Emma Farden Sharpe Hula Festival returns to West Maui, Aug. 22-23

A beloved tradition, the Emma Farden Sharpe Hula Festival, will return to West Maui for the first time since the 2023 wildfires.

Scheduled to take place Aug. 22 and 23 at the Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows, the free, family-friendly celebration of hula and Hawaiian culture features keiki activities, cultural workshops, local artisans and performances by hālau hula from across Maui – all set to beautiful Hawaiian music.

The festival honors the legacy of renowned kumu hula Emma Farden Sharpe, who dedicated her life to preserving and perpetuating hula and Hawaiian culture. It began as an extension of Nā Mele O Maui, a choral competition for Maui County students,, and evolved into a celebration of both kahiko (ancient) and ʻauana (modern) hula. After phasing out in the early 1990s, the festival was revived in 2015 and continues to honor “Aunty Emma” and her vision.

The 2025 event marks a homecoming following the 2023 Maui wildfires. In recent years, the festival had been held under the iconic Banyan Tree in Lahaina, but in 2023 it abruptly shifted to a virtual format. The 2024 event took place at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center in Central Maui. This year’s celebration returns to West Maui for the first time in two years, at the newly renovated Royal Lahaina Resort.

Event Details

Festivities begin on Friday at The Branches with a tribute to Phyllis Ross, a lifelong student of Aunty Emma. The tribute by 2024 Carmen Hulu Lindsey Falsetto Champion Leimana Purdy begins at 12:30 p.m. Following that is an evening performance by Natalie A‘i Kamau‘u.

Saturday’s lineup includes hālau performances from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. by:

• Nā Pua O Kapi‘olani Hula Studio, Kumu Hula Holoaumoku Ralar
• Napili Kai Foundation, Kumu Hula Holoaumoku Ralar
• Hālau Ka Pā Hula ʻO Kawaiolanoelaniokāne, Kumu Hula Kawaiola Noelani Deguilmo
• Pukalani Hula Hale, Kumu Hula Hi‘ilei Maxwell Juan
• Hālau Ke‘ala Kahinano O Pua, Kumu Joy Salvador
• Hālau o ka Hanu Lehua, Kumu Kamaka Kukona

“We’re excited to welcome Hālau Ka Pā Hula ʻO Kawaiolanoelaniokāne, all the way from Reno, Nevada,” coordinator Daryl Fujiwara said. “I’ve known Kumu Kawaiola and her ʻohana for many years from her time on Maui. After relocating to Reno, she and her partner opened a diner serving local Hawaiian favorites by day, which transforms into a hula studio by night. She’s nourishing the Hawaiian community there with both food and culture. It’s wonderful to have her back home—especially as a lineal descendant of the Lahaina Shaw family, whose name lives on in the street just off Front Street.”

Additionally, three free workshops will be offered on Saturday:

• Pūpū Weuweu: A presentation on regenerative resource stewardship through a hula lens – 10:30 a.m.
• ʻUkulele Workshop with Jason Jerome of Lahaina Music – 12:30 p.m.
• Intermediate Hula Workshop with Kumu Hula Cody Pueo Pata, teaching the mele “Hālau Lahaina Molale Malu i ka Ulu” – 2 p.m.

Registration is required to reserve a space in the workshops: https://forms.gle/cNZTERwzxRiFeBhW7

Attendees who book through the festival link will receive free self-parking and waived resort fees at Royal Lahaina Resort.

For more information, visit facebook.com/efshf.

The festival is supported by the County of Maui, Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, Kilohana by CNHA, Lahaina Hawaiian Civic Club, ʻOhana Farden and others.