A full-day celebration of native birds featuring guest presentations for all ages, bird fair with artists and educational booths, and more.About this Event
The Hawai‘i Island Festival of Birds is returning to the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo on Saturday October 24, 2026. This full day, family-friendly festival will include a Bird Fair featuring artists and crafters that highlight native birds in their work as well as conservation nonprofits, guest speakers and Hālau hula, bird trivia, and soundscapes. The theme of this year's event is Celebrating Resilience and our festival keychain features the 'alae ke'oke'o (Hawaiian Coot).
The goal of the festival is to come together as a community to celebrate native bird species in Hawai‘i and fight against hopelessness in the face of tough conservation challenges. Through the sharing of manaʻo and enthusiasm, the festival provides a space where we can all uplift and motivate each other.
This event is presented by the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center and the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i. Proceeds raised at the festival support the work of these two conservation organizations, as well as future festival events.
Admission wristbands are required for full access to the guest presentations in the Grand Naniloa Crown Room as well as the Bird Fair in the Hoʻomalimali, Sandalwood, and Palm rooms. The central outreach tent Learning Lounge on the lobby lānai of the Grand Naniloa Hotel will be free and will not require admission wristbands. Keiki 12 and under get in free and do not require a wristband to access any of the festival spaces.
Please note that we are still working on the festival agenda and presentations may change without notice. To the best of our ability, we will keep the agenda on Eventbrite current with any updates. Updates will also be shared on the festival website.
Mark your calendars and join us for this incredible celebration of all our unique and special native birds of Hawai‘i!
Festival Website: www.birdfesthawaii.org
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Bird Fair Exhibitor and Vendor Booths
Learning Lounge on Lobby Lānai | Hawaiʻi DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife & the Nēnē Recovery Action Group (NRAG) | Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project | ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative | ʻImiloa Center | Keauhou Bird Conservation Center | ʻŌhiʻa Love | Kōlea Sparkling Hop Water will also be sharing samples on the Lānai near the registration table.
Optics Demos on Lawn: Binocular and spotting scope demos, courtesy of Kowa Sporting Optics. Have any questions about the best optics for birding? Here’s a good chance to get those questions answered!
Hoʻomalimali, Sandalwood, and Palm Rooms | Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center | Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi | Hawaiʻi Island Festival of Birds Activity Booth | Office of Hawaiian Affairs (pending confirmation) | Mt House Stained Glass | The Wildlife Society - Hawaiʻi Chapter | Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge | American Bird Conservancy & Nā Leo Nahele | Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association | Karen . Thrasher . Art | Hawaiʻi Audubon Society | For the Birds… and More | Tropical Funk | Mea Lāliʻi | Kahua ‘Āina | Art by Dena | Esther Szegedy | Ka Hale ʻO Naukana | Piʻilani Styles | Nā Ala Hele Trail and Access Program | Autochthonous Hawaiʻi | Friends of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge | Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project | Charlotte Forbes Perry | William Dement | Mountains and Clouds | Sophie’s Critters | Pacific Rim Conservation | Friends of Midway Atoll | Live Love Bird LLC | Manu o Manu | Hawaiʻi County Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and Resilience (OSCER) | Division of Forestry and Wildlife/ʻAlalā Project | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Silent Auction Tables (auction closes at 4:30PM)
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Birdie Bucks
Each paid admission comes with a $5 Birdie Bucks coupon. You may use this coupon to receive a $5 discount at any of our Bird Fair vendor booths or choose to donate your coupon to any of our conservation organization exhibitor booths. Organizations will receive $5 for each coupon that is donated to support their important work.
Please note, these coupons are for Bird Fair booths only and cannot be used for goods/services at the hotel, including their concession, restaurant, bar, or store.
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Presale Perks and Bonuses
Why buy early? Presale tickets are discounted from the at-the-door price and come with a free HIFB 2026 festival keychain. Free keychain must be picked up at check-in, shipping is not available. In addition, in an effort to reduce the amount of waste generated by our event, we've purchased a limited number of souvenir silicone wristbands to use instead of standard disposable event wristbands. Silicone wristbands will be distributed to ticket holders upon check-in while supplies last, and presale ticket holders get first priority to this extra festival swag.
Tickets purchased at the door on the day of the event will be $25 adult and $20 student. Keiki 12 and under still receive free admission. Tickets purchased at the door do not come with a free festival keychain, but keychains will be available for purchase. We highly recommend purchasing your ticket presale through Eventbrite for the discount and included swag!
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2026 Festival Merchandise
Official festival merchandise will be coming soon! Get your shirts and gear early to wear to the event. Please note festival merch will only be available online. There will be no festival apparel for sale at the event. If you want to purchase gear to wear at the event, please do so early as production and delivery can take several weeks, especially for Hawaiʻi addresses.
Link: coming soon.
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Sunday Bird Walks and Trips
A limited number of guided community birding trips will be available on Sunday October 25, the day after the festival, pending guide availability. We are currently working on securing guides for these trips.
