• HIMELE 2023 Festivals
  • Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
  • Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week
  • Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i
  • Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall
  • Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival Keiki Kine at Kahala Mall
  • Maui Steel Guitar Festival
  • Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival
  • Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival
  • Kona Steel Guitar Festival
  • Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase
  • Hawaiian Steel Guitar Symposium

HIMELE Announces Dates for 2023 Festivals

November 20, 2022 • Addison ChingFestivals and Conventions

HIMELE will present a full complement of in-person Hawaiian steel guitar festivals Statewide in 2023.

In-person festivals gradually returned in 2022, some in reduced or alternate formats. The first annual Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival was incorporated into Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week, and the festival presented at the Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection was rebranded as the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani to reflect the resort's plan to present steel guitar entertainment throughout the resort and at different times as opposed to one single steel guitar "concert."

The relocation of the Aloha Music Camp back to its original location in Kona provided an impetus for HIMELE to develop yet another festival for the Kona area called the Kona Steel Guitar Festival to tie in with the camp as has been done in prior years. The Kona festival will be the second festival offered on Hawai‘i Island.

The concept of presenting festivals at two different venues serving two different demographics was first implemented at festivals prior to the Coronavirus pandemic and was continued at this year's Maui Steel Guitar Festival, with presentations at the tourist-centric The Shops At Wailea and at the community-centric Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center in Kahului. This format will be extended to the 2023 Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival, with festivals presented at the Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort in Kapa‘a and at the Kukui Grove Center in Lihue.

Formats of festivals will vary with venue requirements and limitations. Most outer island festivals will include workshops, Open Stage presentations, a steel guitar exhibit, and public kanikapila jam sessions. Most festivals will also include opportunities for hands-on experiences with the Hawaiian steel guitar.

A decision to resume school visitations and presentations will be made when it is deemed safe and appropriate to do so.

This is the 2023 festival schedule. Click on the Website icon to access the festival's website.

  • February 18 - Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i  Website
  • March 24-25 - Kona Steel Guitar Festival, Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa, Keauhou, Hawai‘i  Website
  • May 4-6 - Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival, Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort, Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i  Website
  • May 7 - Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival, Kukui Grove Center, Lihue, Kaua‘i  Website
  • June 10 - Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall, Kāne‘ohe  Website
  • July 10-13 - Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week, Royal Hawaiian Center  Website
  • July 14 - Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival, Royal Hawaiian Center  Website
  • July 15 - Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival, Royal Hawaiian Center  Website
  • August 19 - Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival Keiki Kine at Kāhala Mall  Website
  • October 14 - Maui Steel Guitar Festival, The Shops At Wailea, Wailea, Maui  Website
  • October 15 - Maui Steel Guitar Festival, Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center, Kahului, Maui  Website

The date for the 2023 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani will be announced later.

All festival ho‘olaule‘a concerts will be livestreamed if appropriate Internet connections are available.

Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase livestream presentations will be presented in January, April, September, and November when no festivals are scheduled. The April Showcase will originate from Molokai.

Llvestream presentations usually originate from the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase's Facebook Page and YouTube Channel but may broadcast from additional or alternate sites as appropriate.

In addition to festival dates, HIMELE is also announcing the 2023 Kaua‘i Hawaiian Steel Guitar Symposium. This 2-day steel guitar "camp" will be an intensive workshop for beginners wanting to familiarize themselves with the steel guitar, and for more advanced steel guitarists wanting to learn new techniques and practice strategies.The camp will be held on May 3-4 at the Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort in Kapa‘a, immediately preceding the 2023 Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival.

Both the Starter Class and the Steel Guitar Symposium are limited to 15 participants each. Tuition will be $275 per person, including all class materials and a special edition t-shirt made exclusively for participants. Information about the symposium will be posted on the symposium website when symposium details have been finalized.

Major funding for Hawaiian steel guitar festivals and showcases is provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Kūkulu Ola Program, administered by the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. Additional funding comes from 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), and from the Lawrence H. Dorcy Hawaiian Foundation.

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HIMELE Events
2025 Festivals and Workshops
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i
February 15, 2025 – 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM HST
Ka Makana Ali‘i Shopping Center, Kapolei

Kona Steel Guitar Festival
February 27-March 1, 2025
(see website for complete program)
Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa, Keauhou, Hawai‘i

Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival
May 4, 2025 - 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM HST
Kukui Grove Center, Lihue, Hawai‘i

Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall
June 7, 2025 – 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM HST
Windward Mall, Kane‘ohe

Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week - July 7-12, 2025
July 7-10, 2025 – 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM HST (Nightly Concerts)
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī

Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
July 11, 2025 – 2:30 PM - 6:30 PM HST
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī

Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival
July 12, 2025 – 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 16, 2025 (tentative)
Kahala Mall, Waialae-Kāhala

Maui Steel Guitar Festival
October 18, 2025 - 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM
The Shops At Wailea, Wailea, Hawai‘i
2025 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Livestream Broadcasts

Facebook LiveYouTube
All broadcasts originate from the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.


Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i
February 15, 2025 – 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM HST

Kona Steel Guitar Festival
March 1, 2025 Ho‘olaule‘a concert – 12:00 Noon - 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM HST

Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall
June 7, 2025 – 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM HST

Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
July 11, 2025 – 2:30 PM - 6:30 PM HST

Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival
July 12, 2025 – 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM HST

Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival Keiki Kine at Kahala Mall
August 16, 2025 (tentative)

Other Events
2025 Events
HSGA Hawai‘i Convention
Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week
July 9, 2025 – 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM HST (HSGA Hawai‘i Convention Performances) Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī

AISGC Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival *
July 24-26, 2025
Town Square Community Centre, Winchester, Indiana

* Registration Fee Required

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About HIMELE
HIMELE is a Hawai‘i non-profit corporation that supports music enrichment and education for people of all ages. Our purpose is to educate, promote, and perpetuate Hawaiian music, Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian musical instruments.