Festival Information

The Hilo Steel Guitar Festival is presented by the Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences (HIMELE) and the Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i School of Hawaiian Music. The festival brings together legendary steel guitarists for a celebration of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar and provides opportunites for Kona area steel guitarists to join steel guitarists from other parts of Hawai‘i and the US to share their talents. Some festivals have been scheduled to precede the Aloha Music Camp to offer camp attendees an extra opportunity to rediscover the Hawaiian steel guitar and enjoy the nahenahe sounds of master steel guitarists from Hawai‘i.

The Hilo Steel Guitar Festival is one of a series of Hawaiian Steel Guitar festivals produced and presented by the Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences, Inc. (HIMELE) and its partners.

• The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festivals are community-based festivals produced by HIMELE on O‘ahu.
  • The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i at Ka Makana Ali‘i Shopping Center in February-March
  • The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall at Windward Mall Shopping Center in June
  • The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival - Keiki Kine at Ka Makana Ali‘i at Ka Makana Ali‘i Shopping Center in April
  • The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival - Keiki Kine at Kahala Mall at Kahala Mall Shopping Center in August
• The Hilo Steel Guitar Festival at Prince Kuhio Plaza in March
• The Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival at Kukui Grove Center in May
• The Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center in July
• The Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week (incorporating the Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival and the Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival) at Royal Grove Stage, Royal Hawaiian Center in July
• The Maui Steel Guitar Festival at The Shops at Wailea on Maui in October
• The Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani (incorporating the Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival) at Mauna Lani Auberge Resorts Collection on Hawai‘i Island in November
• The Kona Steel Guitar Festival is on hiatus until further notice due to the discontinuation of the Aloha Music Camp. Please check the website for updated information.
• The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase - livestreamed Hawaiian steel guitar presentations including selected festival ho‘olaule‘a concerts on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Facebook Page and YouTube Channel

All festivals are presented to increase awareness and foster interest in the Hawaiian Steel Guitar, an instrument important to Hawaiian music and culture. All these festivals are free and open to the public and made possible through grant awards and donations from Hawai‘i State agencies, corporate sponsors and private individuals, supplemented by in-kind contributions and volunteer resources. Please visit HIMELE's website to see how you can help support our festivals.

The 2026 Hilo Steel Guitar Festival

The 2026 Festival will be held at Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo. The one-day festival will include a steel guitar concert featuring several steel guitar artists and a hands-on demonstration table where festival guests can learn more about and try out the Hawaiian steel guitar under the guidance of a steel guitar expert.

The Hilo festival is the third Hawaiian steel guitar festival to be offered on Hawai‘i (Island.) The Hawaiian Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani continues to be presented in November, and the former Kona Steel Guitar Festival is now on hiatus due to the discontinuation of the Aloha Music Camp.