The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long cultural festival that takes place annually in Hilo, Hawaii. The festival is dedicated to the memory of King David Kalakaua who was known as the Merrie Monarch. King Kalakaua came to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1874 and reigned until his death in 1891. He was a patron of the arts, especially music and dance. He is credited with restoring many Hawaiian cultural traditions during his reign, including the hula.

The Merrie Monarch Festival includes art exhibits, craft fairs, demonstrations, performances, a parade that emphasizes the cultures of Hawaii. The festivities culminate in the annual competitions: the Miss Aloha Hula solo competition, the kahiko (ancient) and the ?auana (modern) hula competitions. The three-day hula competition has received worldwide recognition for its historic and cultural significance. Many hula halau (schools), including those from the U.S. Mainland and Japan, attend the festival each year to participate in the exhibitions and competitions, which are considered the most prestigious of all hula contests.

Since 2003 Royal Hawaiian Heritage Jewelry has been awarding the winner of the Miss Aloha Hula solo competition a custom Miss Aloha Hula bracelet. Designed in the late 1990’s in collaboration with our Master Engraver, the Miss Aloha Hula bracelet is a 15mm 14k gold bracelet, featuring a full length wahine hula dancer on each side of the bracelet, in the midst of dance, and surrounded by ornate maile, hibiscus and the implements of hula….Ukelele, pahu drum, puniu, ipu, uli uli, and pu’ili. It is our privilege to be apart of this honored tradition…

Previous Winners