Merrie Monarch Festival organizers plan for crowd-less 2021 event

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) -The stands of Edith Kanakaole Stadium in Hilo will once again be silent this April, as Merrie Monarch organizers announced Saturday that a 2021 event would need to be held without fans in attendance.

Organizers say that while planning continues on various options on how the event may take place, it is “clear that there will be no live audience.”

Ticket requests and payments, which have been accepted on December 1 in previous years, will not be accepted. Fans are being urged not to attempt to send any requests.

2020′s Merrie Monarch festival would have been the 57th annual event, but was canceled in March due to the pandemic.

In a statement, festival president Luana Kawelu said that “having to cancel last year’s event was a very hard decision but one we knew was necessary... Our priority during these unprecedented times is keeping our ʻohana and community safe and healthy.”

A date for a 2021 event has not been set.

More information about the event is available at www.merriemonarch.com.

This story may be updated.

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