Aloha!

The first annual Hilo Steel Guitar Festival was held at Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo on March 7, 2026. The festival was presented as an alternative to the Kona Steel Guitar Festival which was placed on haiatus due to the discontinuation of the Aloha Music Camp. For many years, both the Aloha Music Camp and a steel guitar festival – first on Kaua‘i, then later in Kona when the Camp was relocated there – were offered together.

The Hilo Steel Guitar Festival brought a new Hawaiian steel guitar experience to the Hilo area. The Hilo festival complements the Mauna Lani Steel Guitar Experience that is held in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island's leeward coast.

The Hilo Steel Guitar Festival is presented free to the public by Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences (HIMELE) in association with the Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i School of Hawaiian Music.