08/27/2026
The Hawaii Island Festival of Birds takes place next month, Saturday, October 24, 2026, in Hilo, with the theme Celebrating Resilience. The full-day event includes guest speakers, a bird fair, and birding activities. Ticket presale is planned to begin in mid to late August.
Volcano Village Lodge sits in native ohia rainforest where apapane and other honeycreepers are commonly heard from the guest lanai. The Big Island is also the best place in the world to see the nēnē (the state bird). The nēnē is found only in Hawaiʻi, and its population fell to about 30 birds by the mid-1900s, but it now numbers near 3,000. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park supports the largest wild nēnē population of any island, with reliable sightings along Crater Rim Drive, on the grass near the Kīlauea Visitor Center, and around the Devastation Trail parking area. All of that is about 5 minutes from our door. The park runs its own nēnē page, and the recovery program was actually born there.
We are roughly a 45-minute drive from Hilo, so plan to spend the day at the festival to make the most of the day. Book our award-winning hotel to make the most of your trip: