Bishop Museum May 2025 Exhibitions, Public Programs, and Events

Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, shares its May 2025 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 herein, please contact Lance Aquino with Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations, Inc.

May sees something lurking on Bishop Museum grounds... the dinosaurs are back in Kaiwiʻula with the opening of our newest exhibit, Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep! Plus, two of Bishop Museum's signature public programs return — don't miss out on the Celebrate Micronesia Festival and Science & Sustainability Festival!

• Opening May 24, 2025 | ExhibitExpedition Dinosaur: Into the DeepCastle Memorial BuildingIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members Patron level and above; discounted fee of $3 for all other Membership levels and for guests of Members.Dinosaurs are returning to Kaiwiʻula! For the first time on Oʻahu, guests will be able to experience, up close and personal, oceanic and aquatic reptiles from the Jurassic period — along with favorites like the T-Rex and Stegosaurus. Designed by Stage 9 Exhibits, Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep features lifelike animatronic dinosaurs with realistic movement and sound.

Media Preview Opportunity on Thursday, May 22, 2025, 1-4 p.m.

Bishop Museum invites members of the media to attend an exclusive pre-opening, closed-door Media Preview of Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep. Please RSVP with Lance Aquino via the contact information above.

Interview opportunities include:

• Brandon Bunag, Bishop Museum vice president of public programs
• On view through May 4, 2025 | ExhibitHawaiʻi Triennial 2025: ALOHA NŌCastle Memorial BuildingIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.The Hawaiʻi Triennial, held every three years, is a statewide exhibition of contemporary art from Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and beyond. Bishop Museum is honored to once again be a participating venue, this year featuring the work of nine artists whose respective practices have a connection to cultural material and are informed by archival collections, including those of Bishop Museum.
• Ongoing | ExhibitWayfinders: He Waʻa He Moku, He Moku He Waʻa, We Are One and the SameJabulka 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 | ExhibitionKū a Lanakila! Expressions of Sovereignty in Early Territorial Hawaiʻi, 1900-1920J. M. Long GalleryIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Kū a Lanakila! Expressions of Sovereignty in Early Territorial Hawaiʻi, 1900-1920 delves into the ways Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian people) asserted their presence and sovereignty during Hawaiʻi's early territorial period through cultural and political expressions. Featuring a stunning array of artifacts, including ʻahu ʻula (capes), lei hulu (feather lei), banners, and political ephemera, the exhibit highlights how Native Hawaiians engaged in public ceremony, competitive sports, and political activism to maintain their identity and agency in a time of profound change.
• Ongoing | ExhibitLalo: Science and Conservation in the Northwestern Hawaiian IslandsScience Adventure CenterIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Lalo: Science and Conservation in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands tells the cultural and scientific significance of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) as the kūpuna islands of Hawaiʻi. The exhibit features "The Ongoing Legacy of Coral Reef Exploration" and "The Lalo Plastic Story," as well as 2D and 3D digital experiences that allow visitors to view terrestrial and underwater scenes and experience them as a series of immersive storylines about PMNM.
• Ongoing | ExhibitLele o Nā Manu: The Splendor and Loss of Hawaiʻi's BirdsScience Adventure CenterIncluded 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.The opening of Lele o Nā Manu coincided with Ka Makahiki o nā Manu Nahele, the Year of the Forest Birds, a campaign to celebrate and raise awareness around Hawaiʻi's native forest birds.
• Ongoing | InstallationFaith and Philanthropy: Queen Emma Kaleleonālani in EnglandHawaiian HallIncluded with Museum admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Between 1865-1866, Queen Emma Kaleleonālani departed Hawaiʻi for a year-long journey to England, her first and only international voyage. Her journey had a specific mission: fundraising for the construction of St. Andrew's Cathedral, the seat of the Anglican Church in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Faith and Philanthropy: Queen Emma Kaleleonālani in England highlights research identifying items associated with Queen Emma's travel and fundraising strategies, utilizing objects from multiple Bishop Museum collections to demonstrate not only the richness of Emma's journey, but also the social, religious, and political spaces she navigated as a Hawaiian royal.
• Ongoing | InstallationsCampus MuralsThroughout 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-TuesdaysPlanetarium ShowsJ. Watumull Planetarium$3 with General Admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Join us in the J. Watumull Planetarium at Bishop Museum to connect with the environment and peoples of the Pacific region, the expanse of our universe, and the stories we pass on from generation to generation.2025 Spring Planetarium Shows:
  • "The Hawaiian Sky Tonight"
  • "Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars"
  • "3-2-1 Liftoff!"
  • "Ngā Tohunga Whakatere: The Navigators"
• May 2025 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.
• Hawaiian Garden Tour | ProgramNā Ulu Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian Garden and throughout the Museum campusThis program is coordinated and executed in the Japanese language. Limited capacity and pre-registration 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.
• Thursday, May 1, 2025, 5-9 p.m. | EventHawaiian Airlines May Day 2025Great LawnTickets for the live concert are available for purchase at mele.com. The 7 p.m. live broadcast can be enjoyed on mele.com.Hawaiian Airlines May Day 2025 presented by Mele 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 returns to headline alongside special guests, including Robert Cazimero, Hālau Nā Kamalei o Līlīlehua, Kaipo Hale, Kuana Torres Kahele, and co-hosts, Billy V. and Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, director of community & cultural relations at Hawaiian Airlines.
