We are pleased to be moving toward our regular presentation of the annual Merrie Monarch Festival for 2022, however, we are not completely back to business as usual. While we are able to welcome some audience members back to Hilo to enjoy spectacular hula live in the Edith Kanaka‘ole Multipurpose Stadium, we have only secured permission to offer a fraction of the tickets we usually sell for the competition.

This past year participating hālau came to Hilo with fewer dancers and kōkua, to adhere to our strict COVID-related health protocols, and this meant that families were unable to accompany the hālau. As we slowly open our doors to audiences, we want to ensure that the hālau and their families are cared for first and will continue our practice of allotting participating hālau a set amount of tickets as in years past. These hālau tickets, along with a reduced number of complimentary tickets for longstanding supporters and sponsors of the Festival, will be the only tickets available. Therefore, we will not be selling tickets to the general public at this time, because we will have reached the seating capacity currently allowed to us.

Your appreciation and love of the hula is profound, and we value your support for the perpetuation of this vital cultural practice. We apologize that we are currently unable to welcome back more of you to experience the Merrie Monarch Festival in person. However, we want to ensure a safe event for our community, kūpuna, participating hālau, staff and volunteers, as well as audience members. We look forward to the time when we can gather more freely, but until then we will proceed with caution, all the while ensuring that we are able to maintain our mission of supporting and promoting hula and Hawaiian culture.