Ticket Options
The Hawaii Island Birding Festival offers a range of ticket options to suit different interests, budgets, and availability. Activities can be purchased individually or as part of package deals that combine multiple events at a discount.
- General Admission — Access to the main festival venue on both days, including exhibitions, presentations, vendor area, and general programming
- Morning Bird Hike (Saturday) — Expert-guided hike to native forest habitat, typically 3–4 hours; limited capacity
- Photography Workshop — Full-day workshop with professional bird photographer; limited capacity
- Gala Dinner — Evening celebration with conservation speakers, Hawaiian cuisine, and community gathering; individual tickets and whole-table bookings available
- Sunday Boat Tour — Chartered boat trip for offshore seabirds and coastal species; very limited capacity
- Sunday Van Tours — Bus and van tours to prime birding locations across the Big Island; limited capacity
Saturday's Program
Saturday is the main festival day, with the majority of educational programming, exhibitions, and guided activities taking place at the festival venue and in nearby native habitats. The day begins with the popular morning bird hike — a guided outing to native forest habitat where Hawaiian Honeycreepers and other endemic species are regularly observed.
The photography workshop with professional bird photographer Jack Jeffrey offers intensive, hands-on instruction for capturing images of Hawaii's extraordinary birds. Participants gain both technical photographic skills and deep knowledge of bird behavior that makes for better field encounters.
Throughout the day, the main festival venue hosts art exhibitions, conservation presentations, vendor displays of birding equipment and nature-related products, and educational activities for all ages. Mainland artist Catherine Hamilton's exhibition of Hawaiian bird paintings offers a stunning complement to the direct field experiences of the guided tours, with a scheduled question-and-answer session with the artist.
The Saturday evening program includes the screening of "Struggle for Existence," an award-winning conservation documentary by filmmaker Laurie Sumiye, followed by a question-and-answer discussion with the filmmaker. The Gala Dinner follows, bringing together the festival community for an evening of celebration and conservation advocacy.
Sunday's Tours and Activities
Sunday is devoted to specialized tours that take participants to prime birding locations across the Big Island, most of which are accessible only through organized tours with advance access arrangements. These tours fill quickly — in 2016, the boat tour and photography tour sold out with only a handful of spots remaining just days before the festival.
The Sunday Boat Tour is a chartered vessel excursion for seabirds and coastal species, departing from a Big Island harbor and venturing offshore to observe Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, albatrosses, tropicbirds, boobies, and other pelagic and nearshore species. The boat tour represents the best opportunity during the festival to observe Hawaii's extraordinary seabird life.
The Sunday Van and Bus Tours offer access to a selection of prime Big Island birding locations covering different habitat types and species assemblages. Tour routes are designed to complement the Saturday programs, accessing areas not covered the previous day and featuring the endemic birds most sought by visiting birders. Expert guides accompany each vehicle, providing identification assistance and ecological and cultural interpretation throughout the day.
The Gala Dinner
The Gala Dinner is a highlight of the Hawaii Island Birding Festival — an evening celebration bringing together festival participants, conservation leaders, local community members, and sponsors in a festive atmosphere centered on Hawaii's natural heritage. Individual tickets are available, as are whole-table bookings for groups who wish to share the experience with friends, colleagues, or birding club members.
The dinner features locally sourced Hawaiian cuisine, keynote addresses from leading figures in Hawaiian ornithology and conservation, recognition of conservation milestones and achievements, and an opportunity for attendees to connect with the community of people dedicated to protecting Hawaii's extraordinary birds. Live entertainment reflecting Hawaiian cultural traditions may also be included in the program.
Proceeds from the Gala Dinner contribute directly to the conservation fund supported by the festival, making attendance both a delightful social occasion and a meaningful contribution to the protection of Hawaii's native birds.
How to Register
Registration for the Hawaii Island Birding Festival opens several months before the festival dates. All activities can be registered for through this website. A confirmation email with detailed logistics, meeting point instructions, and preparation information is sent upon registration.
For questions about specific activities, accessibility accommodations, group registrations, or sponsorship opportunities, please contact us. We are happy to help you plan your festival participation and ensure you make the most of your time at the Hawaii Island Birding Festival.
The festival team is committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming experience for birders of all backgrounds and experience levels. If you have specific needs or questions not addressed in the activity descriptions, please don't hesitate to reach out — we want every participant's festival experience to be extraordinary.