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8.5 hours
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo - a DoubleTree by Hilton
Starting at USD 0
Sat, 04 Oct, 2025 at 09:00 am to 05:30 pm (GMT-10:00)
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo - a DoubleTree by Hilton
93 Banyan Drive, Hilo, United States
The Hawai‘i Island Festival of Birds is returning to the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo on Saturday October 4, 2025. 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 throughout the day. In the spirit of sharing manaʻo across islands, bird talks this year will include highlights of conservation projects and successes from Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, Kure Atoll, and of course our own Hawaiʻi Island. We are also introducing a "Manu 101" session, an interactive part of the presentation program that allows keiki and ʻohana to explore conservation together.
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.
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 aims to uplift and motivate.
Admission wristbands will be 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.
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 | Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project | ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative | ʻImiloa Astronomy Center | Keauhou Bird Conservation Center | Hawaiʻi County Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and Resilience | 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 | Mountain House Stained Glass | Laulima | Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge | Birds Not Mosquitoes and Kanu ʻO ka ʻĀina PCS students | Noah Gomes | Boho Being | Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association | Thrasher Art Hawaiʻi | Hawaiʻi Audubon Society | For the Birds… and More | Tropical Funk | Wandering Finch | Kahua ‘Āina | Art by Dena | Esther Szegedy | Michelle and Ken Kita | Sarah Taylor Ko | Nā Ala Hele | Autochthonous Hawaiʻi | Oglesby Art | Jill Briggs | Charlotte Forbes Perry | Bill Dement | Mountains and Clouds | ʻŌhiʻa Love | Sophie’s Critters | Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture | Pacific Rim Conservation | Little Outcrop | Friends of Midway Atoll | Martel Art | David Shepard Hawaiʻi | Live Love Bird LLC | Manu o Manu | Silent Auction Tables (auction closes at 4:30)
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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 organziation 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 2025 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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2025 Festival Merchandise
Official festival merchandise is available for purchase now! Get your shirts and gear early to wear to the event. Please note festival apparel is only 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.
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Sunday Bird Walks and Trips
A limited number of guided community birding trips will be available on Sunday October 5, the day after the festival. Sign up for these trips will be at the Bird Fair. Space is available on a first come first serve basis. We are still working on finalizing the details on these trips. Please check our website for updates.
Cost: We want to make these trips as accessible as we can to encourage community members to go out and experience Hawai‘iʻs awesome native birdlife! All trips will be free of charge. Participants who would like to make a contribution may donate to the Hawai‘i Island Festival of Birds. Donations are appreciated, but are not required to participate in a birding trip.
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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.
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!
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 | Opening soundscape: Immerse yourselves in this soundbath, created and composed by UH Hilo LOHE Bioacoustic Lab’s Ann Tanimoto-Johnson, narrated by Dr. Patrick Hart. |
Info: | Hālau Hula Nāwehiokaipoaloha, led by Kumu Hula Ipolei Lindsey-Asing | Holy Mōlī: Navigating Private-Public Protection for an Iconic Bird – Hob Osterlund | Father Goose: the Nēnē conservation work of Ah Fat Lee – Angela Emeliano, Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center | Rob Pacheco, Hawaiʻi Forest and Trail and Co-founder of the Hawaiʻi Island Festival of Birds| E Laka Ka Lehua O Ka Nahelehele and Haʻena Nawahine – Hālau Hula Manaʻolana, led by Kumu Hula Hope Keawe | Hawai’i Island Koa’e ula – Alex Wang, DLNR Div. of Forestry and Wildlife |
Info: Warm up with some bird trivia then comes Manu 101, featuring a student panel, storytelling, and games! All ages are welcomed and youth attendees especially are encouraged to attend.
Led by Ben Catcho Jr., a Native Hawaiian educator and Communications and Outreach Specialist with American Bird Conservancy, featuring haumāna from Kanu ʻO ʻĀina PCS, this session will share the “Making Moʻolelo” framework, a model developed to help communities, especially youth, explore conservation through story creation, ancestral knowledge, and ecological understanding. Participants will experience interactive storytelling prompts and example activities used successfully with Hawaiian charter schools, immersion classrooms, and community groups.
Info: Join us celebrating some of Hakalau’s greatest successes as well as a huge milestone anniversary. Hear updates about the refuge, future plans, and where community support is needed.
Info: | Laysan Duck Project Updates – Kure Atoll Field Team | Maui Nui ʻAlalā Release – Tess Hebebrand, Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project | Improved status of the Oʻahu ʻElepaio through effective long-term management and natural adaptation – Eric VanderWerf and Phil Taylor | Translocation of four Hawaiian seabirds to create new breeding colonies and increase climate resiliency – Eric A. VanderWerf, Robby Kohley, Erika Dittmar, and Lauren Pedersen | IMUA! Onward! – Closing remarks by Rae Okawa, Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center | Final Soundscape, Mauka to Makai |
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!
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.
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!
Also check out other Festivals in Hilo, Arts events in Hilo, Nonprofit events in Hilo.
Tickets for Hawaii Island Festival of Birds 2025 can be booked here.
| Ticket type | Ticket price |
|---|---|
| General Admission (ages 18+) | 18 USD |
| Student Rate (ages 13 -17) | 13 USD |
| Keiki (ages 12 and under) | Free |
