Merrie Monarch results 2026: Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua takes overall hula title; Maui secures runner up spot

The kāne of Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, under the direction of Kumu Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV won the overall title at the 63rd Annual Merrie Monarch Festival, in Hilo Hawaiʻi.

In an interview at the end of the televised broadcast, Kaʻupu, who was at a loss of words, said he was in “shock,” but also “grateful and humbled.”

The hālau from Niuhelewai, Kona, Oʻahu performed the mele hakukole, “Ka Ipu Pala ʻOle” for their ʻauna selection. The song, composed by Chad Takatsugi, “shines a spotlight on those who always overpromise…. yet always underwhelm, presenting a facade of skill, attractiveness, and integrity, but ultimately end up being a disappointment,” the festival program explains. The playful hula shares the manaʻo that: “It doesn’t matter how pretty the package looks or sounds when nothing inside is of any value. Auē lā ē!”

For their kahiko selection, the men performed “Hulihia Ka ʻĀpapa Ka Unu Koʻakoʻa O Ka Moana,” composed by Kaumakaʻiwa Kanakaʻole, and brought the poetry of volcanic power to the stage. According to the festival program, “The ocean floor convulses, fire rises from deep within Haumea’s womb, and Kanaloa emerges through heat, quake, and surging waters… This mele affirms that life is born through fire, and regeneration and reconstruction are inevitable.”

The year was a transitional one for the hālau, which underwent a shift in leadership. Kaʻupu used to share co-kumu responsibilities with fellow Kumu Hula Lono Padilla, but this year, it was carried as a solo task. Kaʻupu told KFVE it was a year of “growing and learning,” saying it wasn’t easy, but described it as a process of “healing and regeneration.”

Overall awards:

1. Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, Kumu Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV from Niuhelewai, Kona, Oʻahu – kāne (1225)
2. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes – kāne (Maui) (1212)
3. Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima, Kumu Hula Māpuana de Silva – wahine (1209)

Kāne Overall awards:

1. Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, Kumu Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV from Niuhelewai, Kona, Oʻahu (1225)
2. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes (Maui) (1212)
3. Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, Nā Kumu Hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera (1196)

Kāne Kahiko awards:

1. Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, Kumu Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV from Niuhelewai, Kona, Oʻahu
2. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes (Maui)
3. Ke Kai O Kahiki, Kumu Hula Laʻakea Perry
4. Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, Nā Kumu Hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera (596)

Kāne ʻAuana awards:

1. Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, Kumu Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV from Niuhelewai, Kona, Oʻahu (619)
2. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes (Maui) (606)
3. Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, Nā Kumu Hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera (600)
4. Ke Kai O Kahiki, Kumu Hula Laʻakea Perry (586)

Wahine Overall award:

1. Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima, Kumu Hula Māpuana de Silva (1209 tie) (second tie breaker held)
2. Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala, Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin and Breeze Ann Kalehuaonālani Vidinha Pavao (Kauaʻi) (1209 tie)
3. Hula Hālau ʻO Kamuela Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kauʻionālani Kamanaʻo (1206)

Wahine Kahiko awards:

1. Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, Kumu Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV from Niuhelewai, Oʻahu (611)
2. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes (Maui) (604)
3. Hula Hālau ‘O Kamuela, Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kau‘ionālani Kamana‘o (Oʻahu) (603) (844 tiebreaker)
4. Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima, Kumu Hula Māpuana de Silva, (603 tie) (842 tiebreaker)
5. Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala, Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin and Breeze Ann Kalehuaonālani Vidinha Pavao (Kauaʻi) (600)

Wahine ʻAuana awards:

1. Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe, Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes (611)
2. Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala, Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin and Breeze Ann Kalehuaonālani Vidinha Pavao (Kauaʻi) (609)
3. Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima, Kumu Hula Māpuana de Silva (606)
4. Hula Hālau ‘O Kamuela, Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kau‘ionālani Kamana‘o (Oʻahu) (603)
5. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes (Maui)

Maui Highlights:

Maui hālau continued to shine, bringing home multiple honors for their excellence in both ʻaunana and kahiko divisions.

