Bishop Museum November 2024 Exhibitions, Public Programs, and Events

Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History, shares its November 2024 exhibitions, public programs, and events. A full and continually updated listing can be found on the Museum's website, BishopMuseum.org.

November sees the return of our annual Kāhuli Festival on Nov. 9, 2024! Come learn about the biocultural diversity that makes Hawaiʻi unique.

November 2024

• 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 will be 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 coincides 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.2024 Fall Planetarium Shows:
  • "The Hawaiian Sky Tonight"
  • "Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars"
  • "3-2-1 Liftoff!"
  • "Eyes on Island Earth"
• November 2024 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.
• Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | EventSun Day Sundae Sunday!CampuswideIncluded with Museum admission. Planetarium shows $3. Admission and Planetarium shows free for Bishop Museum Members.Set your sights on the Sun with solar-focused educational activities and planetarium shows! Experience the Parker Solar Probe's journey towards the Sun in a special presentation with project team members from the John Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. Also, enjoy solar viewing at Sun Day Sundae Sunday!, weather permitting.
• Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, 3-9 p.m. | Public ProgramKāhuli Festival 2024Great Lawn, Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center$5 admission for kamaʻāina and military with ID. Free for Bishop Museum Members.Learn about and celebrate the biocultural diversity that makes Hawaiʻi unique and a place we all love to call home at the third annual Kāhuli Festival! Come see live endangered and rare snails from our Hawaiian Land Snail Conservation Program and the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Snail Extinction Prevention Program, and explore how we mālama pū i ka ʻāina, especially through the lens of our endangered kāhuli, with talks, hands-on workshops, and family-friendly activities.
• Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, 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 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, Nov. 15, 2024, 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, weather permitting.
• Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, 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 will include an introduction to the night sky and celestial navigation. The May program will feature the Hawaiian star line most prominent this month, Ka Lupe o Kawelo.
• Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, 5-9 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.
• Friday-Saturday, Nov. 22-24, 2024 | EventThe ʻUkulele Guild of Hawaiʻi: The Hawaiian ʻUkulele ExperienceBishop Museum CampusFree with Museum admission.The Hawaiian ʻUkulele Experience is a three-day event where you can gather with local, national, and international ʻukulele builders, players, and collectors. Enjoy workshops, listen to great entertainment, interact and view one-of-a-kind custom instruments, and meet other ʻukulele enthusiasts!
• Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2023, 4-7 p.m. | Public ProgramLā Kūʻokoʻa at Bishop MuseumGallery LawnFree admission.Bishop Museum celebrates Lā Kūʻokoʻa, the Independence Day of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Lā Kūʻokoʻa commemorates the date, November 28, 1843, when the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was formally recognized by England and France through the signing of the Anglo-Franco Proclamation and through a verbal acknowledgement with the United States.

Looking past October, Bishop Museum is also excited to preview the following upcoming exhibits and public programs in 2024:

• December 2024 | Updates to Science on a Sphere ("SOS") Rotunda exhibit

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.