Waikiki Steel Guitar Week, incorporating the Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival and the Waikiki Steel Guitar Festival, is a week-long event celebrating Hawaiian music and the Hawaiian steel guitar. The annual event is held at the Royal Grove Stage at Helumoa, the royalty playground at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki.

The 2025 annual event will be held at the Royal Hawaiian Center's Royal Grove stage during the week of July 6-12, 2025.

Monday through Thursday evening concerts will feature one-hour performances by different Hawaiian steel guitar artists and ensembles. Alan Akaka and The Islanders, The Malie Lyman Trio, Masami Sato and Makana, and NextGen steel guitarists Isaac, Hi'ipoi, Enosa, Ever, Tai, and Isabella, will perform this year.

The 4th Annual Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival will be presented on Friday, July 11, 2025, from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM and feature steel guitarists Shinichi Kakiuchi, Yukio Katagiri, Kiyoshi "Lion" Kobayashi and his Steel Guitar Ensemble, Masami "Matt" Kobayashi, Paul Okubo, Masami Sato and Makana, Moto Suzuki, all from Japan

Schedule of Events:

Sunday, July 6, 2025

10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Performance - Hula Grill Waikiki
- Alan Akaka

Monday, July 7, 2025

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Concert - Royal Grove Stage
- Alan Akaka and The Islanders

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Concert - Royal Grove Stage
- The Malie Lyman Quartet (Devin Nakahara, Dylan Nakahara, and Kamana‘o Sarsona)

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Ho'olaule'a - Royal Grove Stage

1:30 pm - 1:55 pm: Roberto Alaniz
2:00 pm - 2:25 pm: Joe Stewart
2:30 pm - 2:55 pm: Vickie Van Fechtmann
3:00 pm - 3:25 pm: Christo Ruppenthal
3:30 pm - 3:55 pm: Eric Rindal
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Johnny Crash (Fabio Martins)
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Concert - Royal Grove Stage

Masami Sato and Makana - (Kazuko Tanaka, Kazuko Ishii, Ayumi Kato, Toshiko Konno, Michiko Makiuchi, and Masako Wakamatsu)

Thursday, July 10, 2025

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Concert - Royal Grove Stage
NextGen Steel Guitarists (Isaac, Hi'ipoi, Enosa, Ever, Tai, Isabella)

Ho'olaule'a - Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort - Diamond Head Ballroom

08:20 pm - 08:30 am: Welcome and Announcements
08:30 pm - 08:50 am: Christo Ruppenthal
08:55 pm - 09:20 am: Shinichi Kakiuchi
09:25 pm - 09:50 am: Vickie Van Fechtmann
09:55 pm - 10:20 am: Roberto Alaniz
10:25 pm - 10:55 am: Masako Wakamatsu - Sakae Machida
11:00 pm - 11:30 am: Haruko Ozeki - Michiyo Fujita
11:35 pm - 12:00 pm: Kiyoshi "Lion" Kobayashi
12:00 pm - 01:00 pm: NO HOST LUNCH BREAK
01:00 pm - 01:25 pm: Masami "Matt" Kobayashi
01:30 pm - 01:55 pm: Johnny Crash (Fabio Martins)
02:00 pm - 02:25 pm: Yukio Katagiri
02:30 pm - 02:55 pm: Joe Stewart
03:00 pm - 03:25 pm: Moto Suzuki
03:30 pm - 03:55 pm: Eric Rindal
04:00 pm - 04:25 pm: Paul Okubo

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Ho'olaule'a Part 1 - Royal Grove Stage (Livestreamed)
10:50 am - 11:00 am: Kimo Kahoano Opening Remarks
11:00 am - 11:30 am: Steve Cheney
11:35 am - 12:05 pm: Geropnimo "Geri" Valdriz
12:10 pm - 12:40 pm: Greg Sardinha and Po'okela (Darrell Aquino and Kata Maduli)
12:45 pm - 01:15 pm: Johnny Crash (Fabio Martins)
01:20 pm - 01:50 pm: Christo Ruppenthal
01:55 pm - 02:25 pm: Kiyoshi "Lion" Kobayashi and his Steel Guitar Ensemble (Hajime - Takahashi, Haruko Ozeki, Masako Wakamatsu, and Sakae Machida)

2:25 pm - 4:00 pm: Intermission

Ho'olaule'a Part 2 - Royal Grove Stage (Livestreamed)
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Masami Sato and Makana (Kazuko Tanaka, Kazuko Ishii, Ayumi Kato, Toshiko Konno, and Michiko Makiuchi)
4:35 pm - 5:05 pm: Bobby Ingano
5:10 pm - 5:40 pm: Malie Lyman
5:45 pm - 6:30 pm: Alan Akaka

Date:
July 6 - 12, 2025

Location:
Royal Hawaiian Center,
2201 Kal?kaua Ave, 
Honolulu, HI 96815

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