Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana Turns 50 With an Aloha ʻĀina Concert on Bishop Museum’s Great Lawn Friday

Friday night’s best concert on Oʻahu might be on a lawn in Kalihi. Bishop Museum and the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana are throwing the 50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina Concert and Celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, on the museum’s Great Lawn, with events across the campus, according to a Bishop Museum news release.

The night celebrates the release of the ʻOhana’s new “50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina” album, and all proceeds go to the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana.

Who’s playing

The stage lineup, per the museum:

• 5:30 p.m.: Ka Pā Hula o ka Lei Lehua with Kumu Hula Snowbird Bento
• 6:30 p.m.: ʻOhana Krug
• 7:45 p.m.: The Protect Kahoʻolawe Band with Ikaakamai, Kimié Miner, Keahi Piʻiohia, Pōkiʻi Seto, Kaʻikena Scanlan, Kiliona Young and others

The musicians are featured on the new album, which Hawaiʻi Public Radio reported is already out on streaming services. HPR described the night as a mix of classic Hawaiian soul and new music by young musicians.

Between sets, community partners and ʻOhana members share short testimonials. Speakers include Kapua Sproat of Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, Huihui Kanahele Mossman of the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, and Luana and Craig Neff of the ʻOhana.

More than a concert

• Planetarium show: From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., the J. Watumull Planetarium hosts a multimedia piece honoring Kahoʻolawe. It mixes archival photos, video, field recordings, poetry and digital models by Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina, Richard Hamasaki, Sean Connelly, Alec Yasunori Singer and kekahi wahi, according to the event site.
• Food: ʻAwa Hou, Blue Truck Teppanyaki, Chubby Fries and Wings, Da Cuterie, ʻOlomana Bros., Reecie B’s and Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn are on the lawn.
• Make a shirt: Bring a T-shirt to the Kanaeokana booth and pick an aloha ʻāina iron-on design, per the Kamehameha Schools Kaiāulu listing.
• Booths and a silent auction: About 15 partner groups, including Ka Papa Loʻi o Kānewai, Loko Ea and the Waimānalo Limu Hui, will have booths about their work. A silent auction supports the ʻOhana.
• Treasure case: On the third floor of Hawaiian Hall, the display “Kanaloa ka Laʻa o Kohemālamalama: Unconquerable is the Divinity of Kohemālamalama” pairs historical objects from the museum’s collections with contemporary ceremonial objects and photographs from 50 years of ʻOhana ceremony on the island.

Why 50 years matters

On Jan. 4, 1976, nine people, including George Helm, Emmett Aluli and Walter Ritte, landed on Kahoʻolawe to protest the U.S. military’s bombing and control of the island, according to the museum. That landing led to the formation of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, and the museum calls it the birth of the modern aloha ʻāina movement. Bishop Museum notes it happened the same year as Hōkūleʻa’s first voyages.

“Kahoʻolawe is more than an island,” Brandon Bunag, the museum’s vice president of public programs, said in the release. “It is a living treasure and a place of healing, education, transformation, restoration, and ancestral connection.”

The concert caps a series of free talks at the museum. The last one, “Paʻa,” is Thursday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Hawaiian Hall, with free tickets and a livestream on the event site.

Know before you go

• When: Friday, Nov. 13, 5 to 9 p.m.
• Where: Bishop Museum Great Lawn and campus, 1525 Bernice St., Kalihi
• Tickets: $35 general admission; $10 for ages 65 and older and for ages 11 to 17; free for 10 and under. Buy at BishopMuseum.org/PKO. Final pricing shows at checkout
• Bring: A T-shirt for the Kanaeokana iron-on booth

Making a weekend of it? Free “Moana 2” in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi plays at Ko Olina on Saturday, and our things to do this week has more.

Sources

• Bishop Museum, “Bishop Museum and the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana Announce Full Details of the 50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina Concert and Celebration” (Nov. 5, 2026): https://news.bishopmuseum.org/releases/bishop-museum-and-the-protect-kahoolawe-ohana-announce-full-details-of-the-50-years-of-alo
• Bishop Museum event site, 50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina Concert and Celebration (checked Nov. 12, 2026): https://pko50.bishopmuseum.org/
• Bishop Museum tickets (TicketSpice): https://bishopmuseum.ticketspice.com/50-years-of-aloha-ina-live-concert-laa-maa-paa
• Hawaiʻi Public Radio, The Conversation, “Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana marks 50 years with music honoring the ʻāina” (Nov. 10, 2026): https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2026-11-10/protect-kahoolawe-ohana-marks-50-years-with-a-night-of-music-honoring-the-aina
• HONOLULU Magazine, “Your Guide to the Perfect Weekend in Honolulu: Nov. 12–18, 2026” by Laura Dornbush: https://www.honolulumagazine.com/weekend-guide-nov-12-18-2026/
• Kamehameha Schools Kaiāulu event listing: https://kaiaulu.ksbe.edu/event-details/50-years-of-aloha-aina-concert-celebration