Merrie Monarch 2013 Activities, Events & Performances

Merrie Monarch 2013 - Activities, Events & Performances

Stay at Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast and visit Hilo and the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, - only 30 minutes away:

Official 2012 Merrie Monarch Poster

Haku Leis - worn around the head

During the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, which always takes place in the week right after Easter (March 31 - April 6, 2013), Hilo is transformed into a magical place with bustling activities, events and free performances all over town and in surrounding cultural centers like Volcano.

Ipu - Hawaiian Gourds

Craft Fairs are one of the highlights during the Merrie Monarch week and show case a broad spectrum of exquisite works from Hawaiian artists. The arts & craft fairs take place from Wednesday (April 3) to Saturday (April 6). The largest of these exhibitions are at the Afook Chinen Civic Auditorium, Hilo Shopping Center, Hilo Farmers Market and Sanga Hall. During Merrie Monarch the air is filled with the smell of flowers and leis, Hawaiian music is played everywhere and people are dressed in their finest Aloha wear.

Hilo venues: event schedules, products & supplies

Immiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo

Niihau Shell Leis

Basically Books - Hawaiian Bookstore on Bayfront in Hilo

High Fire Hawaii - Art Gallery on Bayfront in Hilo (see Latest News & Events)

Volcanoes National Park - Cultural Activities

Volcano Art Center - Art Gallery in the Volcanoes National Park (see Calendar of Events)

Hawaiian Wood - Bowls

Na Makua - Hawaiian Clothes Designs in Hilo Downtown

Sig Zane - Hawaiian Clothes Designs in Hilo Downtown

Hana Hou - Hula Supplies in Hilo Downtown

Discount Fabric Warehouse - Greatest Selection on Hawaiian Print Fabrics and Patterns

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - After Dark in the Park - April 2013

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - April 2013

Stay at Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast and visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - 30 minutes from here.
 

Hawaii National Park, Hawai‘i – Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park continues its tradition of sharing Hawaiian culture and After Dark in the Park programs with the community and visitors in April. To celebrate the Merrie Monarch Festival’s 50^th anniversary, special cultural presentations are offered April 3 and 4.  All programs are free, but park entrance fees apply. Mark the calendar for these upcoming events:

When: Wed., Apr. 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
Where: Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai

Merrie Monarch Festival Cultural Practitioners, Day One. The Kīlauea Visitor Center’s lānai is transformed into a fun and festive workshop of Hawaiian arts and crafts! Join Sam and Edna Baldado to learn about kalo and its many uses; Ab and Pua Valencia will share the art of traditional lei making; singer/songwriter Rupert Tripp entertains; Vi Makuakāne demonstrates the intricate art of feather work; and park ranger Adrian Boone and volunteer Ed Shiinoki help visitors create and play the Hawaiian nose flute. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ongoing ‘Ike Hana No‘eau “Experience the Skillful Work” workshops. Free.

 

When: Thurs., Apr. 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
Where: Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai

“More is Merrier.” Merrie Monarch Festival Cultural Practitioners, Day Two. The Kīlauea Visitor Center’s lānai again becomes a lively and interactive studio of Hawaiian arts and crafts! Join Lehua Hauanio for traditional lei making techniques, while Ku‘uleimomi Makuakane-Salāve‘a shares the art of kapa making. Helene Hayselden demonstrates the art of making a feather kāhili – a symbol of royalty; award-winning musician Kenneth Makuakāne performs; and park ranger Adrian Boone and volunteer Ed Shiinoki help visitors create and play the Hawaiian nose flute. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ongoing ‘Ike Hana No‘eau “Experience the Skillful Work” workshops. Free.

When: Tues., April 9 at 7 p.m.
Where: Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium

Looking for Lava in all the Wrong Places—and Finding it in Some. Most eruptions and intrusions at Kīlauea take place within the summit caldera or the two rift zones. Some, however, occur elsewhere or have trends not readily explainable by this standard model. Though unusual, these eruptions and intrusions tell us much about the internal plumbing of Kīlauea and its evolution during the past tens of thousands of years. HVO geologist Don Swanson elaborates on this theme in a partly factual, partly speculative, broadly based alternative view of Kīlauea. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ongoing After Dark in the Park series. Free.
 

Merrie Monarch Hula Festival 2013

Merrie Monarch - The World's largest Hula Festival in Hilo (2013)

30 minutes from Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast in Hilo the famous annual Merrie Monarch Hula Competition will take place from March 31 - April 7. This year will be especially wonderful as it is the festival's 50th Anniversary. Many dignitaries of the Hula world will attend and many special events will take place commemorating this long history of Hawaiian culture.

It is a magical time, when all of Hilo town is in a festive ambiance celebrating the art of Hula and the Hawaiian Culture. It is a community event with everybody involved from the Keiki (children) to the Kupuna (Elders): Hula performances in parks, public places and all around town, fabulous arts and crafts shows, the smell of fresh flowers everywhere, beautiful leis, everybody out in their finest Aloha wear, cheerful and happy. It is one of the most wonderful times here on the East side of the Island and as a visitor this magic is contagious and carries over to all open to be taken in by it. What makes this event so special is the fact, that it is not put on as a festival for visitors. It is genuine and authentic. It is the perfect time to experience Hawaii, its cultural richness and overabundant beauty. It's also a time to closely experience some of Hawaii's most famous performers, entertainers and musicians: Keali'i Reichel, Robert Kazimero, members of the Beamer family, Sonny Ching, Kekuhi Kanahele & the Kanakaole Ohana, and many other kumu hula and their halau from around the world.

The event starts on Wednesday night (April 3) with the Ho'ike Performance, a free exhibition night of hula, international performers and music. Thursday night (April 4) features the Miss Aloha Hula competition of individual women for the title of Miss Aloha Hula. Contestants perform hula kahiko (ancient hula), hula 'auana (modern hula) and oli (chanting). On Friday night (April 5) groups of women and men perform Hula Kahiko. Saturday (April 6) night, the final evening, presents women and men groups dancing the modern style hula ('auana). At the end of this evening the overall winners of both group hula nights are celebrated.

The week-long event finds its finale in the Saturday parade (April 6th) through downtown Hilo as one of the festival's most entertaining and fun parts for the whole family.

Tickets are mostly pre-sold, but may still be available at the door of the Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium on the evenings of the competition events. More information is also available on the official Merrie Monarch website www.merriemonarch.com.

Exploring the East Side of Hawaii's Big Island

Hale Moana Hawaii Bed and Breakfast was chosen by travel writer Linda Balou as a good home base to explore the Big Island's East Side in her article "Best Stress Busters on the Big Island - Learning from the Ancients". This Article was published in the September/October 2010 issue of the American Fitness Magazine. Come and take a look.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - After Dark in the Park

Ka'u Preserve - Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Stay at Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast and visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - 30 minutes from here.
 

When: Tues., Mar. 5 at 7 p.m.
Where: Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium
Free

TONIGHT! The Ka‘ū Preserve is part of the largest and most intact expanse of native forest in the state of Hawai‘i. Made up of four separate parcels of forested land, this Nature Conservancy preserve features mountainous ridgelines with narrow plateaus framed by steep valleys. A closed-canopy koa and ‘ōhi‘a forest shelters a lush understory of native ferns, where rare plants thrive, along with endangered forest birds like ‘apapane, ‘i‘iwi, ‘elepaio, ‘amakihi and ‘ākepa. John R. Replogle of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will address how the TNC Preserve in Ka‘ū became a preserve and how the Three-Mountain Alliance has played an important role in this endeavor. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ongoing After Dark in the Park presentations. Free.