Feb. 27, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations, Inc.
Kryslyn Hashimoto
Ph.: (808) 722-4384
Bishop Museum March 2026 Exhibitions, Public Programs, and Events
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, shares its March 2026 exhibitions, public programs, and events. A full and continually updated listing can be found on the Museum’s website, BishopMuseum.org. For more information on any of the items listed, please contact Kryslyn Hashimoto with Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations, Inc.
March sees the opening of Bishop Museum’s newest exhibition, sharing a look at our islands through the vivid and creative presentation of bricks! Engaging for the whole family, Aloha Bricks ‘26: Stories of Hawaiʻi is a celebration of the people, places, plants, animals, and stories that shape Hawaiʻi.
Created in partnership with the Hawaii LEGO® Users Group (HILUG), Aloha Bricks ʻ26 features jaw-dropping, detailed builds, from beloved landmarks to native species and legendary tales. In addition, guests can explore the Middle School Mascot Mosaic Gallery representing 50 schools statewide; 2D mosaics inspired by the flora and fauna researched by Museum scientists; a massive 12-foot wave made entirely of bricks; and, the Free Play Zone that invite visitors of all ages to tap into their imaginations and build.
Upcoming Exhibition News
Opening Saturday, March 14, 2026 | Exhibition
Aloha Bricks ‘26: Stories of Hawaiʻi
Castle Memorial Building
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Aloha Bricks ʻ26: Stories of Hawaiʻi is presented with support from Hawaiian Telcom, First Insurance Company of Hawaii, Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, Pasha Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, and AIA Honolulu.
Media Preview Opportunity on Thursday, March 12, 2026, 1-4 p.m.
Bishop Museum invites members of the media to attend an exclusive pre-opening, closed-door Media Preview of Aloha Bricks ʻ26: Stories of Hawaiʻi. Local ʻohana and keiki will be present during the Media Preview for content capturing and interview opportunities. Please RSVP with Kryslyn Hashimoto via the contact information above.
Final weeks! | Exhibition
Explore EXCORE: The Art of Underwater Science
J. M. Long Gallery
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Dive into the vivid world of EXCORE’s revolutionary underwater cinema with Explore EXCORE: The Art of Underwater Science, and be surrounded by amazing coral reef imagery captured in breathtaking clarity. Each frame is more than a stunning visual; it’s a permanent scientific record of 21st-century reef biodiversity, preserved today for generations to come.
EXCORE, Bishop Museum’s Center for the Exploration of Coral Reef Ecosystems, has led the way in deploying — and even inventing — the world’s most advanced technologies to survey, study, and celebrate the astonishing biodiversity of coral reefs.
Ongoing Exhibit News
Ongoing | Exhibit
Ke Kai Pōwehiwehi: The Twilight Zone
Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center
This exhibit in Bishop Museum’s Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center showcases the rich biodiversity in our islands’ coral reefs, presented as two distinct sections: shallow sunlit reef systems and deeper mesophotic coral reefs.
On the ground level of the Science Adventure Center, the exhibit features the shallow sunlit reef systems that most of us are familiar with, highlighting some of the native corals that make up our reefs in Hawaiʻi.
The lower, second level of the exhibit highlights the deeper and less familiar mesophotic coral reefs, often referred to as the “twilight zone” of the ocean, where light barely penetrates. Deep sea fish and other mysterious creatures are represented here, giving guests a close-up look into the darker environment being explored by Bishop Museum scientists.
Ongoing | Exhibit
Wayfinders: He Waʻa He Moku, He Moku He Waʻa, We Are One and the Same
Jabulka Pavilion Rotunda (J. Watumull Planetarium lobby)
Wayfinders: He Waʻa He Moku, He Moku He Waʻa, We Are One and the Same celebrates the resurgence of wayfinding across Hawaiʻi and the wider Moananuiākea. This exhibit showcases the growing family of voyaging canoes and crew members, reflecting on environmental and cultural stewardship for future generations. Meet inspirational leaders in the Hall of Teachers interactive by Arizona State University, and practice using kūkuluokalani, the Hawaiian star compass, and nā lālani hōkū, the four Hawaiian star lines, to navigate.