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Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM - 05:30 PM
Bird Fair (Hoʻomalimali, Sandalwood, and Palm Rooms, Wristband Required)
Info: Many amazing local artists and crafters will be at Bird Fair, along with conservation organizations sharing information about their critical work and how you can help. The Fair will be in the Hoʻomalimali and Sandalwood Rooms on the ground floor and in the Palm Room on the lobby level across from the Kapohokine store. Each paid admission to the Festival will come with a $5 Birdie Bucks coupon that you can use towards a purchase or donate to a conservation org at the fair! (Note: while our vendors will have amazing native bird design items available, no actual birds or bird parts will be for sale at Bird Fair.) The Bird Fair will temporarily close from 10 - 10:30am to allow our Bird Fair booth representatives the opportunity to participate in the Crown Room opening 'oli.
🕑: 09:00 AM - 05:30 PM
Learning Lounge (Free Admission, No Wristband Required)
Info: The Learning Lounge will be a tented area on the lobby lanaʻi, serving as a central outreach and education hub. This area is free to the public and does not require a festival wristband. If youʻre simply curious about some of the conservation efforts going on locally but not sure if you want to commit to the whole event, please drop by and talk story with our learning lounge booths!
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Opening Presentation (Crown Room, Wristband Required)
Info: | Warmup bird trivia | Opening ʻoli O Ka Lele a Nei ʻĀuna led by ʻĀhuimanu : The perfect way to set the intention for the day. Come prepared to join your fellow festival attendees with native bird calls |
🕑: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Morning Presentations (Crown Room, Wristband Required)
Info: | Hālau Hula Nāwehiokaipoaloha, led by Kumu Hula Ipolei Lindsey-Asing | The Many Names of the ʻIʻiwi - One of Our Most Cherished Birds - Noah Gomes | Birds Not Mosquitoes Update - Ben Catcho, American Bird Conservancy | Integrating Hawaiian Culture When Working with Manu in Hawaiʻi - Keoki Kanakokai, The Nature Conservancy | Hakalau Forest Wildlife Refuge Update - Friends of Hakalau Forest | Upcoming Palila Rear and Release Program and ʻAlalā Updates from DLNR DOFAW – Alex Wang, DLNR Div. of Forestry and Wildlife |
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:45 PM
Nā Leo Nahele - Keiki in Conservation (Crown Room, Wristband Required)
Info: All ages are welcomed and youth attendees especially are encouraged to attend this student panel.
Led by Ben Catcho Jr., a Native Hawaiian educator and Communications and Outreach Specialist with American Bird Conservancy, featuring Nā Leo Nahele from Kanu O Ka ʻĀina PCS. What does conservation look like through the eyes of keiki? Hear it from Nā Leo Nahele, a youth conservation hui where haumāna build pilina with Hawaiʻi’s native manu, and communities. They’ll share their adventures in the fields, what they’ve learned, and the projects they’re creating to get others excited about mālama ʻāina. Rooted in Kanu ʻo ka ʻĀina’s connection to place and supported by American Bird Conservancy, Nā Leo Nahele shows what happens when keiki get the chance to lead.
🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:45 PM
Afternoon Presentations & Bird Trivia (Crown Room, Wristband Required)
Info: Loko Iʻa: Restore and They Will Come - Brenda Lima | Native Bird Translocations: Hawaiʻi Island providing second chances for native birds being displaced by mosquitoes - Bret Nainoa Mossman | Bird Trivia with prizes
🕑: 02:45 PM - 03:30 PM
50+ Years of Forest Bird Monitoring (Crown Room, Wristband Required)
Info: 45 minute panel-style presentation highlighting the changes in Hawaiʻi Island forest bird distribution and density over the last 50 years. Presented by Colleen Cole, Amanda Navine, Noah Hunt, Pat Hart and Rick Camp. Panel will feature shorter presentations followed by Q&A. Topics to be covered during this session: 1) The certain decline and uncertain future of Palila (Loxioides bailleui) by Noah Hunt, 2) A hui in action: Structured decision making to prevent Palila extinction by Colleen Cole, 3) Passive acoustic monitoring reveals eleven years of change at Hakalau by Amanda Navine and Pat Hart, and 4) Long-term changes in forest bird distribution and density on the Island of Hawaiʻi
🕑: 03:45 PM - 04:30 PM
Under the ʻŌhiʻa Tree Book Reading & Activity (Location TBD)
Info: More information coming soon
🕑: 09:00 AM - 04:30 PM
Silent Auction (Hoʻomalimali Room, Wristband Required)
Info: Support the Hawaiʻi Island Festival of Birds and its two nonprofit hosts, the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center and Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi, by bidding on items in the silent auction. Items were generously donated by Bird Fair vendors, HIFB presenters, and community members. Mahalo to all of our auction donors and those participating as bidders! Bidding closes at 4:30pm.
🕑: 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM
Free Public Hour (Hoʻomalimali, Sandalwood, and Palm Rooms)
Info: During this time all Bird Fair rooms will be free and open to the public, no admission or wristbands required. If you aren't able to participate in the whole day event, please come by during pau hana and support all of our vendors and learn more about important conservation work being done by our nonprofit and agency exhibitors!
🕑: 09:00 AM - 05:30 PM
Optics Demos on the Lawn (Free Admission, No Wristband Required)
Info: Try out some binoculars and spotting scopes, courtesy of Kowa Sporting Optics. Have any questions about the best optics for birding? Here’s a good chance to get those questions answered!
Event venue
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo - a DoubleTree by Hilton, 93 Banyan Drive, Hilo, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.