The 44th annual Prince Lot Hula Festival will once again take place virtually this year due the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the Moanalua Gardens Foundation.

Hawaii’s popular, non-competitive hula celebration will air from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 28 on KHON2, with the theme of “E Huli Alo I Ka Ulu La. Ua Ao E, which means, “With the Rising of the Sun, a New Day Dawns.” The festival was made possible this year, thanks to presenting sponsors Kamehameha Schools and Central Pacific Bank.

The lineup this year includes nine halau who will perform a mix of kahiko and auana at the historic Queen Emma Summer Palace. Each halau will be filmed separately in advance in compliance with state and county COVID-19 guidelines.

“We are truly honored and excited to have two of our community’s most respected institutions join together to help continue MGF’s 44-year tradition of bringing the best of non-competitive hula to the people of Hawaii and the world,” said Alika Jamile, Moanalua Gardens Foundation executive director, in a news release. “The pandemic has taken a big toll on our fundraising efforts this year and this partnership will help make the 2021 virtual festival possible. We are deeply grateful to Kamehameha Schools and Central Pacific Bank for ensuring that this celebration of hula with aloha will be brought via television to our keiki, families and kupuna in the safety of their homes.”

The virtual program will also feature performances by the foundation’s Malia Kau Award recipient, kumu hula Lilinoe Lindsey of Ka Pa Nani o Lilinoe, and Namakahelu Oli Award winner and master chanter Manu Boyd.

Last year’s Prince Lot Hula Festival was also virtual due to the pandemic.

The two-hour virtual festival will also be livestreamed globally, and rebroadcast on KHON2 and sister stations KHII and CW. It will be available afterwards on the foundation’s YouTube channel, with additional vignettes.

Other festival sponsors include the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, The Queen’s Health Systems, Hawaiian Airlines, Matson Navigation, Pasha Hawaii and Hawaiian Electric, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

Moanalua Gardens Foundation established the festival in 1978 to honor Prince Lot Kapuaaiwa, who brought hula back to life in Moanalua and reigned as Kamehameha V from 1863 to 1872.

Prior to the pandemic, the annual festival took place in person over two days, showcasing about 20 halau from various isles. It was held for several years at Iolani Palace, and for years prior to that at Moanalua Gardens.

The foundation is accepting donations online at moanaluagardensfoundation.org/donate.