17th Annual Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium

Sunday, March 2, 2025 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION. Please register online.

In partnership with Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai and Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Punaluʻu, Bishop Museum is honored to host the 17th Annual Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival and Symposium. Every year, the festival spotlights a ʻohana kalo or a specific Hawaiian taro variety. In 2025, we celebrate kalo ʻapuwai.

The mission of the Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium is to educate our lāhui about different Hawaiian kalo varieties and how to care for them. Our kūpuna were well-versed with the function, uses, and care of Hawaiian kalo varieties and understood its ceremonial, medicinal, and subsistence value. Focusing on ʻohana kalo every year encourages research into kalo genealogy to better understand the who, what, where, why, and how of Hawaiian kalo cultivation.

This year’s programming will span three days, culminating in a campuswide festival celebration on Sunday, March 2, 2025 that is free admission and open to all. This culminating festival features guest speakers, live music, community partners, activity booths, huli giveaways, food tastings, and community conversation. Gather with kalo farmers, artists, cultural practitioners, natural science researchers, community educators, and more to share knowledge and celebrate Native Hawaiian kalo varieties.

Great Lawn Stage Schedule

• 10:00 am Wehena by Ka Papa Loʻi o Kānewai and Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Punaluʻu
• 10:15 am Pūnana Leo o Mānoa and Pūnana Leo o Nuʻuanu
• 10:30 am Nā Pua ‘Āhihi Lehua Mai Pihanakalani, Kumu Hula ʻAuliʻi L. Heine Hirahara
• 12:00 pm Robi Kahakalau and the ʻOhana Kahakalau
• 1:00 pm Poi Beaul and the Kuʻi ʻAi
• 2:00 pm Kaʻikena Scanlan

Community Partners
Ka Papa Loʻi o Kānewai and Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Punaluʻu
Pili Ponoʻī
Hui Kū Maoli Ola
Kanaeokana
Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi
Kohala Center
Ka ʻOhana Lind no Kīpahulu
Niuhelewai
Papa Ola Lōkahi
Papahana Kuaola
UH Mānoa Native Hawaiian Student Services
UH Mānoa CTHAR, Oʻahu Urban Center & Academic Student Affairs
Go Farms Hawaiʻi
Waimea Valley

Hawaiian Hall Tours
10:00 am, 11:00 am & 1:00 pm
Hawaiian Hall Complex
Immerse yourself in the beauty and history of Hawaiian Hall on a guided tour, highlighting tradition and change in Hawaiʻi through signature gallery spaces and displays. Meet at the staircase in Hawaiian Hall’s front entry tower.

Planetarium Shows
10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.
J. Watumull Planetarium
Tickets required; purchase or reserve at Shop Pacifica or Planetarium Lobby. $3 per person general admission. Free for members and children under 4. Limited seating.

10:30 am    3-2-1 Liftoff!, 25 min
11:30 am    Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars, 45 min
12:30 pm    Ngā Tohunga Whakatere: The Navigators, 45 min
1:30 pm     The Hawaiian Sky Tonight, 25 min
2:30 pm     Edge of Darkness, 45 min
3:30 pm     Wayfinders: Waves, Winds, and Stars, 45 min

Mahalo to our generous partners for making this event possible!

Other Mālama Hāloa Kalo Festival & Symposium Programs

Friday, February 28, 2025 — 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mālama Hāloa Mahiʻai Kalo Youth Conference — a day for teachers and students to learn more about Native Hawaiian kalo varieties. Participating classrooms will engage with kalo farmers, chefs, and artists and have hands-on activities with kalo. Please contact education@bishopmuseum.org if you have a youth classroom interested in participating. Capacity is limited.

Saturday, March 1, 2025 — 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
First Saturday Community Workday at Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai — community work days in the lo‘i at Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai is a tradition going back to 1980 and the revitalization of the current taro patch. Join us at Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai at the Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge to work in the lo‘i and experience traditional farming methods. For more info, go here. kanewai@hawaii.edu