• Saturday, May 3, 2025, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Public ProgramCelebrate Micronesia Festival 2025Throughout the Museum campus.$5 reduced admission for Kamaʻāina and Military. Free for Bishop Museum Members and keiki under 3 years of age. 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, 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 Pacific Islands Development Program at East-West Center, the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and leaders from Micronesian communities across Hawai'i.
• Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | ProgramLā Kūleʻa: ʻAuanaHawaiian Hall and Pāki 2This program is coordinated and executed in the Japanese language. Limited capacity and pre-registration 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 9, 2025, 5-9 p.m. | Public ProgramMuseum After Hours: Ke kāhuli leo leʻa o ka naheleThroughout the Museum campus.$10 pre-sale, $15 at the door for General Admission. Free for Bishop Museum Members.In partnership with the Mary Kawena Pukui Cultural Preservation Society, we celebrate the life, work, and legacy of our hero of cultural preservation, Mary Kawena Pukui. Mrs. Pukui spent more than 50 years documenting, translating, and compiling Hawaiian knowledge systems during a time when Hawaiian culture and traditions were being lost. Gather with us at Bishop Museum as contemporary haku mele share their processes inspired by the compositions of Mrs. Pukui.This special Museum After Hours is part of our Nānā i ke Kumu program series, which highlights Mrs. Pukui's unparalleled contributions to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, moʻolelo, hula, mele, and the perpetuation of ʻike kupuna.
• Saturday, May 10, 2025, 10-11 a.m. | Public ProgramKanikapila ma KaiwiʻulaNā Ulu Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian GardenIncluded 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 16, 2025, 6-8 p.m. | EventCity Nature Challenge Oʻahu Meet-and-GreetAtherton HālauFree admission.Following the 2025 City Nature Challenge (CNC) on Oʻahu, Bishop Museum is pleased to host a gathering for CNC participants, nature nerds, and anyone wanting to learn more about biodiversity. Make connections and share stories over food, drink, fun activities, and a special presentation. All ages are welcome!CNC is an annual bioblitz-style event where cities around the world compete to document biodiversity on iNaturalist. The Challenge brings communities together to celebrate and learn about nature, capture a yearly snapshot of biodiversity, and promote citizen science. Bishop Museum, the University of Hawaiʻi, and Mālama Mushrooms are hosts for our city region, which covers the entire island of Oʻahu.
• Friday, May 16, 2025, 7-8 p.m. | EventThe Stars TonightJ. Watumull PlanetariumCapacity 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 the show, weather permitting.
• Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | ProgramLā Kūleʻa: ʻAuanaHawaiian Hall and Pāki 2This program is coordinated and executed in the Japanese language. Limited capacity and pre-registration 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 21, 2025, 4:30-8 p.m. | EventKaiwiʻula Night MarketVisitor Parking 2Free admission.Join us every third Wednesday for the Kaiwiʻula Night Market! It's a new monthly opportunity for our shared community to gather at Bishop Museum. Come enjoy good eats and amazing crafts from our rotating list of local vendors.The Kaiwiʻula Night Market also acts as the Oʻahu pickup site for Grow Aloha. Every month in 2025, reserve a plant online and drop by the Kaiwiʻula Night Market to adopt a native plant for free.
• Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 5-8 p.m. | Public ProgramGrow Aloha: Plant PickupVisitor Parking 2Free 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. Every month in 2025, reserve a plant online and drop by the Grow Aloha tent at the Kaiwiʻula Night Market to adopt a native plant for free.The Kaiwiʻula Night Market is held at Bishop Museum every third Wednesday of the month.
• Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 7-8 p.m. | EventNavigating by the StarsJ. Watumull PlanetariumCapacity 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! Each talk includes an introduction to the night sky and celestial navigation. The May presentation features the Hawaiian star line most prominent this month, Kaiwikuamoʻo.
• Friday, May 23, 2025, 5:30-9 p.m. | EventExpedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep Member PreviewCastle Memorial Building & Gallery LawnsFree event, exclusive to Bishop Museum Members. Guest allowance is determined by Membership level.Are you ready for the Jurassic Seas? Dinosaurs are returning to Kaiwiʻula, and for the first time on Oʻahu, guests will be able to experience oceanic and aquatic reptiles from the Jurassic period! Bishop Museum Members can experience the new exhibit for free before the crowds hit! The Member Preview is an exclusive evening event where all Bishop Museum Members can enjoy food, music, dino-themed activities, and explore Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep before it opens to the public.
• Saturday, May 31, 2025, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Public ProgramScience & Sustainability Festival 2025Throughout the Museum campus.Reduced admission – $5 for Kamaʻāina and Military.The Science & Sustainability Festival brings together Museum scientists, educators, cultural practitioners, and more than 40 community partners to highlight the ongoing work needed to protect our precious biodiversity and build a sustainable future for Hawaiʻi. Enjoy a day of music, food, and science!The 2025 Festival will also host the public opening of a new Signature Gallery at Bishop Museum, Kamālaʻulahiwa. The new structure, adjacent to the Museum's Nā Ulu Kaiwiʻula Native Hawaiian Garden, will be a community education space featuring new displays and special programming to help inspire community members to expand their knowledge of traditional land management, local food security, and a sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.

Non-Museum Events

The following are facility rentals on Museum grounds, provided here for public knowledge.

• Saturday, May 17, 2025, 4-10 p.m. | EventSummer Sizzle Music Festival 2025Great Lawn

Looking past May, Bishop Museum is also excited to preview the following upcoming exhibits and public programs in 2025:

• July 31, 2025 | Welo Ka Hae Hawaiʻi, Celebrating Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea
• August 2025 | E Ulu A Paʻa Online Auction
• Aug. 8, 2025 | Mele After Hours Concert
• Aug. 22 2025 | New Exhibition – EXCORE

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, and Campus Murals. For more information, please visit BishopMuseum.org.