On the evening of April 9, 2026, the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo pulsed with energy and reverence as the Merrie Monarch Festival’s Hoʻike set the tone for a weeklong celebration of hula and Hawaiian culture. This year’s festivities were especially momentous, marking the 50th anniversary of hula kāne—the men’s hula division—at the festival, a milestone that drew thousands of visitors eager to witness both tradition and transformation in action, according to coverage by local outlets.
Since 1997, Hilo’s own Hālau O Kekuhi has opened the Merrie Monarch Hoʻike with their signature ʻaihaʻa hula. This low-postured, bent-kneed, and vigorous dance is said to mirror the pressure and eruption of lava from the nearby Kīlauea volcano, connecting the art form directly to the land and its elemental forces. This year, the performance carried extra poignancy as kumu hula Huihui Kanahele-Mossman took on the sole leadership role for the first time following the passing of renowned kumu hula Nalani Kanakaʻole-Zane. Her powerful direction and the hālau’s dynamic performance earned a standing ovation from the crowd—an emotional start to a festival rooted in both celebration and remembrance.
The evening’s program paid homage to the past and looked toward the future. The spotlight was on kāne dancers representing hālau that graced the Merrie Monarch stage in the festival’s early years. Among them was Hālau Nā Kamalei O Līlīlehua, led by the esteemed Robert Cazimero. Cazimero, who turned 77 just last month, was the kumu hula for the first-ever kāne division overall winners in 1976. Although he had announced that last year’s appearance would be his last as a competing kumu, Cazimero returned for this historic occasion. As he joked during the exhibition night, “When I retired last year, I didn’t think I’d be back so quickly. Aunty Luana, I’ll do almost anything, and that’s why we’re going back to do Hoʻike, to thank her for what her mom, Aunty Dot, did and what she’s done. It’s an honor to be here to celebrate 50 years of kāne hula.”
Also taking the stage was Hālau Hula O Kahikilaulani, honoring the late kumu hula Rae Fonseca, who had been a part of the inaugural kāne hula competition 50 years ago. Notably, several kumu hula received their ʻūniki (kumu hula graduation) in 2007 from Fonseca, including Emery Aceret and Kawika Alfiche. Robert Keʻano Kaʻupu, who danced for both Fonseca and the late Johnny Lum Ho, received his ʻūniki from Hokulani Holt-Padilla. Their performances reflected a deep sense of lineage and gratitude, bridging generations of dancers and teachers.
But the evening wasn’t just about honoring the past. Younger kāne from Oʻahu’s Nā Wai ʻEhā ʻO Puna, the hālau of the late Thaddius Wilson and OʻBrien Eselu, brought vibrant energy to the stage, representing the next wave of hula practitioners. The night reached its crescendo with the powerful dancers of Waimapuna, the hālau of the late Darrell Lupenui, who passed away in 1987. Armed with canoe paddles, the kāne told a story of endurance and the ancient tradition of way-finding—a fitting metaphor for the festival’s ongoing journey.
While the hula competition officially began on April 10 with 13 solo wahine vying for the coveted Miss Aloha Hula title, the spirit of the festival was already in full bloom. The Merrie Monarch has always been more than a contest; it’s a living, breathing testament to cultural survival and renewal. This ethos was especially evident in the experiences of University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo students, who, during the week of April 6 to April 10, immersed themselves in the festival through a special topics course, “Kalākaua: the Merrie Monarch” (ANTH/HIST 394).
The course, co-taught by Professor Kerri Inglis and Associate Professor Kathleen Kawelu (who also serves as the festival’s vice president), delved into three distinct eras of Hawaiian cultural revitalization. These included the reign of King Kalākaua—honored as the Merrie Monarch for his efforts to revive hula and Hawaiian identity—the founding and growth of the festival during the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1960s to 1980s, and the current era of resurgence inspired by the Kū Kiaʻi Maunakea movement. As Professor Inglis explained, “Our course of study is taking us through three eras of cultural revitalization—Hawaiian Renaissance—in Hawaiʻi’s history, while weaving in the story of the festival from how it began, to how it continues to expand and inspire.”
Students participated in volunteer work during the festival and undertook a semester-long service-learning project, compiling historical data from previous Merrie Monarch programs. Guest speakers enriched the curriculum, including archivist Helen Wong-Smith, Barbara Hilyer (niece of festival founder Helene H. Hale), and Hawaiian language professors Kalena Silva, Kekoa Harman, and Larry Kimura. These sessions offered students a multi-layered perspective on the festival’s origins, evolution, and enduring impact.
On April 3, the class took a huakaʻi (field trip) to Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium for a behind-the-scenes look at festival preparations. There, they met Aunty Luana Kawelu, the festival’s president, whose family has shepherded the event for decades. “As much as the Merrie Monarch Festival is about hula, I have learned it is also about kuleana, community, and ʻohana,” Professor Inglis reflected. “The Kawelu ʻohana has carried this festival through the decades and maintained it through their dedication and aloha for the hula community, and the community of Hilo.”
For student Lauren Aoki, the experience was transformative. “Growing up in Hilo, I always saw the Merrie Monarch from afar, but never actually had the chance to participate in any of it. This class has been an amazing opportunity to be a part of one of Hawaiʻi’s most iconic events,” she said. Aoki also highlighted the backstage experiences—helping organize chairs during rehearsals and witnessing the intricate setup firsthand—as moments that deepened her appreciation for the festival’s complexity and community spirit.
Perhaps most moving was the sense of collective purpose that permeated both the festival and the class. As Aoki put it, “Through the class, you truly understand just how much work goes into Merrie Monarch every single year and how much adversity it’s had to overcome over the decades. My favorite part of this class has been seeing the community I grew up in come together, because so much of it comes from a place of love. It’s not driven by money or personal gain, but genuine passion and kuleana. Merrie Monarch is held together by its people, who have sustained it throughout the years for no other reason than because it was a good thing to do. It wouldn’t be the same if it was hosted anywhere else. Hilo loves Merrie Monarch and Merrie Monarch loves Hilo back.”
As the official hula competition unfolds and new champions are crowned, the Merrie Monarch Festival in 2026 stands as a testament to resilience, tradition, and the enduring power of community. From the stage of Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium to the classrooms and streets of Hilo, the legacy of hula and the values it embodies continue to inspire new generations—promising that the next 50 years will be every bit as vibrant as the last.