The Merrie Monarch Festival T-shirts for the 55th year are now available and the color theme for 2018 is Irish green. The festival takes place from April 1 to 7, 2018.

“It’s Irish green this year,” said festival president Luana Kawelu. “This year it’s with lehua. With all we’re going through with the lehua I thought that would be nice to have it on our T-shirt. I feel so bad what’s happening to our plant. It’s so integrated with hula.”

The native plant is suffering from rapid ohia death, a fungal disease that has wiped out hundreds of thousands of mature trees.

Every year, the T-shirts are available in a different color, but always feature a portrait of the Merrie Monarch himself, King David Kalakaua, and the phrase: “Hula is the Language of the Heart, Therefore, the Heartbeat of the Hawaiian People.”

T-shirts cost $19, tank tops $14, while tote bags cost $18. Orders can be placed at the Merrie Monarch office at 935-9168.