2025 HSGA Festival
Our 2025 Waikiki Festival was held in conjunction with Waikiki Steel Guitar Week, which is a week-long music program organized by the Hawaiian Institute for Music Education and Learning Enrichment (HIMELE) that occurred between July 7th and July 12th, 2025. The larger event was held at the Royal Hawaiian Center, Royal Grove Stage in the center of Waikiki. HSGA USA members performed on Wednesday afternoon, July 9th and HSGA Japan members performed on Friday afternoon, July 10th. The week-long event culminated on Saturday, July 12th with a day-long program featuring top Hawaiian steel players as well as HSGA scholarship students.
The HSGA also held a one-day festival at the OUTRIGGER Reef Resort on Thursday July 10th from 8:30am to 4:30pm. This free event featured both HSGA USA and Japan showcases and was also attended by Bobby Ingano, Greg Sardinha, Alan Akaka, Joseph Zayac and many more. The HSGA also hosted a breakfast at the OUTRIGGER Reef Resort on Saturday July 12th.
2024 HSGA Festival
The annual festival is an opportunity to gather with old friends and to make new friends from points near and far. This year’s festival was held on September 26, 27 and 28, 2024 at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Emeryville, California, directly across the bay from San Francisco.
The 2024 festival was presented in honor of the late Alvin Kalanikau “Barney” Isaacs, famed Hawaiian steel guitarist and entertainer. This year would have been his 100th Birthday. For this festival, we invited our special friend, the fabulous Alan Akaka to be our “keynote performer.” The Saturday evening Luau Dinner and Show was at Trader Vic’s and guests were welcomed by the sounds of Mikiya Matsuda and the Alcatraz Islanders. After dinner, Alan Akaka presented his luau musical program, featuring lovely local Hula dancers and some very talented musicians.
HSGA Virtual
Festivals
When the pandemic made live festivals impossible we decided to produce virtual festivals. This gave both musicians and interested viewers the opportunity to continue to see and hear Hawaiian steel guitar music. We have had seven to date, and we plan to produce two virtual festivals a year as well as our live yearly festival.
Seventh Virtual Steel Guitar Festival
Aug 17, 2024
Sixth Virtual Steel Guitar Festival
January 13-14, 2024
Fifth Virtual Steel Guitar Festival
August 5, 2023
Fourth Virtual Steel Guitar Festival
August 13, 2022
Third Virtual Steel Guitar Festival
July 9 & 10, 2022
Second Virtual Steel Guitar Festival
October 8 & 9, 2021
First Virtual Steel Guitar Festival
January 23 & 24, 2021
Other Hawaiian
Steel Guitar
Festivals
The Experience will begin on Thursday, November 21, with school visitations and performances at the at the Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection. The Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival’s ho‘olaule‘a concert will be held on Friday, November 22, followed by a public kanikapila. The hotel’s monthly Twilight at Kalāhuipua‘a program featuring the Hawaiian steel guitar will be on Saturday, November 23, and include performances by festival artists and NextGen steel guitarists. A Sunday brunch entertainment and kanikapila will be offered on the lawn of the HāLani Restaurant.
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at the Mauna Lani Thursday through Sunday, November 21-24, 2024.