They’re colorful and coy, er, koi.

The nation’s top hobbyists will bring their most spectacular fish — up to 3 feet long — to San Jose to compete this weekend, May 1-2, in the ZNA NorCal National Koi Show.

And the public’s invited to come and gaze at 35 tanks’ worth of koi contestants, learn about the hobby of keeping koi and see the judges in action. Admission is free

The ZNA (Zen Nippon Arankai) show, which has been held annually in San Jose for a number of years, was forced to take 2020 off because of COVID restrictions that limited travel by participants.

“The primary purpose of the ZNA NorCal koi show is to advance koi education, from how to begin in the hobby to offering the latest information about koi keeping and improvement,” said event organizer Dinh Nguyen, who added that there is an emphasis on appreciation for the “living art” of koi, or nishikigoi in Japanese.

Besides the koi competition and related exhibits, the weekend event will feature members of the California Calligraphy Association doing calligraphy to raise funds for ZNA NorCal scholarships for students around the world.

Details: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Wyndham Garden Silicon Valley Hotel, 399 Silicon Valley Blvd., San Jose. http://znanorcal.info