There's a whole lot more going on this summer! Click here for a list of concerts, films and cultural performances.
7th Annual Waikiki Steel Guitar Week
If you love the romantic sound of the steel guitar, Waikiki is the place to be with performances at Royal Hawaiian Center’s Royal Grove stage through July 12. Steel guitar masters will perform 5:30-6:30 p.m. July 10. The 4th Annual Japan-Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival takes place 2:30-6:30 p.m. July 11 and the finale, the Waikiki Steel Guitar Festival, is 11 a.m.-2:20 p.m. and 4-6:30 p.m. July 12. Event details.
JR De Guzman: Boyfriend Material
The Blue Note Comedy Series presents Philippines-born and California-raised entertainer and comedian JR De Guzman in six performances, 6:30 and 9 p.m. July 10-12. Tickets.
Mele After Hours at Bishop Museum
Enjoy the richness of Hawaii’s musical heritage with featured entertainers Grammy and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom and Kalani Peʻa, the harmonies of Nā Hoa, ʻUheʻuhene and hula from the Merrie Monarch award-winning Hālau Nā Mamo o Puʻuanahulu with host Mele Apana. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Takes place on the Great Lawn, 5-9 p.m. July 11. Tickets.
Pacific Music Institute Concerts
Pacific Music Institute students and artist faculty from various programs — strings program, wind, brass and percussion program, jazz intensive, ʻukulele workshop and Middle School All-State Band — will perform July 11-13. All performances take place at Iolani School’s Seto Hall unless otherwise noted.
Artist Faculty Chamber Music Concert, 7:30 p.m. July 11; String Quartet, 11 a.m. July 12; ʻUkulele Workshop and Wind, Brass, Percussion Chamber Ensembles, 2 p.m. July 12; String Orchestra, Freestyle Strings, Jazz Intensive, 12:30 p.m. July 13; Middle School All-State Band, 3 p.m. July 13; and Wind Ensemble, Side-by-Side with PMI Symphony Orchestra & Hawaii Symphony Orchestra at Blaisdell Concert Hall, 7 p.m. July 13. No reservations are required though seating is limited. Faculty concert is $25, all others $12. An all-access pass is available for $35. Tickets.
76th Annual Book Sale
The Friends of the Library of Hawaii presents its 76th Annual Book Sale featuring over 125,000 books, plus CDs, DVDs, comics and manga, and many other items, July 12-20. The sale takes place at 200 Keawe Street in Kakaʻako, the former home of Re-Use Hawaii. Opens from 9 a.m. July 12-13, 19-20, and from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. July 14-18.
“Mānoa Through Time” at Manoa Heritage Center
Join archaeologist and historian Ena Sroat as she shares history, geology, moʻolelo (stories) and archaeology about Kūkaʻōʻō Heiau and the Landscape of Ancient Oahu, 9-11 a.m. July 12. Limited to 12 people. Tickets and information.
On Aug. 9, 9-11 a.m., architectural historian Bill Chapman takes participants on an immersive exploration of the Cooke home, Kūaliʻi. Learn about its history, significance and more. Tickets and information.
JCCH Craft & Collectibles Fair
Find Japanese and Japanese-inspired products for sale at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. July 12. Enjoy items from new vendors Aloha Matcha Hawaii and Neko Koneko Café.
59th Annual Hawaii State Farm Fair
Whitmore Village just outside of Wahiawa is the site of this year’s event offering tons of fun for people of all ages, especially keiki. Stop by during two full days of farm animals, keiki activities, contests, plus plant sales, a country market, local food and more, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. July 12 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. July 13. $5/adult, free for keiki. Be prepared for traffic! Located at 885 Whitmore Avenue next to Kahi Kani Park.
Plastic Free Beach Cleanup
Waikīkī Aquarium hosts a beach cleanup at Sherwood Beach Park in Waimanalo with a focus on plastic pollution and its detrimental effects on marine life, 10 a.m.-noon July 12. All are welcome to help reduce microplastics and trash on the beach. Buckets and tools will be provided at check-in. At the end of the event, all rubbish will be weighed. Bring water and reef-safe sunscreen. Keiki must be accompanied by an adult. Located at 41-1400 Kalanianaole Highway. Register.
Hoʻomau Market at Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall
Enjoy a weekend of browsing and shopping among over local businesses that perpetuate Hawaiian culture and language through apparel, jewelry and accessories, home décor and more, July 12-13. 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. $5 general admission, $9 general admission for both days. Tickets.
LeAnn Rimes at the Blaisdell Arena
Grammy Award-winning singer LeAnn Rimes brings her powerful vocals and timeless songs to the Blaisdell Arena, 6:30 p.m. July 12. Tickets.
60th Summer Wiki Wiki One Day Vintage Collectibles & Hawaiiana Show
Everything featured at this show is 20 years or older along with retro collectibles and antiques at over 100 vendor tables from Hawaii, Japan and the U.S. mainland at the Blaisdell Center Hawaii Suites & Galleria, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. July 13. Just a handful of what you’ll find include vintage aloha shirts, Hawaiian jewelry, Hawaiiana, surfboards, art, estate jewelry, gold and silver, koa, furniture, kimono, kitchenware, ʻukulele, toys, kokeshi, comics, Chinese and Japanese antiques, Niihau shell lei, lauhala hats, stamps, coins, sportscards, prints, textiles, action figures, watches, and so much more. $6 general admission, $25 for 10 a.m. early entry.
