Join the Steel Guitar PLAY It Forward™ campaign! Donate your unused steel guitar to a Hawaiian steel guitar school or instructor and reward a deserving student. Contact HIMELE if you need more information.
The Hawaii Institute for Music Enrichment and Learning Experiences, Inc. – HIMELE™ (high-MEL-eh) is a Hawai‘i Non-Profit Corporation that supports music education and enrichment for people of all ages. Our purpose is to educate, promote and perpetuate Hawaiian music, Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian musical instruments. We do this by organizing and sponsoring festivals including the Maui Steel Guitar Festival, Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week, the Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival, the Kona Steel Guitar Festival, the Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival, and the Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival. We present community-focused steel guitar festivals at Ka Makana Ali‘i in Kapolei, the Windward Mall in Kāne‘ohe and the Kahala Mall in Wai‘alae-Kāhala, that are conveniently located to population centers on O‘ahu. We present livestream broadcasts via the Internet including streaming of concert portions of the festivals. We also conduct workshops, exhibitions, and other music-related public events and use social media channels and our websites to publicize the corporation's music and cultural activities and provide information to the public.
HIMELE™ is a registered trade name in the State of Hawaii and HIMELE has been designated a 501(c)(3) corporation by the IRS. In order to accomplish its goals, HIMELE may also collaborate with other organizations including non-profit organizations which fall under the 501(c)(3) section of the Internal Revenue Code and are operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes.
HIMELE is dedicated to continuing to educate and enrich the world through the music, culture and spirit of Hawaii.
HIMELE is recognized by Guidestar, an information service of Candid specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies.
Event archives contain festival and symposia information for past HIMELE steel guitar festivals and symposia dating back to 2013. Click on the appropriate festival link at the bottom of the page to access event websites where archived information is available. Photographs from past festivals and symposia are included in the Gallery section of each website.
Links to livestreamed programming including Showcases and Festival Concerts (where available) are archived in the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase website Gallery. Links to Facebook and YouTube videos are available.
What's Pictured in the Heading?
HIMELE produces, supports and participates in various events that promote Hawaiian music and culture, with a focus on youth musicians. All photos PC-Don Rostow. From left.
Photo 1: NextGen steel guitarist Ever Ta‘ala at the 2024 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival "Keiki Kine" at Kahala Mall
Photo 2: Kealakehe Intermediate School visitation at the 2023 Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Experience at Mauna Lani. Students were given an introduction to and history of the Hawaiian steel guitar and encouraged to try out the instrument.
Photo 3: NextGen steel guitarist Isaac Woodward with Alan Akaka at the 2024 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival "Keiki Kine" at Kahala Mall.
Photo 4: NextGen steel guitarist Hi‘poi Lindsey at the 2024 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Windward Mall.
2024 Festivals and Workshops
2024 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Livestream Broadcasts
All broadcasts originate from the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.
2025 Festivals and Workshops
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Statewide Festivals
Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival
Maui Steel Guitar Festival
Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week
Hawai‘i Island Steel Guitar Festival
Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
Kona Steel Guitar Festival
Community Festivals
Ka Makana Ali‘i - Kapolei
Windward Mall - Kāne‘ohe
Kahala Mall - Wai‘alae-Kāhala
Livestream Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase