The seventh Ho‘olau Kanaka hula festival on Sunday will bring together an array of Hawaiian practitioners this year, including musicians, cultural experts and eight hula halau that will perform at the annual event for the first time.

The festival convenes halau in a noncompetitive format and was created to give the public opportunities to experience Native Hawaiian culture firsthand, said the event’s creators, kumu hula Lopaka Igarta- De Vera and kumu hula Sonny Ching.

“It’s a hands-on event to bring people together to educate them and hopefully to inspire them to continue the traditions of our people, but also to enjoy what they’re doing,” Igarta- De Vera said.

Igarta-De Vera and Ching are both kumu hula of Halau Na Mamo o Pu‘uanahulu, and they often travel out of state for performances. Together the two organized the first Ho‘olau Kanaka festival in 2015, after Igarta-De Vera realized a demand for more cultural connection through the halau’s social media.

“(Our posts) were being shared, and people were able to watch and enjoy the events,” Igarta-De Vera said. “It got me thinking about doing this for our kanaka. Bringing them together, all ages, local and visitors … to engage in our culture. Not just the hula, but in all aspects.”

The festival’s name means “the people gather,” Igarta-De Vera said. Its mission adds to that notion, that people from all walks of life might engage in the festival’s activities to cultivate a future with a prosperous Hawaiian culture, he explained.

While the event showcases hula halau that change every few years, there are also craft vendors, food booths, a country store and cultural practitioners who demonstrate their practice for attendees, and in some cases allow them to participate as well.

The organizers also hope the festival will shed light on the fact that while many halau might compete outside the festival, many have actually developed great friendships between one another, Ching said.

The inaugural festival took place at Keehi Lagoon and brought in about 1,500 attendees, Igarta-De Vera said. Since then the festival has moved to Moanalua Gardens and increased in size, hosting about 4,000 people in 2022.

This year’s festival will feature several Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning musicians including Josh Tatofi, Natali Ai Kamauu and Walea. There will be 50 vendors showcasing goods made in Hawaii and up to 15 booths that will offer educational resources, including Papa Ola Lokahi and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

Improvements to this year’s festival will feature increased handicapped and kupuna parking that will also include golf cart transportation to and from the lot, Ching said.

Those who are interested in attending the festival can purchase tickets at www.hoolaukanaka.com. All proceeds go toward this year’s participating halau.

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Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.