Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival

Festival Information

The Kaua‘i 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 Kaua‘ 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 Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival is one of a series of Hawaiian Steel Guitar festivals and other events produced and presented by the Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences (HIMELE) and its partners.

All festivals are free and open to the public and are presented to increase awareness and foster interest in the Hawaiian Steel Guitar, an instrument important to Hawaiian music and culture.

These festivals are made possible through grants and contributions from corporate sponsors and private individuals, supplemented by in-kind contributions and volunteer resources. Please visit our Support Us page to see how you can help support the festival.

The 2024 Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival

The 2024 Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival will be held at two venues. A 2-day festival featuring school visitations, a workshop, public kanikapila jam sessions, a steel guitar exhibit, hands-on opportunities, an Open Stage program, and a main concert ho‘o;aule‘a featuring steel guitarists in separate programs spanning two concert segments will be presented at the Sheraton Kaua‘i Coconut Beach Resort in Kapa‘a. Both concert segments will be livestreamed on Facebook and Youtube on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase pages.

An abbreviated concert ho‘olaule‘a will be presented the following day, at the Kukui Grove Center in Lihue, also featuring steel guitarists in separate programs.

Festival Information From Previous Festivals

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