While many tourists first experience hula at a luau or in a hotel lounge, there is a better venue for sampling the art form that celebrates the islands’ history, myths, geography, ecology and romance. Hula festivals — including competitions and exhibitions — take place year round, with dancers of all ages, genders and nationalities. Not only will you see the islands’ best performers, you’ll often have the chance to take part in workshops, sample island foods, and meet makers of traditional arts and crafts. Here are five of the most fabulous fests:

1) The Big Island’s weeklong Merrie Monarch Festival, named after King Kalakaua, is the best known and most exclusive of hula competitions, with sold-out performances inside a Hilo stadium (broadcast live on local TV and the Internet) as well as a parade and several free exhibitions. The Merrie Monarch always begins after Easter, with the next one set for April 12-18, 2009.

2) The World Invitational Hula Festival, also known as E Ho’ I Mai Ika Piko Hula, is more inclusive, summoning troupes from around the world to compete at the Waikiki Shell for three days in November. While hula-crazy Japan fielded the most hula halau (troupes) last year, participants also came from Mexico City, Colombia, New York and the Philippines. Although it’s a competition, the dancers learn a chant together and share a meal beforehand in the spirit of aloha. This year’s festival takes place Nov. 6-8.

3) The Queen Lili’uokalani Keiki Hula Competition, also on Oahu, puts the spotlight on keiki (children) dancers from the islands and beyond, in a three-day extravaganza in July at Blaisdell Arena. Boys and girls compete in group and solo divisions; you can watch a video of this year’s Miss Keiki Hula, Leah Santiago.

4) Kauai’s annual Mokihana Festival, which includes three days of group and solo hula contests, has its own twist: the “Kahiko Nei” category, devoted to traditional-style chants composed in recent years with a Kauai flavor. (For a video about the hula of Kauai, click here and select the video on the right.) The hula competitions in this year’s Mokihana Festival take place Sept. 25-27 at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihue.

5) Both Kauai and Molokai lay claim to being the origin of hula. To emphasize its belief, Molokai’s annual hula festival in May is called Ka Piko Hula, referring to the “navel,” or birthplace, of the dance. The non-competitive event takes place at Papohaku Beach Park on the island’s west end, near where legend says a woman named La’ila’i introduced hula to Hawaii. Her descendant, Laka, then spread the sacred dance to the other islands, where it flourishes even today.

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