The Merrie Monarch Festival continues July 3. Here’s how you can watch the action!

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Merrie Monarch Festival is back!

After the 2020 competition was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, hula returns to the world’s biggest stage on July 1 ― but the festival will look a little different this year.

To protect the health and safety of performers, kumu hula and event organizers, the festival will be held without an audience inside the Edith Kanakaole Stadium in Hilo. All halau participants, staff and production crews will follow strict COVID-19 guidelines, and the performances are being taped ahead of time ― on June 24, 25, and 26 ― before the festival is broadcast on July 1, 2 and 3.

Here’s a breakdown of all the ways you can watch the 2021 Merrie Monarch Festival.

On Cable Television:

All three nights of the 2021 Merrie Monarch Festival will be televised on K5, the broadcast home of the festival. You can find K5 on channel 6 if you are a Spectrum, Hawaiian Tel or DirecTV customer, and channel 8 if you are a Dish Network subscriber.

Coverage of the Merrie Monarch Festival starts at 6 p.m. every night of competition: Miss Aloha Hula (Thursday, July 1), Hula Kahiko (Friday, July 2) and Hula ‘Auana (Saturday, July 3).

On the Hawaii News Now Website:

Every minute of the 2021 Merrie Monarch Festival will stream free of charge on the Hawaii News Now website. On all three nights of competition, you’ll be able to find a livestream video player at the top of the Merrie Monarch Festival section of our website that will carry our coverage.

The festival will not be available to watch on-demand after it has aired, so make sure to tune in live on July 1, July 2 and July 3!

On the Hawaii News Now Mobile App:

You can also stream the 2021 Merrie Monarch Festival directly to your cell phone, no matter where you are, by using the Hawaii News Now mobile app. You can find more information on how to download the Hawaii News Now mobile app by clicking here.

Once you’ve downloaded the app, click on the icon that says Merrie Monarch Festival 2021 and you’ll be taken directly to the page where you can livestream every night of our coverage of the entire festival.

On Our Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV App:

If you don’t subscribe to cable but still want to watch the 2021 Merrie Monarch Festival on your television, download the Hawaii News Now app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV devices.

With our streaming app, you can watch free coverage of the 2021 Merrie Monarch Festival every night of the competition, starting with the Miss Aloha Hula contest on July 1.