Ongoing | Exhibit
Lele o Nā Manu: The Splendor and Loss of Hawaiʻi’s Birds
Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Lele o Nā Manu: The Splendor and Loss of Hawaiʻi’s Birds features 47 exquisite carvings of endemic manu nahele by master craftsman, Haruo Uchiyama. The complete set of historically known Hawaiian honeycreepers are displayed atop an original mural painted by local artist, Patrick Ching. The exhibit also includes a mural by Dr. Julian Hume depicting prehistoric Kīpahulu Valley, Maui; fossils of extinct Hawaiian bird species; and an interactive game.
Ongoing Installation News
Ongoing | Installation
Mary Kawena Pukui: Knowledge is Life
Hawaiian Hall (3rd floor Treasure Case)
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Mary Kawena Pukui: Knowledge is Life celebrates the work and enduring legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui, honoring her many teachers and recognizing Pukui as the leading source of Hawaiian language and cultural study today. This installation acknowleges Pukui’s ties to her own sources of knowledge, and how these teachings prepared her for her role as a kumu hula, composer, writer, researcher, and expert English-Hawaiian translator.
Ongoing | Installations
Campus Murals
Throughout the Museum campus.
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Bishop Museum’s outdoor murals provide an immersive art experience that bridges traditional culture, creative expression, and indigenous perspectives. The initial round of murals was completed in 2021 in conjunction with the special exhibit POW! WOW! The First Decade: From Hawaiʻi to the World, and was expanded in May 2023 during the Hawaiʻi Walls Mural Festival in Kalihi. The additional murals were inspired by the Kalihi community, local histories, and Bishop Museum’s cultural and scientific collections and resources.
Upcoming Programs, Events & Resources
Thursdays-Tuesdays
Planetarium Shows
J. Watumull Planetarium
$3 with General Admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Join us in the J. Watumull Planetarium to connect with the environment and people of the Pacific region, the expanse of our universe, and the stories we pass on from generation to generation.
2026 Winter Planetarium Shows through March 31, 2026:
– “The Hawaiian Sky Tonight”
– “Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars”
– “Ocean Paradise”
– “Ngā Tohunga Whakatere: The Navigators”
– “Experience the Aurora”
March 2026 Sky Map | Online Resource
Free downloads for personal use.
You and your ʻohana can try your hand at backyard astronomy! The monthly Sky Maps from our J. Watumull Planetarium show the sky above Hawaiʻi from about 8-10 p.m. HST. Hold the Sky Map above your head to align all four directions and discover which stars and constellations are visible this month.
Weekdays, 10:10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Program
Hawaiian Garden Tour
Nā Ulu o Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian Garden and throughout the Museum campus
This program is coordinated and presented in Japanese. Limited capacity. Pre-registration three days prior is required. $56 for General Admission. Museum Members receive a 10% discount.
Leisurely explore the grounds of Bishop Museum with our Asia Pacific Educators and learn about the plants of Hawaiʻi! These tours are open to all Japanese-language speakers and include a hands-on kukui lei making workshop.
Sunday, March 1, 2026, 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. | Event
Sounds of the Ocean
J. Watumull Planetarium
$20 General Admission; $15 Students, Seniors, Military, and Youth under 12 years old.
Prepare to embark on an extraordinary journey that will immerse you in the wonders of the deep blue. Sounds of the Ocean, an award-winning immersive experience, invites you and your ʻohana to a captivating fusion of art, music and mindfulness that will transport you to the heart of the ocean’s embrace. Get ready for an adventure like no other, where the beauty of the seas unfolds before your eyes.
Created by ocean artivist, director and composer Joshua Sam Miller and co-director/Expressive Arts Facilitator Elise Lein, this experience immerses you in an enchanting underwater world. Every ticket helps support the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, removing fishing nets and other waste from the largest protected marine area in the United States.
Monday-Tuesday, March 2-3, 2026, 11 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. | Event
Total Lunar Eclipse Viewing
J. Watumull Planetarium
Free to the public. Attendees are asked to register to help provide an attendance headcount.