Henry Kapono celebrates “Summertime”
Duke’s Waikiki hosts the celebration of Henry Kapono’s new EP, “Summertime,” with a free live stream concert series starting 5 p.m. July 13. Kapono will be joined by “Duke’s on Sunday” band, as well as legendary harmonica player Lee Oskar, one of the founding members of the band WAR; spoken word artist and Hawaii’s Poet Laureate Kealoha; and the Henry Kapono Foundation On The Rise artists 3 Little Birds. The series continues Aug. 10 with “Island State of Mind,” a tribute to Jimmy Buffett and special guest Jake Shimabukuro; and Sept. 7 with “We Are Friends,” a celebration of Hawaii’s music and a fundraiser for the Henry Kapono Foundation.
“Side by Side by Sondheim” at Manoa Valley Theatre
Celebrate Stephen Sondheim’s greatest songs in this season-ending musical revue directed by James Wright and musically led by Miki Yamamoto, July 17-27. Tickets.
Ambrosia at Blue Note Hawaii
The five-time Grammy nominated Ambrosia, hugely popular in the 1970s, performs with three of its original members in three shows, July 18-20. Tickets.
Hoʻomau Koʻolau 2025 at KEY Project
A day of fun for the ʻohana filled with free live entertainment, food trucks, craft vendors, a special Youth Program Hōʻike and, most of all, community, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 19. Located at 47-200 Waihee Road in Kaneohe.
48th Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival
The Frank F. Fasi Civic Grounds will once again be the site for the state’s largest non-competitive hula festival, the annual Prince Lot Hula Festival, July 19-20. Attendees will enjoy performances by world-renowned hula halau, cultural workshops, mele by artists and family-friendly activities. Opening ceremony begins at 9:15 a.m.
Honolulu Night Market at Our Kakaʻako
The Barn at SALT hosts an evening of live music, browsing through island merchandise, good eats and drinks, cultural activities and more, 5-10 p.m. July 19.
Family Sunday at Honolulu Museum of Art
HoMA and Polynesian Voyaging Society team up to celebrate ocean culture as part of the annual Surf Film Festival, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 20. Events include storytelling, art activities, games, demonstrations and a free screening of the film, “Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator,” followed by a panel discussion in the Doris Duke Theatre, 2-4 p.m. Film is free with registration. Family Sunday tickets.
Jake Shimbukuro: Fuji Rock Japan Kick Off Shows
ʻUkulele master Jake Shimabukuro performs with his full band — Jackson Waldhoff on bass, Michael Grande on keys and Shawn Pimental on the drums — before they head off to Japan for the Fuji Rock Festival 2025, 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. July 22-23. Tickets.
Commerce for a Cause at YWCA Laniakea
Browse through pre-loved designer apparel and products at this pop-up sale in which all proceeds fund Dress for Success Honolulu programs, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 23.
Talk Story & Makeke at Courtyard Marriott Oahu North Shore
This new intimate storytelling session features community members sharing moʻolelo (stories), legends and lived experiences that help keep the spirit of Polynesia alive and will take place 6-9 p.m. every second and fourth Wednesday with the next session on July 23. Free and open to the public, the upcoming event will feature COO and VP of Sales and Marketing of Gunstock Ranch Lilia Tolefson. Guests can also check out “Hauoli Makeke” a marketplace featuring handmade goods and cultural creations from local artisans and entrepreneurs.
“Sounds of the Ocean” at Bishop Museum
Immerse yourself in the wonders of the deep, vast blue with the award-winning experience, “Sounds of the Ocean,” 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. July 27 and Aug. 24. Tickets.
Steel Guitar Sundays
Hula Grill Waikiki honors the history of the steel guitar with a new program every first Sunday of the month in collaboration with steel guitar master Alan Akaka, 10 a.m.-noon Aug. 3, Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2 and Dec. 7.
Mālama ʻĀina Kākou
Tickets are on sale for this fundraising benefit for Hawaiʻi Land Trust bringing together conservation advocates in an island-style pāʻina on the historic grounds of Lanikūhonua, 5-9 p.m. Oct. 4. Attendees will enjoy delicious cuisine from local chefs Ed Kenny, Keaka Lee and Mark Noguchi’s Pili Group, complimentary cocktails and live entertainment by Robi Kahakalau and Kalaʻe Camarillo. Tickets.
Exhibition highlights photography of Franco Salmoiraghi
Honolulu Museum of Art will celebrate three decades of photography of Franco Salmoiraghi in “Franco Salmoiraghi: Photographs of Hawaii from the 70s, 80s and 90s,” through Oct. 12. One of Hawaii’s most respected photographers, Salmoiraghi’s black-and-white images illustrate his command of light, shadow and texture.
Juvenile Weedy Seadragons at Waikiki Aquarium
Following a 21-day observational quarantine, 10 juvenile weedy seadragons debuted in the aquarium’s Amazing Adaptations Exhibit in May. These rarely seen marine animals are in Hawaii thanks to a special collaboration with Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Native to Australia waters, weedy seadragons are related to seahorses and pipefish. Though smaller and less colorful than adults, the juveniles already exhibit their unique leaf-like appendages and elongate bodies. See them 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily.
“Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep” at Bishop Museum
Along with favorites such as the T-Rex and Stegosaurus, visitors will learn about oceanic and aquatic reptiles from the Mesozoic Era in “Expedition Dinosaur: Into the Deep” through Jan. 25, 2026. There will be lifelike animatronic dinosaurs, Journey to the Deep Theater, tools and equipment to scan for fossils and a Bell Ranger 47J interactive helicopter display.