History of Merrie Monarch Festival in Timeline

The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long hula festival held annually in Hilo, Hawaii, after Easter. It honors King David Kalākaua, known as the "Merrie Monarch," who revived Hawaiian arts, including hula. Hālau hula from Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, and internationally participate in exhibitions and competitions. Recognized globally, it is considered the most prestigious hula contest, celebrating and preserving Hawaiian culture.

1963: Festival Creation

In 1963, Helene Hale, then Executive Officer of Hawaii County, decided to create an event to increase tourism to the Island of Hawaii, which had suffered economic problems after the collapse of the sugar industry.

1964: First Merrie Monarch Festival

In 1964, the first Merrie Monarch Festival was organized by Helene Hale, George Naʻope, and Gene Wilhelm. The festival included a King Kalākaua beard look–alike contest, a barbershop quartet contest, a relay race, a re–creation of King Kalākaua's coronation, and a Holoku Ball.

1968: Dottie Thompson Takes Over

By 1968, the Merrie Monarch Festival had waned in popularity, and Dottie Thompson took over as executive director, transforming it into a private community organization. She wanted to move the festival more toward a Hawaiian theme.

1971: Aloha Dalire Wins First Miss Aloha Hula

In 1971, Aloha Dalire, a kumu hula and hula dancer, won the first Miss Aloha Hula under her maiden name, Aloha Wong. Miss Aloha Hula is hula's top solo wahine honor.

1971: Hula Competition Introduced

In 1971, Dottie Thompson and Naʻope introduced a hula competition at the Merrie Monarch Festival. Nine wahine (female) hālau entered the competition in its first year.

1971: Inaugural Miss Aloha Hula competition

The Miss Aloha Hula competition began in 1971. Each hālau may submit one contestant who is 18 to 25 years old and unmarried. Each contestant performs a hula kahiko and hula 'auana and is judged on their oli, ka'i, mele, ho'i, costuming, and leis.

1976: Competition Opens to Kane Halau

In 1976, the Merrie Monarch Festival opened the hula competition to kāne (male) hālau.

1981: First Broadcast on Local TV

In 1981, the Merrie Monarch Festival was first broadcast on local TV by KITV, bringing the festival to homes across Hawaii. Coverage began as taped and edited highlight segments and eventually went live.

2009: KFVE Broadcast Deal

In 2009, Luana Kawelu, president of the Merrie Monarch Festival, signed a deal with competitor KFVE to broadcast the festival in 2010 and beyond, ending KITV's 29-year run.

2010: KFVE Broadcast Begins

In 2010, KFVE began broadcasting the Merrie Monarch Festival after a deal was signed in 2009.

2020: Merrie Monarch Festival Cancelled

In 2020, the Merrie Monarch Festival was cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

2021: 2021 Merrie Monarch Competition Held Without Live Audience

In 2021, the Merrie Monarch competition was held from June 24–26 without a live audience and was broadcast July 1–3 on KFVE.

2023: Publication of 'Hula: A Novel'

In 2023, Jasmin Iolani Hakes' book 'Hula: A Novel', which revolves around the Merrie Monarch competition, won Honolulu magazine's award for Book of the Year About Hawaii.

2025: 2025 Merrie Monarch Hula Competition

In 2025, the Merrie Monarch hula competition began on Thursday night, April 24, at 6:00 PM HST, and was livestreamed free all three nights on the website of Hawaii News Now.