Hawai'ian culture celebrated in 62nd edition of festival
The festival named after one of Hawaii's former kings returns this week, celebrating Hawaiian arts and culture.
Photo:
Merrie Monarch Festival
An annual festival dedicated to preserving traditional Hawai'ian arts and culture has been underway on Hilo Island this week.
The 62nd Merrie Monarch was started by the late King David Laamea Kalākaua, who advocated for bringing back Hawai'ian culture.
Known as the Merrie Monarch, he was the last king and second-last monarch to reign in Hawai'i in the late 1800s.
The week-long event includes performances, parades and the Miss Aloha Hula competition.
Louisa Tipene-Opetaia, who is in attendence this week, told
Pacific Waves
it is hard to get tickets and often people end up watching the live stream.
She said attending the festival in person is a sensory experience.
"When you watch hula, you don't just watch with your eyes," she said.
"You can feel the drum beat like going through you, and you can smell the flowers, and you listen to the chanters and you listen to the music. So it's a whole sensory kind of overload.
"You don't get that watching the live stream, as good as it is."
She said a ballot system is in place for tickets. The Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium hosts the festival every year, but only 5000 people can fit in the ground, and a lot of seats are taken by performers and their families.
"So you have to apply for tickets...it's real old school. They do it all through the mail," she said.
"You've got to send in an application form, and you've got to send in a money order. And you do that at the end of the year, so in December, and then a couple months later, you find out whether you got in or not.
"If not, you get your money order back and you have to watch the live stream with the rest of the world."
Tipene-Opetaia, who lived on the island for seven years, said previously, almost all of its traditions were banned, and King David Laamea Kalākaua was credited with the revival of the Hawai'ian culture and the Hawai'ian language.
"That's why they've named this festival after him, because of what he did to bring back this dance that actually was outlawed by the colonizers who came in.
"They tried to take these kinds of things away from us - practicing our traditional healing methods, dancing and singing our songs."
The festival wraps up on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Scoop
More Pacific Dance, More Ways To Experience It This June
Article – Elephant Publicity This June, the Pacific Dance Festival invites audiences to connect more deeply with Pacific creativity, offering a rich programme of performance, rehearsal and workshop events across Tāmaki Makaurau. Alongside the return of Aruna Po-Ching's acclaimed dance-theatre work, the festival opens its doors to a series of free open rehearsals and a hands-on Cook Islands workshop with master artist Aunty Kura Taruia. PELE: The Goddess of Fire will be performed at Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 June at 7pm. Created and directed by Aruna Kekeha Po-Ching, the work draws on the Hawaiian myth of Pele, goddess of volcanoes, creation, and destruction. As Pele dreams of a prince and sends her sister Hi'iaka across the ocean to bring him back, the story unfolds through hula-informed choreography, theatrical storytelling, and striking Indigenous scenography. Featuring a cast of eighteen dancers and musical direction by Dr. Opeloge Ah Sam, PELE offers a rich, emotional and visually powerful experience. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki will also open its doors for three free open rehearsals, inviting audiences behind the scenes. On Saturday 24 May, Iatua Richard Felagai Taito (Waipapa Taumata Rau – University of Auckland PhD candidate) shares a new work-in-development. On Saturday 31 May, Unitec-Te Pūkenga Performing & Screen Arts, dance students Leilani Grace Tonu'u, Lily-Mae Baird, Komai Waqalevu and Nate Gacusan present contemporary solos. All of these artists will also appear in the Moana Show on Tuesday 17 June at Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, with tickets available now via Eventfinda. On Sunday 8 June, Faiva at the Museum takes place at Auckland War Memorial Museum from 11:30am to 1:30pm. This free activation is more than performance — Faiva is the living expression of Pacific identity, knowledge, and connection through movement, voice, and heart. Audiences are invited to go behind the scenes and witness the creative process in action, with open rehearsals of Shapes In The Clouds (11:30am–12:00pm) and Kuini (12:30pm–1:00pm), each followed by a public Q&A with the cast. Then on Saturday 14 June, Po-Ching and dancers from The Hula Journey open a rehearsal of PELE, offering a glimpse into its choreographic process. Following the 14 June open rehearsal, Aunty Kura Taruia leads a free public workshop exploring Cook Islands dance (ura) and flower crown-making (ei katu). A respected elder, choreographer and costume maker, Aunty Kura brings decades of knowledge to her workshops. Participants must book in advance and attend both sessions. The event is free and takes place in a public space — comfortable clothing and water bottles are encouraged. Since 2010, Pacific Dance New Zealand has nurtured Pacific artists and communities across Aotearoa. The 2025 Pacific Dance Festival continues that kaupapa, offering connection, creativity and celebration in every moment.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Scoop
More Pacific Dance, More Ways To Experience It This June
