The Merrie Monarch Festival is held in Kona, Hawaii every year in early April. The festival celebrates hula and every aspect of the Hawaiian culture. The festival honors King David Kalākaua, who perpetuated hula, and the Hawaiian culture and language.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is broken up into different categories, first my gender, and then by style of hula. The mens hula (Kane) has an ancient style (Kahiko) and a modern style (‘Auana) of competition, as does the female (wahine) competition. The wahine competition has one more component, which is the Miss Aloha Hula competition.

The first night of true competition, is the Miss Aloha Hula competition. In this competition, individual wahine can compete for the title of Miss Aloha Hula, by performing hula, kahiko, and ‘auana. The contestants are graded on each one of these categories, as well as presentation, costume, and adornments.

The 2018 winner of Miss Aloha Hula is Shalia Kapuauʻionālani Kikuyo Kamakaokalani, from Maui. She scored the highest amount of points, with 1,130.

On the second night of competition is the Kahiko hula competition. On this night of competition, different schools (halau) compete with each other in the traditional style. This includes each Kumu (teacher) chanting a song as his/her dancers perform. The groups are graded on presentation, togetherness as a group, costume and adornments.

The 2018 winners of Wahine Kahiko was Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua from O’hau. The Kane winners of the category was Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La, also from O’ahu.

The third night of competition is the ‘auana hula competition. This is the competition with the modern style of hula, which differs between each halau. During this competition, the groups are graded on the same things as during the Kahiko competition.

The winners of the Wahine ‘Auana was Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka o Uka from Maui. the Kane winners were Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka La  from O’ahu.

The competition concludes with a parade through downtown Hilo, Hawaii.

For the first time in the 55 years of the competition, a halau from Washington state competed. Hula Keʻala ʻO Kamailelauliʻiliʻi with Kumu Hula Kamaile Hamada competed in the competition, with hula kahiko choreographed by their Kumu. Although the halau did not win or place, they represented a large change in the hula world, as it is expanding outside of the Islands.