It’s Merrie Monarch Season competition again (updated 2022)

It’s fantastic news that the Merrie Monarch Festival Competition is slated again to start for the week of April 17-23.with a limited viewing option for public participation at the Ho’ike or show performance. Typically happening on Wednesday before the actual competition begins, the Ho’ike celebration comes back to Hilo. Tickets have to be purchased in person at the tennis stadium office and cost is $5 per person to attend. All attendance will have to show proof of vaccinations to be able to attend the Ho’ike performance in Hilo.

The rest of the competition will be happening following the Ho’ike performance but there will still be no audience allowed, only judges or competiting hula halau will be allowed to attend.

The regular weekly celebrations, craft fairs will the finale grand parade will also happen but details are still being worked out so stay tuned for updates on these additional celebrations for Merry Monarch.

For ticket purchasei on the Ho’ike performance

Tickets for sale starting March 15th at the Merrie Monarch Festival Office, located at 865 Piʻilani St. in Hilo. Bring your vaccination card to purchase tickets.

Office hours the day ticket sales open will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Normal weekday office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For more updated information on the Ho’ike ticket purchase and other events happening for Merrie Monarch, check their website here for more details and information.

Merrie Monarch 2021 in Hilo

When is Merrie Monarch 2022 Scheduled?

The Merrie Monarch competition is scheduled to happen on the week following Easter Sunday for this April 17 -23.

Competition performances will be televised live on Hawaii News Now, Channel K5.

How will the Merrie Monarch Festival be celebrated for 2021?

How will the Merrie Monarch Festival be celebrated for 2022?

Scheduled for the week after Easter on April 17-23rd, there will be 17 hula halau will be invited to compete in Hilo and it will be done with safety protocols in mind. 17 competition wahine participating, 10 for Miss Aloha Hula and 7 for the Kane division competition. The event organizers are working with local health departments and each halau to ensure that everyone is safe during the competition.

The 2022 competition will include or exclude:

The grand festival parade will happen for the 2022 event typically following the close of the Merrie Monarch Festival. Stay tuned for more details regarding the parade route and safety protocols to participate.

All of the participants will take a covid test and have to be negative

There will only be 17 halau invited to compete and only 20 dancers of each halau can compete on stage. The halaus will be in a group bubble the entire stay at the hotel or just the competition.

All competition halau will be in halau bubbles and need to quarantine before, during and after the competition event.

Music for the competition will be recorded and not live for safety measures

There will be no other hula events or programs offered at Hilo during the competition.

The awards ceremony will also only be virtual

What about those Merrie Monarch Craft fairs?

What about those Merrie Monarch Craft fairs?

The craft fairs are going to be scheduled at this time for this event but the organizers are in the planning stage to see what can be done to help support the beautiful arts and crafts of local artisans in the area to help celebrate this wonderful festival celebration. Check the website for more updated details to the craft fairs

Check out these gorgeous group winner highlights for the 2019 festival below.

Also to be missed is the colorful grand parade, check the 2019 highlights below

Check out the powerful Men’s Kahiko 2019 performances below

Here’s a beautiful performance of Miss Aloha 2019 in Kahiko style

For more video highlights, check out the Merrie Monarch You Tube page here for more hula inspiration.

Any other updates for 2022?

Even though the venues and activities are limited to the Ho’ike, craft fair and parade, the spirit lives on for hula and the love of hula to be perpetuated on the islands. Updates to the Merrie Monarch festival 2022 will be shared on this post for anything to do with the competition or ways of Celebrating safely in June.

The Merrie Monarch competition event in Hilo came off without any major problems or issues even though the event was just televised with pre-recorded music. Here are some of the video highlights from the event.

Miss Aloha 2021 in her Auana performance

Kane Kahiko 2021 winners

2021 Wahine Kahiko competition compilation

Merry Monarch Parade with horseback riders

Check out these other Hawaii topics

A Hawaii travel guide primer

Hawaii information and what you need to know about Covid

Staying healthy and boost your immune systems

How to eat cheap in Hawaii

Virtual tours of Hawaii

Locals love these tasty Hawaiian snacks

Popular Hawaiian dishes you need to try

Traditional Hawaiian food favorite dishes

Comfort foods of Hawaii

Farmers markets in Hawaii

Like this – Pin it for later

Pinterest Merrie Monarch in Hilo 2021

The organizers of Merrie Monarch wanted to continue to legacy of keeping hula alive and in the hearts and minds of those that love the music, dance and paegentry of this special event. Even though the program will be limited, it will still be a fantastic event to celebrate in the Hula world.

Thanks for visiting This Hawaii life and checking out this post on the Merrie Monarch competition in Hilo for 2021. If you enjoyed reading this post, please do share it with any of the social media buttons on the slider.

I’d like to hear from you!

If you found some other cool updates or information about Merrie Monarch 2021, please share your experiences in the comments below for everyone to enjoy. Or even if you have any questions about visiting, I would be more than happy to answer them below.

We love shares - Mahalo!

0 Comments

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Hawaiian culture and traditions - This Hawaii Life - […] Merrie Monarch Festivals – An important festival in Hawaii for a week and celebrates hula dance with the ancient…
  2. Family friendly Visit to the Big Island - […] for the family to try local food and entertainment that is fun, friendly and even participate in a hula…
  3. Bargain shopping in Hawaii - This Hawaii Life - […] Merry Monarch Parade 2016 […]
  4. Merrie Monarch Parade in Hilo Hawaii - […] The Merrie Monarch parade caps a week long celebration of hula dance, music performance and creative arts in Hilo,…

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Noel Morata this Hawaii Life

Meet Noel Morata

Noel Morata is the creator of This Hawaii Life along with a small team of contributors. Living on the Big Island and traveling regularly to the neighbor islands, Noel and team actively search and share the latest information and updates to Hawaii travel, food, adventure and various lifestyle activities on the islands for your planning and vacation. Aloha and enjoy This Hawaii Life.