Looking for something in particular?
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. During Bishop Museum After Hours, guests can wander through Hawaiian Hall to experience treasures such as Kalaniʻōpuʻu’s ʻahu ʻula (feather cloak) and mahiole (helmet); dive into Hawaiʻi’s extraordinary biodiversity in the Science Adventure Center; and enjoy our newest exhibitions in the Castle Memorial Building and J. M. Long Gallery.
This enhanced After Hours experience now proudly incorporates the former Kaiwiʻula Night Market, expanding our on‑campus marketplace with an even greater selection of local food, drink, and dessert vendors, along with a curated lineup of local artisans and craft makers. It’s the perfect opportunity to support Hawaiʻi businesses while enjoying the museum under Honolulu’s star‑lit sky.
Relax on the Great Lawn with ʻono eats, browse unique handcrafted goods, and enjoy live Hawaiian music throughout the evening. With a special reduced evening admission rate for kamaʻāina, Bishop Museum After Hours offers expanded access to the Museum’s collections, stories, and research — making it easier than ever for the community to connect with Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural heritage.
Come explore, learn, shop, and support local at Bishop Museum After Hours.
Header Photo. Cave biologist; photo by Megan Porter.
Subheader photos (left – right). ʻAʻaʻā (lava tube); Photo by Rebecca Chong. Mū lehua (Oliarus polyphemus); photo by Peter and Ann Bosted, 2010. ʻUku pāhoehoe (Spelaeorchestia pahoehoe); photo by Michael Slay, 2018.
ʻElala ʻAʻaʻā o Hawaiʻi: Cave Bugs of Hawaiʻi
Celebrate and explore ʻaʻaʻā (lava tube) biodiversity from Hawai‘i! ʻElala ʻAʻaʻā o Hawaiʻi features Bishop Museum’s renewed lava tube “caving” experience that highlights Hawaiian underground biodiversity. Throughout the evening, you can meet the scientists and cultural practitioners behind the groundbreaking research of Hawaiian cave bugs and learn about life only found in Hawaiʻi lava tubes!
Sunset at the Seedbank: Meet the Scientists
Seedbank Lānai (just outside Science Adventure Center)
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Meet the scientists who journey through our Hawaiian lava tubes, discover new cave bugs, and work tirelessly to identify, name, and better understand them. Talk story with team members from Bishop Museum, University of Hawaiʻi Cave Biodiversity Research Team, and the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group Nomenclature Hui as they give fun, interactive presentations about their work.
6:30 p.m. What is it like to be a scientist studying lava tube bugs?
Meet the field scientists who have spent years exploring and studying Hawaiian lava tubes and learn about the scientific process of finding and naming new species.
- Rebecca Chong, Associate Professor at School of Life Sciences (University of Hawai’i at Mānoa)
- Megan Porter, Professor and Associate Director of Research School of Life Sciences (University of Hawai’i at Mānoa)
6:45 p.m. From Cave to Collection: The History and Stewardship of Hawaiʻi’s Cave Arthropods
Take a behind-the-scenes look at the Hawaiian cave arthropod collection, exploring the history of its specimens, recent collection care and digitization efforts, and the ongoing work of the museum’s collections staff and volunteers to preserve unique records of Hawaiʻi’s cave biodiversity.
- Marsha Ho, Entomology Collections Technician (Bishop Museum)
7 p.m. How do we give Hawaiian Names to cave bugs?
Learn how members of the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group Nomenclature Hui developed Hawaiian names for insects found only in Hawaiian lava tubes.
- Pīkake Kuniyoshi, Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group Nomenclature Hui
7:15 p.m. Group Discussion & Audience Q&A
ʻAʻaʻā Biodiversity: Explore the Lava Tubes!
Science Adventure Center
5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Cave Bugs Under the Lens
Look at real lava tube specimens through microscopes with Bishop Museum Entomology collections staff.
Naming Biodiversity in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
Learn about the process of naming biodiversity in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi with cultural practitioners, and then try naming a cave bug
ʻElala ʻAʻaʻā o Hawaiʻi Bug Hunt
Join scientists on a “Bug Hunt” through a renewed lava tube “caving” experience that highlights underground biodiversity found in Hawaiʻi
Educational and fun activities for the whole ʻohana to enjoy.
Hawaiian Hall Tours
Hawaiian Hall Complex
6:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Immerse yourself in the beauty and history of Hawaiian Hall on a guided tour, highlighting tradition and change in Hawaiʻi through signature gallery spaces and displays. Meet at the staircase in Hawaiian Hall’s front entry tower.
Planetarium Shows
J. Watumull Planetarium
Tickets are required; please reserve at Shop Pacifica upon check-in. Free for members and children under 4, $3 per person, general admission. Limited seating.
6:00 p.m. Hawaiian Sky Tonight
6:45 p.m. Ocean Paradise
7:30 p.m. Hawaiian Sky Tonight
8:15 p.m. Ocean Paradise
Hawaiian Sky Tonight
Learn what stars, constellations, planets, and more can be seen in the skies above Hawaiʻi the night of the show.
Ocean Paradise
Experience the incredible wildlife and delicate ecosystems of the islands, atolls, and coral reefs of the Pacific Ocean. Visit the unique atolls of Palmyra, Midway, and Rose through scientific and human stories about their beauty and the threats these ecosystems face. Featuring music by Coldplay and Jack Johnson.
Shells, Wings & Wonder
An Architectural LEGO® Workshop
Flanders Lawn (just outside Castle Memorial Building)
5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The American Institute of Architects, Hawaiʻi chapter (AIA Hawaiʻi) invites you to a hands-on architectural workshop celebrating the Museum’s Aloha Bricks ’26: Stories of Hawaiʻi. Led by local architects, this interactive session draws from the Museum’s collections to explore how nature informs the built environment.
Perfect for keiki and the young at heart, this workshop invites participants to see architecture through the lens of Hawaiʻi’s unique biodiversity—where shells become homes, wings become structures, and imagination builds the rest. Workshops will be offered in 30-minute intervals allowing guests to drop in, build, and explore at their own pace.
E Kōnane Pū Kākou!
Gallery Lawns
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Much more than just a game, kōnane hones strategic and analytical skills applicable in times of both war and peace. Join kōnane enthusiasts to challenge your established strategies or learn the rules and techniques for the first time. Open to all levels of experience.
Enjoy our on‑campus marketplace with a diverse selection of local food, drink, and dessert vendors, along with a curated lineup of local artisans and craft makers:
- Blue Truck Teppanyaki
- Saap Saap
- Chubby Fries and Wings
- Island Angels Fundraiser Soda tent
- Tutu’s Place
- HI Telcom Pop up (sponsor)
- Bar tent
- Launoa
- Iwa Candle Co.
- Hawaii Wood Designs
Bishop Museum After Hours programming is generously supported by:
