May sees the return of Museum After Hours, where local ʻohana and visitors are invited to visit Bishop Museum after sunset to explore Hawaiʻi’s rich cultural and natural heritage in a vibrant evening setting. Also in May, guests can enjoy special programming for the Museum’s newest exhibition, Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice, including a tribute to the vanguard, Nālani Kanakaʻole, and the reveal of new artwork created by celebrated artist Sig Zane.

• Ongoing | Exhibition
  Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice
  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.

• 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
  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”

• May 2026 Sky Map | Online Resource (also attached to this release)

  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.

• Friday, May 1, 2026, 5-9 p.m. | Event
  Hawaiian Airlines May Day 2026
  Great Lawn

  Tickets for the live concert are available for purchase at com. The 7 p.m. live broadcast can be enjoyed on mele.com.

  Hawaiian Airlines May Day 2026, presented by Bishop Museum, returns to Bishop Museum’s Great Lawn! This concert experience continues the annual Lei Day tradition by the Brothers Cazimero with Keauhou, the 19-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning group. Special guests include Robert Cazimero, Kealiʻi Reichel, Hālau Nā Kamalei o Līlīlehua, Hālau Keʻalaokamaile, and co-hosts Billy V. and Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, director of community & cultural relations at Hawaiian Airlines.

• Saturday, May 2, 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 two 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, May 2, 2026, 7-8 p.m. & 8:30-9:30 p.m. | Program
  Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra presents “In C”
  Hawaiian Hall

  $35 General Admission.

  Be surrounded by the music of Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra amidst the grandeur of history Hawaiian Hall.

  On May 2, Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra juxtaposes Terry Riley’s 1964 composition “In C” against the mea kupuna of Hawaiian Hall, sectioned by floor into three realms. The string section welcomes guests to Kai Ākea, the realm of the moʻolelo of pre-contact Hawaiʻi. Meanwhile, the kāhea of the woodwind section rings from Wao Kanaka, the realm that celebrates the importance of the land and nature in daily life. Simultaneously, the brass section beckons from Wao Lani, the realm dedicated to the aliʻi and akua in the context of key moments in modern Hawaiian history.

• Tuesday, May 5, 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, May 8, 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 shows in our J. Watumull Planetarium and 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 special tribute to Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice artist Nālani Kanakaʻole through live performances of her original compositions and a panel inspired by her ʻaʻahu hula and modern apparel design.
    
    

Come explore, learn, shop, and support local at Museum After Hours!

Museum After Hours programming is generously supported by Kona Brewing Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Telcom, and Waiākea.

• Friday, May 8, 2026, 5-7 p.m. | Public Program
  Grow Aloha: Plant Pickup
  Great Lawn

  Free adoption.

  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. Drop by the Grow Aloha tent at May’s Museum After Hours to adopt a native plant for free — first come, first served.

Museum After Hours is held at Bishop Museum the second Friday of every month.

• Saturday, May 9, 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.”

• Friday, May 15, 2026, 7-8 p.m. | Event
  The Stars Tonight
  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, May 16, 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 three 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, May 16, 2026, 6-8 p.m. | Event
  Artist Talk & Dinner with Sig Zane
  Gulab & Indru Watumull Atrium of Hawaiian Hall

  Capacity is limited, and registration is required. $100 registration fee includes dinner, select items from Shop Pacifica by Nā Mea Hawaiʻi, and a private tour of the exhibition with the artist and co-curators.

A new work created by Sig Zane will be added to the Ea Mai ʻEiwa: Patterns of Practice exhibition as a new moon cycle begins . In honor of this, Bishop Museum invites you to join Artist and Designer Sig Zane for an intimate sit-down dinner and talk story session to explore his creative process, share moʻolelo behind his new work, and navigate the themes woven throughout the exhibition.

Ea Mai ʻEiwa 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.

• Sunday, May 17, 2026, 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. | Event
  Sounds of the Ocean
  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, May 19, 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.

• Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Time TBA | Event
  Navigating by the Stars
  Watumull Planetarium

  Capacity for this evening program 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.

  Join Bishop Museum Planetarium educators and Hōkūleʻa navigator and Honolulu Community College Hoʻokele Instructor Kaʻiulani Murphy for Navigating by the Stars! This evening program includes an introduction to the night sky and celestial navigation. The May presentation features the Hawaiian star line most prominent this month, Kaiwikuamoʻo.

  To open the program, Pulse Oceania and Ocean Music Action will bring music to the stars in a special performance of “Kōkō a Makaliʻi,” a sonic collection of guided improvisational interactions exploring the brilliant brightness and cosmic darkness of the stars of Makaliʻi (the Pleaiades).

• Sunday, May 24, 2026, 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. | Event
  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.

• Saturday, May 30, 2026, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Public Program
  Science & Sustainability Festival 2026
  Campuswide

  Reduced admission — $5 for Kamaʻāina and Military.

  Discover how science, culture, and community unite to protect the unique biodiveristy of Hawaiʻi! The Science & Sustainability Festival brings together Bishop Museum scientists, educators, cultural practitioners, and 30 community partners to highlight their ongoing work to ensure a sustainable future for our keiki and future generations.

  The 2026 Festival places a special focus on Makahiki Kuleana Kahakai: Year of Our Coastal Kuleana, celebrating the richness of coastal ecosystems, the ways in which they connect us, and everyone’s role in caring for them in return.

Mahalo to the Atherton Family Foundation for their generous support of this program.

Looking past May, Bishop Museum is also excited to preview the following upcoming exhibits and public programs in 2026:

• June 12, 2026 | Museum After Hours
• June 14, 2026 | Artist Talk with Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane
• June 19, 2026 | The Stars Tonight: Trivia Dome
• June 28, 2026 | Sounds of the Ocean

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. For more information, please visit BishopMuseum.org.