Aloha Mai Kakou!

The 8^th Annual Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week, incorporating the Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival and the Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival, was a week-long event celebrating Hawaiian music and the Hawaiian steel guitar. The annual event was held at the Royal Grove Stage at Helumoa, the royalty playground at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikīkī. Performances at Hula Grill Waikīkī and Waikiki Beach Walk were also offered.

The 2026 annual event was held at the Royal Hawaiian Center's Royal Grove stage and other Waikīkī venues during the week of July 5-12, 2026.

Hula Grill Waikiki kicked off the weeklong celebration on July 5 with a two-hour Steel Guitar Sundays performance featuring Alan Akaka & the Islanders.

Evening Concerts at the Royal Grove Stage were presented on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and featured one-hour performances by different Hawaiian steel guitar artists and ensembles including NextGEN steel guitarists, Kiyoshi "Lion" Kobayashi (celebrating his 93^rd birthday), and Masami Sato & Makana. Emcees will be Alan Akaka and Monte McComber.

The 1^st Annual Amateur Hawaiian Steel Guitar Contest, Ho‘okuku Kīkā Kila, was held on Wednesday, from 4:30 to 7:30 at the Royal Grove Stage.

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J-FESTA 2026, the 5^th Annual Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival was presented on Friday, July 10, 2026, from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM and featured steel guitarists from Japan.

The 16^th Annnual Waikīkī Steel Guitar Festival's Saturday ho‘olaule‘a performances featured various Hawaiian steel guitar artists and bands in two performance segments. The first segment was presented at 11:00 AM - 1:50 PM and the second segment began at 4:00 PM and ran through 6:30 PM. Emcee was Monte McComber.

The 2026 event concluded on Sunday with a Hula Grill Waikīkī's Steel Guitar Sundays special presentation featuring Alan Akaka & the Islanders. The two-hour special performance on July 12 also featured Alan Akaka & the Islanders. A Grand Finale concert at Waikīkī Beach Walk's Plaza Stage featured NextGEN steel guitarists and Emerging Stars (winners of Ho‘okuku Kīkā Kila) and was presented at 6:00 PM.

All events were presented free to the public by the Royal Hawaiian Center and were produced by the Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences (HIMELE™).

Friday's J-FESTA - Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival program was livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Access to the livestreams was via the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Facebook Page or the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase YouTube Channel where all livestreams are archived for demand viewing.