Washington, D.C. — Bishop Museum and seven other Hawaii museums will offer free admission on Sept. 27 as part of Smithsonian magazine's 4th Annual Museum Day. The event emulates the "open-door" policy of the Smithsonian Institution's Washington, DC-based facilities and celebrates culture, learning and knowledge.

Participating Hawaii museums will open their doors free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readers and Smithsonian.com visitors.

In addition to Bishop Museum, also participating in the event will be the Hawaii State Art Museum, Manoa Heritage Center,Mission Houses Museum, Pacific Aviation Museum, Queen Emma Summer Palace, University of Hawaii Art Gallery and the Hawaii Maritime Center

To get free admissions cards, go to: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venue.html.

A record number of locations across the country and in Puerto Rico have registered for this year's trademark event, organizers said in a news release. The 892 participating museums and cultural institutions now have the opportunity to craft their own profile page with photos, exhibit information and a link back to the venue's site on Smithsonian.com.

Last year, upwards of 100,000 people attended Museum Day. All 50 states plus Puerto Rico were represented by 651 participating museums, including 84 Smithsonian affiliate museums.

"We are thrilled with the level of excitement from the participating museums this year," said Kerry Bianchi, Group Publisher, Smithsonian Media. "Keeping in the spirit of Smithsonian's philosophy, the institutions are truly committed to sharing all they have to offer with all who care to visit."

The general public is welcome to attend and must present the Museum Day Admission Card to gain free entry to participating institutions. Each card provides museum access to two people, and one admission card is permitted per household. The Museum Day Admission Card is now available in the September issue of Smithsonian magazine and a downloadable version is available at www.smithsonian.com/museumday <http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html> . Listings and links to participating museums' and sponsors' sites, such as CITGO, State of Louisiana Office of Tourism and the World Cultural Economic Forum, can also be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday <http://www.smithsonian.com/museumday> . Museums can still register to participate by logging onto www.smithsonian.com/museumday <http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museums.html>