For those of you who are not familiar with the Merrie Monarch Festival, held annually in Hilo, this is the consummate hula competition drawing competitors from around the world.  This week long celebration of the “hula” dance form is held in celebration of King Kalakaua, aka the Merrie Monarch, who was responsible for reviving this art form which had been previously banned by the missionaries in Hawaii.

If you’ll follow this link to the Big Island Video News site, you’ll get a taste of what’s in store for attendees at this year’s competition.

The Festival includes a parade, demonstrations, arts and crafts, and lots of food, as you would expect .  The final competition is held on Friday and Saturday and has been sold out for months.  Whether you have plans to attend or not, if you plan on being on the Big Island this week, even if that happens to be in Kailua-Kona on the other side of the island, it would serve you well to double check your reservations on car rentals, as they will be in very short supply this week.

If you have not already reserved your car for this week, I can pretty much assure you the odds you finding one are very, very slim.  This is not the week to be price-shopping for rental rates…you’re just looking for wheels!

Other events that have this same impact on the Big Island include the annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (July 25-29, 2011) and the Ford Iron-Man World Championship Tri-athalon (Oct. 8, 2011), both held in Kailua-Kona.  Either plan ahead or plan around these dates to avoid the crowds.