Major music festivals in Hawaii include the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, which brings together Hula groups from across the world, as well as a number of slack-key and steel guitar festivals such as the: Big Island Slack Key Guitar Festival, Steel Guitar Association Festival and the Gabby Pahinui and Atta Isaacs Slack Key Festival. April's Aloha Week is a popular tourist attraction, as is the Moloka'i Music Festival held around Labor Day. There was also a Hawaii International Jazz Festival, which ran from 1993 until 2007. The annual Pacific Rim Jazz Festival occurs in mid-autumn at the Hawaii Convention Center. The annual Manoa Jazz & Heritage Festival takes place in early autumn at the Andrews Amphitheatre on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Hawaii is home to a number of renowned music institutions in several fields. The Honolulu Symphony Orchestra is an important part of the state's musical history and is the oldest orchestra in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains, founded in 1900. The Orchestra has collaborated with other local institutions, like the Hawaii Opera Theatre and the Oahu Choral Society, which sponsors the Honolulu Symphony Chorus and the Honolulu Chamber Choir. Hawaiian Folk Music includes several varieties of Chanting (Mele) and Music meant for highly ritualized dance (Hula). Traditional Hawaiian Music and dance was functional, used to express praise, communicate genealogy and mythology, and accompany games, festivals and other secular events. The Hawaiian language has no word that translates precisely as music, but a diverse vocabulary exists to describe rhythms, instruments, styles, and elements of voice production. Hawaiian folk music is simple in melody and rhythm, but is "complex and rich" in the "poetry, accompanying mimetic dance (hula), and subtleties of vocal styles... even in the attenuated forms in which they survive today".

Today's more "Contemporary Hula Music", "Hawaiian Ukulele Songs" and "Luau Music" include a blend of various ethnic traditions including; Island Rock, Pop, Soul and Hawaiian Reggae Music. The Artists most popular in Hawaii perform, "Hula", "Luau" and the more "Traditional Songs of Hawaii" . Such "Hawaiian Music Artists" include: "The Brothers Cazimero" international Hawaiian Recording Artist "Don Ho", and "Israel Kamakawiwo'ole" or "IZ" as he was affectionately called. IZ was born on May 20, 1959 in Honolulu Hawaii, and is one of the most beloved and fondly remembered Musical Artists in the Hawaiian islands who recorded the now internationally famous Hawaiian version of the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow Song". IZ was native Hawaii born, and upon his death on June 26, 1997 at the age of 38, was only the second Hawaii State citizen to receive the honor of having his body lay in state at the capitol building in Honolulu Hawaii. From 1915 to 1930, mainstream audiences outside of Hawaii became increasingly enamored of Hawaiian Music, though by this time the songs marketed as Hawaiian had only peripheral aspects of actual Hawaiian Music. Tahitian and Samoan Music had an influence on the Music of Hawaii during this period, especially with their swifter and more intricate rhythms. The following era, from about 1930 to 1960, has been called the "Golden Age of Hawaiian Music" when popular styles were adapted for orchestras and big bands, and Hawaiian performers became mainstream stars. In the 1960s, Hawaiian-style Music declined in popularity amid an influx of of Rock, Soul and Pop acts from the American mainland. This trend reversed itself in the final period of Hawaiian Music History, with the modern period beginning with the Hawaiian Music Renaissance in the 1970s and continuing with the foundation of a variety of modern Music scenes in fields like Indie Rock, Hawaiian Hip Hop, and Jawaiian Reggae Music. Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last Queen of Hawaii before the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown. She was also a Musician and prolific Composer who wrote many musical works. She was best known for the song, Aloha 'Oe. A compilation of her works, titled, "The Queen's Songbook", was published in 1999 by The Queen Lili'uokalani Trust. Statehood Day commemorates Hawaii's admission as a state on August 21, 1959. In 1898 the United States annexed Hawaii, which was declared as a necessary navy base for the conduct of the Spanish-American War. The United States interests coveted the islands for some time. During World War II, Oahu served as the command post for the US operations in the Pacific. Large portions of Hawaii were turned over for the US military bases. After the war, two-thirds of the residents favored statehood. However, because of the many ethnicities present, there was resistance to Hawaii's Statehood from the segregated southern states. A primary election took place in Hawaii on June 27, 1959, and various statehood propositions received many votes on that day. Following the certification of the election results, President Eisenhower signed a proclamation on August 21, 1959, declaring Hawaii to be the 50th State. This was known as Admission Day until 2001 and is now known as "Hawaii Statehood Day" .