32nd annual Hula Oni E Festival wraps up in Waikiki

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The 32nd annual Hula ʻOni E Festival wrapped up on Sunday in Waikīkī, bringing together 25 hula hālau from across Hawaiʻi and Japan.

Read more Aloha Festivals kicks off 80th anniversary celebration in Waikiki

The weekend-long celebration of Hawaiian culture at the Hilton Hawaiian Village welcomed thousands of visitors with award-winning musicians, cultural practitioners, and a bustling marketplace featuring more than 70 local vendors. Crafters from across the state offered unique local products, including Hawaiian crafts, jewelry, and apparel.

“After three incredible days, we’re excited to celebrate all of the hālau who have shared their talent, dedication and aloha with us this weekend,” said Kehaulani De Rego Kawai, Hula ʻOni E Executive Director and Kumu Hula for Hālau Hula O Hokulani.

For organizers, the emotional heart of the festival was witnessing the preservation and passing down of hula traditions through families.

Kawai said seeing multiple generations of a family share the stage was a deeply moving experience.

Read more KIUC: Prolonged outages possible as Hurricane Lowell threatens Kauai electrical grid

“We opened up our hula festival with Carolee Nishi and her hālau, and seeing just the generations of Kumu and her daughter and her granddaughter on the same stage just brings me to tears when I think about it,” she said.

Co-founder Larry De Rego added, “Hula ʻOni E is about more than competition. It is about bringing generations together, strengthening our connections through hula and creating a place where our culture can be shared and celebrated. We are grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s festival so special.”

Hālau Hula ʻO Hokulani hosted Hula ʻOni E for more than three decades to provide a gathering place for hula practitioners and their families from Hawaiʻi and beyond. It was first held in Wahiawā in 1991 and has been at the Hilton Waikīkī since 1992.

Read more UH debuts free ‘AI for Hawaii’ program to teach ethical, practical AI skills

Hula ʻOniE also takes place in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, and in Vienna, Austria.

Click here to learn more about the festival.