The Holo Holo Music Festival, which showcases island and reggae music, started three years ago in California. This month, Good Vibez Presents will produce its first Holo Holo Music Festival on Oʻahu on Saturday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.
Featured entertainers include The Green, Josh Tatofi, J Boog, KatchaFire, Eli-Mac, Fia, Collie Buddz, Ooklah The Moc, Paula Fuga, Johnny Suite and Kanaka Fyah. There will also be food trucks and vendors. Get tickets.
Good Vibez Presents is owned by Dan Sheehan and his wife, Amy. For Sheehan, who grew up in ‘Ewa Beach, the upcoming festival on Oʻahu is a chance to go back to his roots. Sheehan has worked in the music industry for years. He grew up in Hawaiʻi and later spent some time as a radio DJ in Guam. In 2002, he established his own production company.
Singer and songwriter Paula Fuga will perform at the Holo Holo Music Festival on Oʻahu this weekend. Previously, she performed at the Holo Holo Music Festival in San Diego. (@eyesofjem) 
The Green will be one of many featured performers at the first Holo Holo Music Festival on Oʻahu, which takes place Saturday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. (@eyesofjem) 
Josh Tatofi is one of the featured entertainers at the Holo Holo Music Festival. (@eyesofjem)
“Holo Holo has been something we've been thinking about for years,” Sheehan told Aloha State Daily. “And actually, during the pandemic, we thought how can we create an island music festival that kind of moves around the country, moves around possibly the world.”
By the end of this year, the Holo Holo Music Festival will have had events in five states: California, Washington, Nevada, Utah and Hawaiʻi. The company is considering future events in Texas or maybe Alaska, he added.
The first Holo Holo Music Festival was held at the Frost Amphitheater at Stanford University in 2022. The musical line-up featured Kolohe Kai, Rebel Souljahz and Three Plus. Sheehan grew up with Tanoa Kapana, the lead singer of Three Plus, and they played football and attended James Campbell High School and Foothill College in California together, he added.
“That was kind of the start of it,” Sheehan said. “A lot of these bands had played on our other festivals. ... The artists, the fans, the community, the culture — we wanted to create something that was theirs.”
Kimo Kennedy, who works with Good Vibez Presents, helped with the festival’s name, he added.
“Obviously, the true meaning of the name, it's perfect for what we're trying to do,” he said. “Going from city to city and market to market, and just moving. That’s holo holo in a nutshell.”
A portion of ticket sales for the Holo Holo Music Festival on Oʻahu will go to the nonprofits Ka Maʻo, which was founded by The Green, and ʻAha Pūnana Leo, which supports the perpetuation of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
“Every single day, we're trying to figure out how we continue to make it better, and how we give back and how we keep supporting the culture and the community,” Sheehan said.
When putting together shows across the nation, multiple factors go into consideration for deciding which talent will take the stage.
“One of our responsibilities as promoters is artist development,” Sheehan said. “We were one factor in the development of Stick Figure at some of our other festivals.”
Today, Stick Figure has more than 3.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
One of the up-and-coming artists featured in the upcoming festival on Oʻahu is Kanaka Fyah, a Hawaiʻi Island-based band, which released the popular song “Only Jah Jah Knows” in March of 2024. Now, that song has more than 11 million views on Spotify.
“Artist development is something that we really take seriously, and so we look at some of the younger acts, like the Kanaka Fyahʻs, and artists like that,” Sheehan said. “How do we continue to develop them and give them a platform to continue to grow? ... We look at what the radio stations are playing. And again, we listen to the fans. ... If they're not buying tickets, we don't have jobs and businesses, so it's always important to listen to the feedback, listen to who they want to see, and see if we can make it happen.”
General admission to the two-day festival is $200.65. There are also VIP and Single-day tickets available. Get tickets.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
