After a two-year of absence, the Hawaii Festival of Birds is once more making its annual migration to Hilo this weekend.
Following a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival is once returning to the Grand Naniloa Hotel to celebrate the Big Island’s native bird species.
“We had a virtual festival in 2020, but now we’re finally back,” said Rae Okawa, development director for the Hawaii Wildlife Center, which is holding the festival together with the Conservation Council for Hawaii.
“I think people are ready for it. I’ve been getting calls from people asking if the bird festival will ever come back.”
Festivalgoers will be able to experience a bird fair featuring booths, local artisans, interactive activities, bird trivia (with prizes for the biggest “bird brains”), bird merchandise and more.
“I’m a shopper, but when you look for clothes with Hawaii animals on them, usually it’s, like, turtles,” Okawa said. “You never get birds. So, we have artists celebrating our local birds.”
Guest speakers will discuss native birds’ significance to Hawaiian culture, and conservation efforts to protect them from environmental and human threats.
Okawa said the festival also will feature a hula ho‘ike by several halau. She said the performances are “intentional,” and are specifically about native and sacred birds.
While the festival will go for one day only, Okawa said attendees can sign up for free guided birding trips to be held around the island on Sunday.
Those trips will take place at Kaulana Manu Nature Trail off the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, Wailoa River and Loka Waka Pond in Hilo, and the Kona coast. Space is limited, and sign-ups will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
The festival begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in Hilo and lasts until 6 p.m. Tickets at the door cost $20 for adults and $15 for students aged 13-18. Keiki 12 and under enjoy free admission.
