monarch Hawaiian Arts and Crafts Fair.

The 62nd annual Merrie Monarch hula competition has kicked off, and it's been celebrating traditional hula and Hawaiian culture for decades. Many hālau emphasize upholding that tradition. But a growing number of hālau are mixing a bit of modern touches into their performances.

As Hilo prepares for the Merrie Monarch Festival to reconvene on April 20, here's what to expect during the week-long festivities. HPR's Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn has more.

The 61st annual Merrie Monarch Hula Festival wrapped up in Hilo over the weekend, and residents are already looking forward to next year. Every year around this time, residents in this rainy town know exactly what to expect. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi was in Hilo for the festivities and has this story.

The traditional practice of “going on kapu” allows hula practitioners to cleanse their bodies, their minds and their lives of the unnecessary to really focus on hula. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi explains how it differs among hālau.

Hula is not the only Hawaiian tradition honored at Merrie Monarch this week. The festival is paying tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Hawaiian language revitalization movement. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi teachers, students and pioneers were in Hilo to perform on hula's biggest stage. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Every year, and exclusively during the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, crowds flock to a small church in the coastal community of Keaukaha for a taste of authentic Hawaiian food. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports on how it came to be.

Hālau only get seven minutes to perform each number on stage at the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. To ensure precise timing, some kumu hula on Oʻahu created a replica of the Hilo stage in vacant retail space in Kalihi. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.