The 45th annual Merrie Monarch Festival will feature some of the finest dancers from around the Hawaiian Islands and some from the mainland.

KITV 4 Island Television will provide live TV coverage of the time-honored event on April 3-5. TheHawaiiChannel.com will also provide live streaming video of the event online. Viewers have watched the event live from as far away as Europe, the Middle East, Japan and Mexico.

Ten young women will vie for the title of Miss Aloha Hula 2008 on Thursday, April 3. Watch as the performers show off their talents in the kahiko (ancient) and auana (modern) dance.

On Friday night, watch kane (men) and wahine (women) halau (groups) dance the kahiko, traditional dance.

The event wraps up Saturday night with the kane and wahine halau performing their auana. It ends that night with the awards ceremony.

KITV 4 Island Television News will also provide a look at some of the issues facing the Big Island and deliver live reports during the festival.

Plan to join KITV and TheHawaiiChannel.com for three nights of the premiere competition in hula.