Kaua‘i hālau earns strong finish in Merrie Monarch women’s division

Kaua‘i came within a tiebreaker of the Merrie Monarch women’s crown, with Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala finishing second overall after a razor-close final night in Hilo.

Led by kumu hula Leināʻala Pavao Jardin and Breeze Ann Kalehuaonālani Vidinha Pavao, the Kaua‘i hālau placed fifth in wahine kahiko, second in wahine ʻauana and second overall in the 63rd Merrie Monarch Festival. The women’s title went to Hālau Mōhala ‘Ilima after the two top groups finished tied at 1,209 points, forcing a tiebreaker to decide the winner.

The result gave Kaua‘i a prominent showing on Hawai‘i’s biggest hula stage, where the festival’s mission is to honor King David Kalākaua’s vision of perpetuating Hawaiian traditions, language and arts. In a competition that stretched from April 5 to 11 in Hilo, Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala stayed in the thick of the final standings through both the ancient and modern divisions, then closed the week with the kind of finish that keeps the island’s hula community talking long after the curtains close.

The 2026 standings underscored how tight the top tier had become across the board. Hālau Hi‘iaka ināmakalehua of O‘ahu swept the kāne divisions and won the overall festival title, while Maui’s Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi landed near the top in several major categories, including wahine kahiko. Against that field, Kaua‘i’s second-place overall finish signaled that one of the island’s best-known hālau remained competitive with the strongest groups in the state.

For Kaua‘i, the outcome carried meaning far beyond the score sheet. In Līhu‘e, Kapa‘a, Kōloa and Hanapēpē, where hula schools are woven into family life and cultural instruction often spans generations, a result like this gives young dancers a visible benchmark and a point of pride. It also puts Kaua‘i squarely in the center of the conversation whenever Merrie Monarch once again becomes the measuring stick for Hawaiian cultural performance.