Konnichi-wa and Aloha!
The 5th Annual Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival (J-FESTA) will be held on Friday, July 10, 2026 at the Royal Grove Stage in Waikīkī's Royal Hawaiian Center.
The 2026 festival will feature several steel guitarists and steel guitar groups from Japan. The program is currently under development.
The Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival is a collaborative project between HIMELE and Japanese steel guitar planners to bring Japanese steel guitar players to Honolulu to showcase their talents. The Royal Hawaiian Center will provide the Royal Grove Stage and other support for this project.
The festival is a culmination of years of planning with Hawai‘i and Japanese planners, including Japanese steel guitarist Tadashi Arakawa who passed away in early 2022. The 1st annual festival was dedicated to him in his honor.
The 2026 festival is a part of the weeklong 2026 Waikīkī Steel Guitar Week, a celebration of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar that was held during the week of July 5-12, 2026 and includes steel guitar events at the Royal Hawaiian Center and other venues throughout Waikīkī. The Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival will be livestreamed.
Would you like to participate this year? Please feel free to contact us in Japanese at JAPAN@HIMELE.ORG. Please click on the CONTACT button or see the contact page.
About the Line App
In Japan, the Line app is used more than email or TEXT, so as a convenience it is referenced here.
The app works on Smartphones (iPhone or Android) and Windows PCs. You'll need the app installed before you can access any Line accounts including the J-FESTA account.
Use your smartphone's camera to read the QR code and take you to the Line website (or click on the "Add Friend" button) where you will either access the J-FESTA page (if you have the app already installed) or be directed to the appropriate source to download and install the app. On a Windows machine click on the "Learn More" link that will take you to the Line home page. Scroll down to view the app download links.
2025 Festival Poster
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