Set your eyes on the Moon as it passes through Earth’s shadow in this total lunar eclipse! Totality, when the Moon will appear most visibly red, will be from 1-2 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3rd. Come gather with us on Bishop Museum’s Great Lawn to observe this astronomical event, clouds permitting.
Jackets, mats, binoculars, and red-light flashlights are recommended. Planetarium previews and telescopic viewing will be available. This event is coordinated with the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy.
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Public Program
18th Annual Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium
Throughout the Museum campus.
Free admission. Please register online.
The Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium is an opportunity to learn about the cultural significance of kalo, the importance of kalo today, the different varieties and how to take care of them. Every year, the Festival spotlights a specific ʻohana kalo, and this year, we celebrate kalo ʻohe.
Gather with kalo farmers, artists, cultural practitioners, natural science researchers, and community educators at the culminating festival to share knowledge and celebrate Native Hawaiian kalo varieties.
This program is presented in partnership with Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai and Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Punaluʻu, and supported by the Kosasa Foundation.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 3-6 p.m. | Membership Event
Aloha Bricks ‘26: Stories of Hawaiʻi Members Preview
Castle Memorial Building
Free event, exclusive to Bishop Museum Members. Capacity is limited.
Bishop Museum is excited to invite Museum Members to an exclusive preview of its newest exhibition, Aloha Bricks ‘26: Stories of Hawaiʻi, a family-friendly exhibition celebrating the people, places, plants, animals, and legends that shape the islands. Be among the first to experience this special showcase, created in partnership with the Hawaiʻi LEGO® Users Group (HILUG) and middle school students from across the state!
Guests of Members are welcome to enjoy Aloha Bricks ‘26 after the Members Preview with Museum After Hours programming.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 5-9 p.m. | Public Program
Museum After Hours
Campuswide
$10 pre-sale, $15 at the door for General Admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Discover Bishop Museum in a whole new light! Once a month, Bishop Museum opens its 15‑acre campus after sunset, inviting kamaʻāina and visitors to explore Hawaiʻi’s rich cultural and natural heritage in a vibrant evening setting.
- Explore the Museum’s Signature Galleries.
- Enjoy our newest exhibitions in the Castle Memorial Building and J. M. Long Gallery.
- Support Hawaiʻi businesses at the Kaiwiʻula Night Market, an expansion of our on-campus marketplace with an even greater selection of local food, drink, and dessert vendors, along with local artisans and craft makers.
- Engage with curated programming including a hands-on LEGO® workshop with AIA Honolulu, gallery tours of our Explore EXCORE exhibition, and shows in the J. Watumull Planetarium.
Come explore, learn, shop, and support local at Museum After Hours!
Museum After Hours programming is generously supported by Kona Brewing Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian Telcom.
Friday, March 13, 2026, 5-7 p.m. | Public Program
Grow Aloha: Plant Pickup
Great Lawn
Free with online reservation.
Grow Aloha is a hui of plant adoption partners working together to restore Hawaiian plants and our relationships with them in urban areas. Bishop Museum is a proud partner and plant adoption site on Oʻahu. Reserve a plant online and drop by the Grow Aloha tent at Museum After Hours to adopt a native plant for free.
Museum After Hours is held at Bishop Museum the second Friday of every month.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 10-11 a.m. | Public Program
Kanikapila ma Kaiwiʻula
Bowman Hālau Waʻa
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
E hoʻokani pila kākou! Join members of the ʻUkulele Guild of Hawaiʻi in our Nā Ulu o Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian Garden. Bring your ʻukulele or borrow one. Learn new techniques, share moʻolelo, or just enjoy the music as ʻUkulele Guild of Hawaiʻi leads guests through selections from “He Mele Aloha: A Hawaiian Songbook.”
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Program
Lā Kūleʻa: ʻAuana
Hawaiian Hall and Pākī 2
This program is coordinated and presented in Japanese. Limited capacity. Pre-registration two days prior is required. $100 for General Admission. Museum Members receive a 10% discount.
