Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition 2026

The Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition was founded on September 11, 1976, by the Kalihi-Pālama Culture & Arts Society — conceived by program coordinator Kahu Wendell Silva and Kumu Hula legend George Naʻope to honor Hawaiʻi's last reigning monarch while nurturing young practitioners of hula. The Society itself had been chartered in 1972, dedicated to perpetuating Hawaiian culture and arts through instruction in hula, language, and history for children ages 6–12. The first competition was held at Aʻala Park with six hālau competing in hula ʻauana only; it later moved indoors and expanded to include hula kahiko, soloists, a separate keikikāne division, and a Hawaiian language critique.

The three-day event at Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena brings together hula hālau from across the Hawaiian Islands. In 2026, the 51st annual edition, 15 hālau from Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island compete in kahiko and ʻauana categories, with separate Miss and Master Keiki Hula titles awarded. A marketplace of over 50 local vendors accompanies the competition, and $5 from each ticket sale is directed back to the participating hālau.