Article – Elephant Publicity Since 2010, Pacific Dance New Zealand has nurtured Pacific artists and communities across Aotearoa. The 2025 Pacific Dance Festival continues that kaupapa, offering connection, creativity and celebration in every moment. This June, the Pacific Dance Festival invites audiences to connect more deeply with Pacific creativity, offering a rich programme of performance, rehearsal and workshop events across Tāmaki Makaurau. Alongside the return of Aruna Po-Ching's acclaimed dance-theatre work, the festival opens its doors to a series of free open rehearsals and a hands-on Cook Islands workshop with master artist Aunty Kura Taruia. PELE: The Goddess of Fire will be performed at Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 June at 7pm. Created and directed by Aruna Kekeha Po-Ching, the work draws on the Hawaiian myth of Pele, goddess of volcanoes, creation, and destruction. As Pele dreams of a prince and sends her sister Hi'iaka across the ocean to bring him back, the story unfolds through hula-informed choreography, theatrical storytelling, and striking Indigenous scenography. Featuring a cast of eighteen dancers and musical direction by Dr. Opeloge Ah Sam, PELE offers a rich, emotional and visually powerful experience. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki will also open its doors for three free open rehearsals, inviting audiences behind the scenes. On Saturday 24 May, Iatua Richard Felagai Taito (Waipapa Taumata Rau – University of Auckland PhD candidate) shares a new work-in-development. On Saturday 31 May, Unitec-Te Pūkenga Performing & Screen Arts, dance students Leilani Grace Tonu'u, Lily-Mae Baird, Komai Waqalevu and Nate Gacusan present contemporary solos. All of these artists will also appear in the Moana Show on Tuesday 17 June at Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, with tickets available now via Eventfinda. On Sunday 8 June, Faiva at the Museum takes place at Auckland War Memorial Museum from 11:30am to 1:30pm. This free activation is more than performance — Faiva is the living expression of Pacific identity, knowledge, and connection through movement, voice, and heart. Audiences are invited to go behind the scenes and witness the creative process in action, with open rehearsals of Shapes In The Clouds (11:30am–12:00pm) and Kuini (12:30pm–1:00pm), each followed by a public Q&A with the cast. Then on Saturday 14 June, Po-Ching and dancers from The Hula Journey open a rehearsal of PELE, offering a glimpse into its choreographic process. Following the 14 June open rehearsal, Aunty Kura Taruia leads a free public workshop exploring Cook Islands dance (ura) and flower crown-making (ei katu). A respected elder, choreographer and costume maker, Aunty Kura brings decades of knowledge to her workshops. Participants must book in advance and attend both sessions. The event is free and takes place in a public space — comfortable clothing and water bottles are encouraged. Since 2010, Pacific Dance New Zealand has nurtured Pacific artists and communities across Aotearoa. The 2025 Pacific Dance Festival continues that kaupapa, offering connection, creativity and celebration in every moment.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Scoop
More Pacific Dance, More Ways To Experience It This June
This June, the Pacific Dance Festival invites audiences to connect more deeply with Pacific creativity, offering a rich programme of performance, rehearsal and workshop events across Tāmaki Makaurau. Alongside the return of Aruna Po-Ching's acclaimed dance-theatre work, the festival opens its doors to a series of free open rehearsals and a hands-on Cook Islands workshop with master artist Aunty Kura Taruia. PELE: The Goddess of Fire will be performed at Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 June at 7pm. Created and directed by Aruna Kekeha Po-Ching, the work draws on the Hawaiian myth of Pele, goddess of volcanoes, creation, and destruction. As Pele dreams of a prince and sends her sister Hi'iaka across the ocean to bring him back, the story unfolds through hula-informed choreography, theatrical storytelling, and striking Indigenous scenography. Featuring a cast of eighteen dancers and musical direction by Dr. Opeloge Ah Sam, PELE offers a rich, emotional and visually powerful experience. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki will also open its doors for three free open rehearsals, inviting audiences behind the scenes. On Saturday 24 May, Iatua Richard Felagai Taito (Waipapa Taumata Rau - University of Auckland PhD candidate) shares a new work-in-development. On Saturday 31 May, Unitec-Te Pūkenga Performing & Screen Arts, dance students Leilani Grace Tonu'u, Lily-Mae Baird, Komai Waqalevu and Nate Gacusan present contemporary solos. All of these artists will also appear in the Moana Show on Tuesday 17 June at Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, with tickets available now via Eventfinda. On Sunday 8 June, Faiva at the Museum takes place at Auckland War Memorial Museum from 11:30am to 1:30pm. This free activation is more than performance — Faiva is the living expression of Pacific identity, knowledge, and connection through movement, voice, and heart. Audiences are invited to go behind the scenes and witness the creative process in action, with open rehearsals of Shapes In The Clouds (11:30am–12:00pm) and Kuini (12:30pm–1:00pm), each followed by a public Q&A with the cast. Then on Saturday 14 June, Po-Ching and dancers from The Hula Journey open a rehearsal of PELE, offering a glimpse into its choreographic process. Following the 14 June open rehearsal, Aunty Kura Taruia leads a free public workshop exploring Cook Islands dance (ura) and flower crown-making (ei katu). A respected elder, choreographer and costume maker, Aunty Kura brings decades of knowledge to her workshops. Participants must book in advance and attend both sessions. The event is free and takes place in a public space — comfortable clothing and water bottles are encouraged. Since 2010, Pacific Dance New Zealand has nurtured Pacific artists and communities across Aotearoa. The 2025 Pacific Dance Festival continues that kaupapa, offering connection, creativity and celebration in every moment.
