September, 2025 | Steel Trappings

Maui Steel Guitar Festival

The 2025 Maui Steel Guitar Festival

September 26, 2025 • Addison Ching • Festivals and Conventions

The 2025 Maui Steel Guitar Festival will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at The Shops at Wailea.

The one-day festival will be hosted by Monte McComber and will feature steel guitarists from O‘ahu and Maui, as well as NextGEN steel guitarists.

Performances will begin at 3:00 PM with steel guitarists Alan Akaka, Joel Katz, Hi‘ipoi Lindsey, Mālie Lyman, Konapiliahi Lau, Isaac Woodward, Devin Nakahara, and Geronimo "Geri" Valdriz performing in individual sets.

This will be the 14^th annual event on Maui first produced by Alan Akaka in 2013 and later by HIMELE beginning in 2016. In the four years prior to 2013, a similar event called the Henry Kaleialoha Allen Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival was offered on Maui. Akaka was asked to take over the 2013 event production, working with Maui's Arts Education for Children Group to produce the Maui Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival.

HIMELE assumed complete festival production responsibilities in 2020 but the Coronavirus pandemic prevented in-person festivals from being held in the years 2020 and 2021. Limited festival production resumed in 2022, with a one-day concert offered at two different Maui venues.

The festival was again paused in 2023 due to the Lahaina wildfires, and resumed in 2024 in its current limited format at a single venue.

HIMELE hopes to resume a comprehensive Maui festival in the future

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HIMELE Events

`2026 Festivals and Workshops`

Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani
November 19-22, 2026 – Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection, Waimea, Hawai‘i Island

`2027 Festivals and Workshops`

Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i
January 30, 2027 – 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM HST
Ka Makana Ali‘i Shopping Center, Kapolei

Hilo Steel Guitar Festival
March 13, 2027 – 11:00 AM - 3:15 PM HST
Prince Kuhio Plaza, Hilo, Hawai‘i

NextGEN Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
April 3, 2027 – 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM HST
Ka Makana Ali‘i Shopping Center, Kapolei

Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival
May 2, 2027 - 10:30 AM - 2:45 PM HST
Kukui Grove Center, Lihue, Hawai‘i

Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall
June 12, 2027 – 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM HST
Windward Mall, Kane‘ohe

Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week - July 4-10, 2027
July 5, 6, 8, 2027 – 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM HST (Nightly Concerts)
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī

2^nd Annual Ho‘okūkū Kīkā Kila - Hawaiian Steel Guitar Contest
July 7, 2027 – 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī

Royal Hawaiian Center Presents J-FESTA 2027 - Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
July 9, 2027 – 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM HST
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī

Royal Hawaiian Center Presents Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival
July 10, 2027 – 11:00 AM - 1:50 PM and 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM HST
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī

NextGEN Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall
August 14, 2027 – 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM HST
Windward Mall, Kane‘ohe

Maui Steel Guitar Festival
October 16, 2027 - 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM HST
The Shops At Wailea, Wailea, Hawai‘i

Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani
November 11-14, 2027 – Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection, Waimea, Hawai‘i Island (tentative)

Other Events

`2026 Events`

Steel Guitar Fridays
Every Friday – 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikīkī

`2027 Events`

AISGC Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival #
July 22-24, 2027
Winchester Towne Square Community Centre, Winchester, Indiana

Austin Steeel Guitar Fest #
September 30-October 2, 2027
Austin Marriott South, Austin, Texas

* Tentative
# Registration Fee Required

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.

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Learning Resources
Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Symposium

Ho‘okūkū Kīkā Kila

Statewide Festivals
Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival
Maui Steel Guitar Festival
Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week
Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival
J-FESTA | Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
Kona Steel Guitar Festival

Community Festivals
Ka Makana Ali‘i – Kapolei
Windward Mall – Kāne‘ohe
NextGEN Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festivals

Livestream
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase