Hilo hotel rooms are booked, flights are filling up, and hula halau are busy preparing for the 56th annual Merrie Monarch Festival.

Festival events commence Easter on Sunday, April 21, with the annual hoolaulea at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, featuring free performances by local halau, a free Hoike exhibition the following Wednesday night featuring hula and folk dances from around the world, and an Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair featuring vendors and food, Wednesday through Saturday.

The Miss Aloha Hula solo competition takes place on Thursday that week, followed by the group kahiko (ancient-style) hula competition Friday and auana (modern-style) hula competition on Saturday, then the announcement of winners.

Festival president Luana Kawelu said there was no question the event was going forward, despite the disastrous Kilauea eruption that commenced last May, which disrupted and displaced many people on Hawaii island. Despite the eruption, planning for the annual festival never stopped, Kawelu said.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Geological Survey lowered the volcano threat level for Kilauea from advisory back to normal, signifying a return to a non-eruptive, background state. Kawelu said due to a relationship with the National Park Service, halau may still go up to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to offer customary hookupu (gifts) to the volcano goddess, Pele.

“I’m glad it’s through” said Kawelu. “I think she’s settled down for now and the hula people still give homage to her (Pele). That’s such an integral part of hula that it didn’t matter. She’ll always be part of the hula world.”

A total of 29 hula groups – 19 wahine and 10 kane — representing Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Hawaii island and California, will be competing in the group kahiko and group auana competitions this year. A total of 13 solo dancers will vie for the Miss Aloha Hula title, according to Kawelu. Numerous winners from past years will be returning, along with a few new halau.

Tickets for the hula competition are typically sold out almost immediately after requests are mailed in, the old-fashioned way, via the U.S. Postal Service, starting in December prior to the festival in April.

Judges of the competition this year include:

>> Maelia Loebenstein Carter

>> Vicky Holt Takamine

>> Nalani Kanaka‘ole Zane

>> Noenoelani Zuttermeister Lewis

>> Nani Lim Yap

>> Etua Lopes

>> Keali‘i Reichel

The full schedule, including list of participating halau, is available at merriemonarch.com.