Hilo’s iconic Merrie Monarch Festival will have no live audience–if it occurs. The event, traditionally beginning on Easter Sunday each year and going through the following Saturday with free and ticketed events throughout Hilo town, craft fairs, and a parade, doesn’t even have a firm date.
The Merrie Monarch Festival is asking people not to send in ticket requests, which usually are accepted beginning December 1 each year.
The 2020 Merrie Monarch Festival was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Having to cancel last year’s event was a very hard decision but one we knew was necessary for the health and safety of our beloved dancers, kumu, judges and hula community overall,” said Merrie Monarch Festival President Luana Kawelu in a release posted on the Merrie Monarch’s web site. Kawelu and her staff are still planning for a 2021 event, but she added, “Health and safety is still our number one concern and therefore, we have made the decision that if the festival is held, there will be no live audience.”
The Merrie Monarch organizing committee is hoping to develop a 2021 event that will allow for a celebration of hula that aligns with recommended COVID-19 protocols and guidelines.
Kawelu added that while the perpetuation of hula and Hawaiian culture is the Festival’s mission, the priority during these unprecedented times is keeping our ʻohana and community safe and healthy.
Photo of 2019 Miss Aloha Hula Taizha Keakealani Hughes-Kaluhiokalani courtesy Merrie Monarch Festival.
