A Beloved Community Event
October 27, 2022 • Addison Ching • Festivals and Conventions
The Mauna Lani Auberge Resorts Collection calls it "…a beloved community event consisting of interactive music workshops, vintage steel guitar exhibits, intimate live performances and more." The Mauna Lani mentions this in communication sent via their email distribution.
The Fourth Annual event, now called The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani, will be held on December 8-11, 2022 at the Mauna Lani Auberge Resorts Collection. This will be the first comprehensive steel guitar festival on Hawai‘i Island since the COVID-19 pandemic paused all in-person events.
The Experience will feature concerts, the hotel's monthly Twilight at Kalāhuipua‘a program, workshops, kanikapila jam sessions, and Open Stage performances. New to this year's festival are "pop-up" steel guitar performances similar to group kanikapila that will be held at various locations throughout the hotel grounds and at unannounced times.
The main program on Friday will feature O‘ahu steel guitarists Alan Akaka, Bobby Ingano, Greg Sardinha, Kaua‘i steel guitarist Ed Punua, Maui steel guitarist Geronimo "Geri" Valdriz, and Hawai‘i Island steel guitarists Pomai Brown, Elmer "Sonny" Lim and Dwight Tokumoto. Backup musicians include Helene Woodward, Kaipo Asing and Joseph Zayac.
Also included in the program will be NextGen steel guitarists Enosa Lyman, Pono Fernandez, and Joey and Tai Misailidis.
Saturday's program will be the hotel's monthly Twilight at Kalāhuipua‘a event featuring festival steel guitarists.
Sunday steel guitar entertainment kanikapila-style will also be provided to the hotel's patrons.
Festival host will be celebrity Kimo Kahoano. The event will be livestreamed contingent on a reliable connection to the Internet.
Open stage performance signups are now in progress. If you are a Hawaiian steel guitarist or have a Hawaiian music band with a steel guitar, you are encouraged to sign up for a performance slot. See the website for additional information and to sign up.
This and all other HIMELE-produced festivals receive funding provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Kūkulu Ola Program, administered by the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. This program 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).
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2026 Festivals and Workshops
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘iFebruary 28, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM HST (Rescheduled)
Ka Makana Ali‘i Shopping Center, Kapolei
Hilo Steel Guitar Festival
March 7, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 3:15 PM HST
Prince Kuhio Plaza, Hilo, Hawai‘i
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival - Keiki Kine
April 4, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM HST
Ka Makana Ali‘i Shopping Center, Kapolei
Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival
May 10, 2026 - 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM HST
Kukui Grove Center, Lihue, Hawai‘i
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall
June 13, 2026 – 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM HST *
Windward Mall, Kane‘ohe
Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week - July 5-11, 2026
July 6-9, 2026 – 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM HST (Nightly Concerts)
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī
Royal Hawaiian Center Presents J-FESTA - Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
July 10, 2026 – 2:30 PM - 6:30 PM HST
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī
Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival
July 11, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM HST
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival - Keiki Kine at Kahala Mall
August 15, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM HST *
Kahala Mall, Honolulu, Hawai‘i
Maui Steel Guitar Festival
October 17, 2026 - 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM HST
The Shops At Wailea, Wailea, Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani
November 19-22, 2026 – Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection, Waimea, Hawai‘i Island
2026 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Livestream Broadcasts
All broadcasts originate from the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i
February 28, 2026 – 11:00 PM - 3:00 PM HST (Rescheduled)
Hilo Steel Guitar Festival
March 7, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 3:15 PM HST
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival - Keiki Kine at Ka Makana Ali‘i
April 4, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM HST
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall
June 13, 2026 – 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM HST *
Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival (J-FESTA)
July 10, 2026 – 2:30 PM - 6:30 PM HST
Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival
July 11, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM HST
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival - Keiki Kine at Kahala Mall
August 15, 2026 – 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM HST *
Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani
November 20, 2026 - Ho‘olaule‘a concert – 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM HST
November 21, 2026 - Open Stage Performances – 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM HST
Other Events
2026 Events
Steel Guitar FridaysEvery Friday – 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī
Steel Guitar Sundays
January 5, February 2, March 2, April 6, May 4, and June 1, 2026 – 10:00 AM - Noon
Hula Grill Waikiki, Waikīkī
AISGC Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival #
July 23-25, 2026
WInchester Towne Square Community Centre, Winchester, Indiana
* Tentative
# Registration Fee Required
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Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Symposium
Statewide Festivals
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Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival
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Community Festivals
Ka Makana Ali‘i – Kapolei
Windward Mall – Kāne‘ohe
Keiki Kine at Kahala Mall
Keiki Kine at Ka Makana Ali‘i
Livestream Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase