HTA Supports Merrie Monarch Festival Broadcast and Pop-Up Mākeke

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority announced its support of the 58th Annual Merrie Monarch Festival broadcast and Season 3 of the Pop-Up Mākeke that will air during the festival.

This is the 11th year that HTA has been a sponsor of the Merrie Monarch Festival.

Due to restrictions because of COVID-19, this year’s Merrie Monarch Festival is not a public, in-person event. It will be aired on KFVE starting tonight, Thursday, July 1, and ending on Saturday, July 3. It will also be streamed worldwide from www.hawaiinewsnow.com beginning each night at 6 p.m. HST.

In addition, HTA is funding the digitization of past Merrie Monarch Festivals. The work is ongoing and expected to be completed by June 2022. 

HTA is also sponsoring the marketing and operational costs of the Pop-Up Mākeke, which is organized by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. It will feature many of the crafters and artisans who would normally sell their art in-person during the Merrie Monarch Festival. HTA helped to launch the first online Pop-Up Mākeke last year. The online marketplace was established during the pandemic to support Hawaii’s small business owners, particularly the Native Hawaiian-owned businesses, that depend heavily on community events, gatherings, craft fairs, and farmers markets.

The live Pop-Up Mākeke shows air on KFVE and Hawaiʻi News Now’s Facebook page starting at 5 p.m. HST nightly before the hula competition starts. Visit www.popupmakeke.com for more information.