We hope you’re ready for another year of phenomenal hula and Hawaiian music as the 54th annual Merrie Monarch Festival gets underway tomorrow, Thursday, April 20 through Saturday, April 22 in Hilo, Hawaii. Though tickets have been sold out for months, you can still enjoy the competition from the comforts of home. Each moment is captured live on television, […]
It’s the hottest ticket in Hawaii—the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, Hawaii Island this week. Beginning with Easter Sunday, a week of festivities will culminate with amazing hula performances under the bright lights of the Edith Kanakaole Stadium for three nights of competition (all Hawaii Standard Time): Miss Aloha Hula: Thursday, April 20, 6 to
The heart of the Merrie Monarch Festival centers around more than half-a-century of hula, but it’s no secret that attendees also gravitate to Hilo for its famous dining and shopping scene—craft fairs, pop-up shops and hole-in-the-wall eateries. WHERE TO EAT Hilo’s merriest time of the year also brings visitors together from all over the globe, where
Traditional hula practices thrive on Hawaii Island, particularly during Merrie Monarch. We asked lunar calendar expert and researcher Kalei Nuuhiwa for her insights on how to respectfully approach people who are practicing their traditions. Picture this: It’s a perfectly beautiful day at the Kilauea crater. The smoke is rising above Halemaumau. The wind is blowing softly
Every Spring, Hilo comes alive during the annual Merrie Monarch Festival—an internationally-acclaimed celebration of Hawaii’s most beloved art form, the hula. Three nights of exhilarating competition unite a total of 28 men’s and women’s hula halau (groups) from across the Hawaiian Islands and the continental U.S. this year, alongside visiting dancers from Asia and Polynesian
Even if you’ve never been to Hawaii, chances are you’ve caught wind of the name Pele, the legendary Hawaiian goddess who makes her home in Kilauea’s Halemaumau Crater. Photo: Wikipedia Commons Look at all that steam. Someone must be home … There are many moolelo (legends) surrounding the deity to Kilauea and multiple portraits of
Kilauea, an active shield volcano on Hawaii Island that’s roughly between 300,000 to 600,000 years old, puts on quite the show—and what we as humans have been able to witness is just a speck in its history. Having observed, chronicled and studied its spectacular eruptions and lava flows, The United States Geological Survey is an incredible repository of all things Kilauea over
In the last two weeks, Uber launched its services on both Kauai and Hawaii Island, adding another transportation option to the already-existing ones on both islands. The company’s expansion is important news for travelers to these two islands who are looking for another form of transportation. The popular ridesharing app, which enables its users to
Hilo surprised me. I’ve flown into Hilo a few times in the past and driven by it on a circle island road trip, but this is my first time actually visiting the third largest city in the state. What I didn’t realize was that there is so much to do in Hilo and I am
Real estate websites and apps make browsing homes in Hawaii a beachside breeze, but while online resources have become more robust in recent years, a thorough understanding of Hawaii’s unique market is still essential. Local Market Knowledge For buyers and sellers alike, conducting your own market research is helpful and encouraged, but consulting with a
It’s early on a bright autumn day in Kona and the sun is steadily baking the earth beneath my feet. Brittle blades crunch with each step and tiny clinging burrs linger on my long pants. I’m searching for the 3,000-foot-long Kaneaka, the longest remaining ancient kahua holua (sledding course) in Hawaii, on the steep slopes
Greet the sun at Kona Historical Society’s outdoor yoga sessions, held every Friday morning on the tranquil grounds of the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, the only living history coffee farm in the nation. You’ll feel like you stepped back in time to the 1920s, where the historic coffee mill, farmhouse and coffee tree orchards