Lā Kūleʻa: ʻAuana provides guests with a multi-faceted experience at the Museum. Open to all Japanese-language speakers, this culture program includes a hula ʻauana (contemporary hula) experience, a private guided tour of Hawaiian Hall with an Asia Pacific Educator, as well as a hands-on ti leaf lei-making workshop.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 6:15-7:15 p.m. and 7:30-8:30 p.m. | Event
The Stars Tonight: Trivia Dome
J. Watumull Planetarium
Capacity is limited, and registration is required. $10 General Adult, $7 General Youth. Children 3 and under are free but will be expected to share a seat with an adult or guardian. 50% discount for Bishop Museum Members.
Study the stars, travel across the Earth and into our solar system, and share stories in our J. Watumull Planetarium! For March’s program, the Trivia Dome returns with astronomy-focused quiz questions. Come by yourself, bring a teammate, or invite your stiffest competition along. Stargazing on the Great Lawn with the Hawaiian Astronomical Society after each show, weather permitting.
Sunday, March 29, 2026, 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. | Event
Sounds of the Ocean
J. Watumull Planetarium
$20 General Admission; $15 Students, Seniors, Military, and Youth under 12 years old.
Prepare to embark on an extraordinary journey that will immerse you in the wonders of the deep blue. Sounds of the Ocean, an award-winning immersive experience, invites you and your ʻohana to a captivating fusion of art, music and mindfulness that will transport you to the heart of the ocean’s embrace. Get ready for an adventure like no other, where the beauty of the seas unfolds before your eyes.
Created by ocean artivist, director and composer Joshua Sam Miller and co-director/Expressive Arts Facilitator Elise Lein, this experience immerses you in an enchanting underwater world. Every ticket helps support the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, removing fishing nets and other waste from the largest protected marine area in the United States.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Program
Lā Kūleʻa: ʻAuana
Hawaiian Hall and Pākī 2
This program is coordinated and presented in Japanese. Limited capacity. Pre-registration two days prior is required. $100 for General Admission. Museum Members receive a 10% discount.
Lā Kūleʻa: ʻAuana provides guests with a multi-faceted experience at the Museum. Open to all Japanese-language speakers, this culture program includes a hula ʻauana (contemporary hula) experience, a private guided tour of Hawaiian Hall with an Asia Pacific Educator, as well as a hands-on ti leaf lei-making workshop.
Non-Museum Events
The following are facility rentals on Museum grounds, provided here for public knowledge.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, 5-9 p.m. | Event
ʻIlau Ka Hula 2026
Great Lawn
Looking past March, Bishop Museum is also excited to preview the following upcoming exhibits and public programs in 2026:
- April 2026 | New Exhibition — Ea Mai ʻEiwa (Here Are the Nine): Patterns of Practice
- May 2026 | Celebrate Micronesia Festival
- May 2026 | Science and Sustainability Festival
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About Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History:
Bishop Museum’s mission is to inspire our community and visitors through the exploration, celebration, and perpetuation of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a royal descendant of King Kamehameha I. Today, the Museum thrives as an educational center for the community and is widely regarded as the world’s premier institution for Hawaiian and Pacific content.
Bishop Museum’s vast collections of more than 25 million objects and specimens represent nine disciplines and include more than 22 million biological specimens, over 2 million cultural objects, 115,000 historical publications, and 1 million photographs, films, works of art, audio recordings, and manuscripts. These collections tell the stories of the cultures and biodiversity of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific as well as the proud legacy of scholarly research spanning 130 years.
Bishop Museum proudly serves more than 200,000 visitors each year, including 20,000 children on school visits. Guests are encouraged to pre-plan their trip to #HawaiisMuseum with its free digital guide, available through Bloomberg Connects.
To learn more about the Museum’s research, collections, exhibits, and programs, visit BishopMuseum.org, follow @BishopMuseum on Facebook and Instagram, visit Bishop Museum’s YouTube channel, or call (808) 847-3511. Bishop Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Bishop Museum is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and welcomes applicants from the military, veterans, and those with disabilities. Learn about careers at Bishop Museum at BishopMuseum.org/Careers and on its LinkedIn page.
Bishop Museum Press is Hawai‘i’s oldest book publisher and one of the first scholarly publishers in the Western Hemisphere, and has published over 1,200 titles and distributed over 1 million books in 72 countries worldwide.
Past news releases can be viewed and downloaded at BishopMuseum.org/NewsRoom.