The men and women of Mauiʻs Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi both performed mele that honored the ancestry and traditions of their Kumu, ʻIliahi Paredes, who composed the music to share the stories of his ʻohana.

“Lei Moʻopuna,” performed by the kāne, was written for his mother, Dorothy Lee Parades. According to the festival program, “It recounts one story she shared about her own mother, Mary Rebecca Lee, who was raised by her grandfather, Samuel Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi Kaleleiki,” for whom the hālau is named. “Tūtū Kaleleiki was a paniolo, leather craftsman, and mahiʻai kalo. Tūtū Kaleleiki would secure his grandchild Melia upon his shoulders and embark over the Pali.”

The second place overall award went to the men of Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi. They also secured second place awards for the Kāne Kahiko and Kāne ʻAuana divisions and the second place award for Kāne Overall group. The Maui hālau also earned second place for their Wahine Kahiko and fifth place for their Wahine ʻAuana entries, as well as the title of Miss Aloha Hula 2026 for their soloist, Faith Kealohapauʻole Paredes.

The women of Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi performed “Nani Wale Maunawili” for their ʻauana selection.

“This expression of ke aloha pau ʻole – everlasting love – by Kumu Hula and Haku Mele ʻIliahi Paredes is for his mother,” who was from the Kaleleiki ʻohana of Maunawili, Oʻahu.

“Patriarch Samuel Kekuaokalāʻauʻalailiahi Kaleleiki and his wife, Adeline, raised their ʻohana in Maunawili on their ancestral land, Kamakalepo. The ʻohana welcomed Queen Liliʻuokalani to Kamakalepo, a serene haven amidst the turmoil of late 1800s,” according to the festival program.

The women of Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka, from Waiohuli, Maui performed “Ua Noho Au A Kupa” for their ʻauana selection. Kumu Nāpua Silva, said the performance comes as the hālau celebrates its 30th anniversary.

“The experience of aloha is measured not only in feeling, but in time. Where one grows accustomed to a face, a voice, or a presence, there, too, love abounds,” the festival program states. “These sentiments, as read in Kalākaua’s mele,” reflect upon a moment, “when time-honored commitment and pilina meet the timelessness of aloha.”

Miss Aloha Hula 2026 Results:

On Thursday night, Faith Kealohapauʻole Paredes was named Miss Aloha Hula 2026 at the 63rd Annual Merrie Monarch Festival at the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo, Hawaiʻi.

Awards were issued to five hula soloists including:

• Miss Aloha Hula 2026: Faith Kealohapauʻole Paredes. She is both a haumana (student) and daughter of Nā Kumu Hula Haunani and ʻIliahi Paredes of Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi from Wailuku, Maui. She also earned the festival’s Hawaiian Language Award. (View: kahiko, ʻauana)
• First runner-up (second place): Keoe Momilani Michiko Hoe
 of Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua under the direction of Kumu Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV from Niuhelewai, Kona, Oʻahu. (View: kahiko, ʻauana)
• Second runner-up (third place): Lahela Hoʻokela Medina Maio of Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe under the direction of Nā Kumu Tracie & Keawe Lopes from Pūʻahuʻula, Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu. (View: kahiko, ʻauana)
• Third runner-up (fourth place): Leimana Kaleinamanu Purdy of Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka under the direction of Kumu Hula Nāpua Silva of Waiohuli, Maui. (View: kahiko, ʻauana)
• Fourth runner-up (fifth place): Jelacia Naomi Waiauokalaniākea Peralta of Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leināʻala under the direction of Nā Kumu Leināʻala Pavao Jardin & Breeze Ann Kalehuaonālani Vidinha Pavao from Kalāheo, Kauaʻi. (View: kahiko, ʻauana).

Video highlights from the festival performances are posted on the Merrie Monarch Festival YouTube page her