March 27, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations, Inc.
Kryslyn Hashimoto
Ph.: (808) 722-4384
Bishop Museum April 2026 Exhibitions, Public Programs, and Events
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, shares its April 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, please contact Kryslyn Hashimoto with Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations, Inc.
April sees the opening of Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice, a powerful new exhibition featuring the work of Nālani Kanakaʻole (1946–2026), Sig Zane, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane — a Hilo-based family of artists whose creative practices are deeply rooted in hula ʻaihaʻa. Also in April, Bishop Museum welcomes the Celebrate Micronesia Festival back to its campus.
- Opening April 18, 2026 | Exhibition
Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice
J. M. Long Gallery
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice is a powerful new exhibition featuring the work of Nālani Kanakaʻole (1946-2026), Sig Zane, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane — a Hilo-based family of artists whose creative practices are deeply rooted in hula ʻaihaʻa.
As dedicated members of Hālau o Kekuhi in Keaukaha, Hawaiʻi, their work across visual and performing arts is continually charged and sustained by hula. From Nālani Kanakaʻole’s art direction and choreography to Sig Zane’s photography and textile design, and Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane’s graphic design and immersive installations, each artist channels ‘ike (knowledge) carried through generations.
Bringing together new and existing works alongside botanical specimens and cultural treasures from Bishop Museum’s collections, Ea Mai ʻEiwa weaves together themes of migration, community resilience, and environmental stewardship.
Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice is presented with the generous support of Hawaiian Airlines, First Hawaiian Bank, Matson, Mellon Foundation, Servco Pacific Inc., Min Plastics, OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels, and Shibby Stylee.
Media Preview Opportunity on Thursday, April 16, 2026, 1-4 p.m.
Bishop Museum invites members of the media to attend an exclusive pre-opening, closed-door Media Preview of Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice. Interview opportunities with the artists, co-curators, and exhibit designer available. Please RSVP with Kryslyn Hashimoto via the contact information above.
Ongoing | Exhibition
Aloha Bricks ’26: Stories of Hawaiʻi
Castle Memorial Building
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
Aloha Bricks ’26: Stories of Hawaiʻi shares a look at our islands through the vivid and creative presentation of bricks! Engaging for the whole family, this new exhibition 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 ’26 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 10-foot wave made entirely of bricks; and, the Free Play Zone that invite visitors of all ages to tap into their imaginations and build.
Aloha Bricks ’26: 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 Hawaii.
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 | 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 acknowledges 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 | 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 | 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 | 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.
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 Spring Planetarium Shows:
– “The Hawaiian Sky Tonight”
– “Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars”
– “Ocean Paradise”
– “Edge of Darkness”
April 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.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10 a.m. – noon | Public Program
Shells, Wings & Wonder: An Architectural LEGO® Workshop
Flanders Lawn
Included with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.
See architecture through the lens of Hawaiʻi’s unique biodiversity with this Shells, Wings & Wonder workshop! Led by local architects, this hands-on activity is perfect for keiki and the young at heart, and celebrates Bishop Museum’s new Aloha Bricks ’26: Stories of Hawaiʻi exhibition and draws from the Museum’s collections to explore how nature informs the built environment — where shells become homes, wings become structures, and imagination builds the rest.
Presented in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects, Hawaiʻi chapter (AIA Hawaii).
Friday, April 10, 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.
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, April 10, 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, April 11, 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.”
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. | Event
T. REX: Extended Cut Screenings
J. Watumull Planetarium
Capacity is limited, and online registration is required. $5 General Admission. Children 2 and under are free but will be expected to share a seat with an adult or guardian. Free for Bishop Museum Members with online registration.
Missing dinosaurs in your life? Come experience the extended cut of “T. REX,” a planetarium show favorite!
Chronicaling the true story of three boys’ discovery of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex fossil in July 2022, “T. REX” takes you through the life and times of this iconic dinosaur. Be transported back in time to explore prehistoric Earth with Cretaceous creatures through a blend of documentary and CGI artistry.
“T. REX” was produced by Giant Screen Films, narrated by “Jurassic Park” actor Sam Neill.
Tuesday, April 14, 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, April 17, 2026, 7-8 p.m. | Event
The Stars Tonight
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.
Come study the stars, travel across the Earth and into our solar system, and share stories with us in our J. Watumull Planetarium! Stargazing on the Great Lawn with the Hawaiian Astronomical Society after each show, weather permitting.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10 a.m. to noon | Public Program
Lei Kāmoe Kipona with Kawika Lum-Nelmida
Atheron Hālau
Capacity is limited, and registration is required. $100 registration fee includes four workshops and materials.
Returning by popular demand, join master hulu practitioner Kawika Lum-Nelmida for a four-session workshop in the art of creating Lei Kāmoe. Participants will be able to choose from a diverse selection of hulu to use in bringing their unique designs to life.
This is part one of a four-session workshop. Participants are committed to attending all four sessions: April 18, May 2, May 16, and June 13. Previous hulu working experience is required.
Bishop Museum’s Living Culture Program brings together community audiences with cultural practitioners who have devoted their lives to the preservation and vitality of their respective cultural art forms.
Saturday, April 25, 2026, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Event
Celebrate Micronesia Festival: Ocean of Peace
Campuswide
Free admission. Pre-registration online is strongly recommended.
The Celebrate Micronesia Festival is a vibrant annual festival that brings together Micronesian voices and communities from across the Pacific for a day of music, dance, art, food, and storytelling. The Festival honors the rich traditions and contemporary expressions of the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Guåhan (Guam), Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kiribati and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Bring the whole ʻohana! Experience traditional weaving, poetry readings, contemporary fashion, cultural performances, panel discussions, food vendors, art displays, hands-on demos, educational booths, and a marketplace featuring local Micronesian artists and makers.
The Celebrate Micronesia Festival is hosted in partnership with the East West Center, Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and leaders from Micronesian communities across Hawaiʻi.
Sunday, April 26, 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, April 28, 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, April 18, 2026, 4:30-10 p.m. | Event
Boots ‘N Beers: Country Music & Craft Festival
Great Lawn
Looking past April, Bishop Museum is also excited to preview the following upcoming exhibits and public programs in 2026:
- May 30, 2026 | Science and Sustainability Festival
Bishop Museum also holds Daily Programs for all guests, as well as in-person J. Watumull Planetarium shows. Its Signature Galleries include Hawaiian Hall, Pacific Hall, Picture Gallery, Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kāhili Room, Nā Ulu o Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian Garden, Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center, Kamālaʻulahiwa ʻOhana Learning Space, and Campus Murals.
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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.