Annual Events.
From the four-month Makahiki season to the summer-long Slack Key Festival, our annual programs celebrate Hawaiian culture and the ocean that shapes it.
Makahiki Season
The ancient Hawaiian Makahiki season is a four-month period of peace, harvest and celebration, beginning with the rising of the Makaliʻi (Pleiades) constellation in November.
Each year the Aquarium hosts cultural practitioners, music, hula and educational programs honoring Lono, the god of agriculture, rain and fertility, and the deep relationship between Hawaiians and the sea.
Mauka to Makai Environmental Expo
A free, family-friendly community expo connecting our mountains (mauka) to the sea (makai). Over 40 environmental organizations gather at the Aquarium with hands-on activities, live animals, music, and food.
Co-presented with the City and County of Honolulu Storm Water Quality Branch, celebrating clean water, healthy watersheds and the people protecting them.
World Ocean Month
Every June we celebrate World Ocean Day with a month-long series of talks, snorkel tours, beach clean-ups, citizen-science projects and family programs.
It's our biggest call to action of the year, connecting visitors directly with the marine life and reefs of Oʻahu.
Ke Kani O Ke Kai, Hawaiian Slack Key Festival
"The Sound of the Sea", our beloved oceanfront concert series featuring Hawaiʻi's finest slack key guitarists, ʻukulele masters and Hawaiian vocalists.
Held under the stars on the Aquarium's lawn, with the sound of the surf as the natural rhythm section. Bring a low chair and a picnic.
Seasons of the Sea
A summer-long exploration of how Hawaiʻi's ocean changes through the seasons, from humpback whale migrations to coral spawning, monk seal pupping and reef fish recruitment.
Aquarium Anniversary
Founded on March 19, 1904, the Waikīkī Aquarium is the second-oldest public aquarium in the United States. Each March we celebrate with free community days, special tours and behind-the-scenes access.
