Hana Hou for Maui Steel Guitar Festival

June 6, 2022 • Addison Ching • Festivals and Conventions

The Maui Steel Guitar Festival returns in 2022 with a condensed two day festival and a new venue.

A one-day steel guitar ho‘olaule‘a will be presented at The Shops At Wailea on Saturday, October 15. The ho‘olaule‘a will be presented in two segments, from 11 AM to 2 PM and from 4 PM to 7 PM.

This popular shopping destination was slated to be the site of the 2020 Maui Steel Guitar Festival before all outdoor activities were paused due to the pandemic, forcing the 2020 festival to be canceled.

In addition to the outdoor concert at The Shops At Wailea, a vintage steel guitar exhibit may be offered if exhibit space is available.

Following the Wailea festival, a one-day steel guitar ho‘olaule‘a will return to the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center in Kahului on Sunday, October 16, from 11 AM to 4 PM.

The Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center has been a part of the Maui Steel Guitar Festival since 2018. The indoor venue features great vantage points of the performace stage from both the first and second mall levels.

A hands-on experience table will be set up for festival guests to acquaint themselves with the Hawaiian steel guitar, learn more about and experience the instrument under the direction of a trained steel guitar instructor.

Both events will be livestreamed on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase's Facebook page and YouTube channel if satisfactory internet connections are available. If livestreaming is not possible, both events will be recorded and posted in the Showcase archives for later viewing.

With exception of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i, the Maui festival completes the resumption of steel guitar festivals in Hawai‘i. Festivals were resumed in late March of 2022, after the Kapolei mid-March festival date had passed.

The Maui festival is supported in part by the by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Kūkulu Ola Program, administered by the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. The festival is also supported in part by the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA), through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).