The Merrie Monarch Festival has announced changes in the statewide, televised coverage of its hula competition, scheduled for April 8-10, 2010.
The high-definition TV broadcast event is moving to KFVE (channel 5).
The televised Merrie Monarch program is the most-watched, longest-running local TV program in Hawaiçi.
Next year’s hula competition will continue to be held in the Edith Kanakaçole Stadium in Hilo, Hawaiçi.
The competition segment of the weeklong festival was first televised on KITV (channel 4) in 1981 as a public service program. Since then, the TV show has become an annual tradition for many hula fans, followed worldwide via live Internet streaming and distributed DVDs.
“We are truly grateful to KITV for helping us share the beauty of hula for the past 29 years,” says Luana Kawelu, president of the Merrie Monarch Festival, in a press release. “We now look forward to building new relationships with KFVE to perpetuate Hawaiian culture and the festival as both continue to grow and thrive.”