The ultimate "must do" this weekend -- the Prince Lot Hula Festival. The Merrie Monarch may get the most publicity among the major hula fests -- after all, it is the World Cup of Hula -- but our favorite has always been the more laid-back version on Oahu.

Each summer in early July, the incomparable Nalani Olds and her crew put on a stellar day-long festival running from 9 a.m. until late afternoon and including a dozen or so acts. What makes the Prince Lot so fab is its totally casual. The performances take place on a hula mound nestled under a massive, brookside monkey-pod tree covering a grassy lawn in the serenity of Moanalua Gardens. Kids run around, parents socialize, everyone brings lunch and beach chairs. And the hula, while not as polished as you might see at the Merrie Monarch in Hilo, is fabulous and from the heart. One of my favorite performances involved a himeni (Christian hymn sung in Hawaiian) that halfway through morphed into a ribald, raucous mele ma'i (chant and dance proclaiming the virtues of genitals, roughly translated), something that was long a part of pre-contact culture. This particular yin-yang combination Native Hawaiians likely created to tweak the Missionaries who attempted to impose alien Western mores on the vibrant, ancient culture of the isles. Halau range from serious competition veterans to troupes of 10 year-olds. Ironically, a lot of Hawaii residents don't even realize how amazingly good this festival is. $3 donation requested and parking is a royal pain so either go early or late when folks are leaving. Don't miss.

—Alex, 07/07/06