18th Annual Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium

Sunday, March 8, 2026
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION. Please register online.

In partnership with Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai and Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Punaluʻu, Bishop Museum is honored to host the 18th Annual Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival and Symposium. Every year, the festival spotlights a ʻohana kalo or a specific Hawaiian taro variety. In 2026, we celebrate kalo ʻohe.

The mission of the Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium is to educate our lāhui (people) about different Hawaiian kalo varieties and how to care for them. Our kūpuna (ancestors) were well-versed with the function, uses, and care of Hawaiian kalo varieties and understood its ceremonial, medicinal, and subsistence value. Focusing on ʻohana kalo every year encourages research into kalo genealogy to better understand the who, what, where, why, and how of Hawaiian kalo cultivation.

Spotlight Programs

Kanu Hāloa
Join maha ʻai kalo from Ka Papa Loʻi o Kānewai share kalo-planting techiques. Whether you have access to a fully functional loʻi, a backyard māla or a small apartment lānai, learn how you can mālama Hāloa at home. Two separate sessions.

10:30 a.m. Nā Ulu Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian Garden
12:00 p.m. Seed Bank Lānai

Great Lawn Stage Schedule
10:00 a.m. Pūnana Leo o Mānoa & Pūnana Leo o Nuʻuanu
11:00 p.m. Nā Pua Āhihi Lehua Mai Pihanakalani, Kumu Hula ‘Auli’i L. Heine Hirahara
12:00 p.m. Live Music with ʻĀlewa
12:30 p.m. Live Music with Poi Beaul
1:00 p.m. Live Music with The Vitals

Planetarium Shows
J. Watumull Planetarium
10:30 a.m. The Hawaiian Sky Tonight, 25 minutes
11:30 a.m. Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars, 45 minutes
1:30 p.m. Ngā Tohunga Whakatere: The Navigators, 45 minutes
2:30 p.m. – 2:55 pm Ocean Paradise, 25 minutes
3:30 p.m. Experience the Aurora, 45 minutes

Tickets are required; please reserve at Shop Pacifica upon check-in. $3 per person general admission, free for members and children under 4. Limited seating.

Geology Shows
Hot Spot Theater | Science Adventure Center
12:00 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.

An engaging 25-minute presentation that delves into the fascinating processes shaping our planet. Seating is first-come, first-served. No additional charge. Show times subject to change.

Participating Community Partners
Aubrey Keʻalohilani Matsuura, Kanaka artist
Bishop Museum Kalo Key
Bishop Museum Ichthyology
Hiʻipaka Waimea Valley
Hoʻokuaʻāina
Hui Kū Maoli Ola
K & K Farm
Kanaeokana
Ke Ola Mamo
Kealakehe High School
Naʻau ʻŌiwi, Kohala High School
Papa Ola Lōkahi
Pili Ponoʻī
Taropy Hui
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Native Hawaiian Student Services
University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center
University of Hawaiʻi Cooperative Extension

ʻŌlelo Noʻeau 1987
Lele nō ka ʻOhe i kona lua
The ʻohe taro leaps into its own hole. Each person to his own place. From the legend of Kamiki, in which the hero called to the various taros by name, and each leaped into its own hole and stood there.

Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai sustains a thriving taro patch that shares its resources with the community. There are a variety of native and indigenous trees and shrubs growing along the stream and low-lying slopes. Families, students, and community organizations are welcome to engage and immerse themselves in hana Hawaiʻi and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Kūpuna and keiki feel welcome and comfortable sharing their knowledge about kalo and nā mea Hawaiʻi. Our staff is skilled in the identification, cultivation, and propagation of a variety of native plants.

Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Punaluʻu was established by Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai in partnership with the Kamehameha Schools’ ‘Āina Ulu program in the early 2000s. This loʻi, covering approximately three acres, provides opportunities to work more closely with the Koʻolauloa district community and Kamehameha Schools programs, has increased production of Hawaiian varieties of kalo and helps to maintain a sustainable level of use at Ka Papa Lo’i O Kānewai.

Mahalo nui to the Kosasa Foundation for supporting this program!