Book the lūʻau closest to where you’re staying. The eight shows spread from Kīlauea on the North Shore down the east side through Kapaʻa and Līhuʻe to Poʻipū on the south shore. Kauaʻi’s highway doesn’t circle the island, so a North Shore stay and a Poʻipū show means driving the length of the east side there and back.
If you’re picking one lūʻau for your trip, check the nights next: most shows run only two or three evenings a week. Most standard adult tickets cost $175 to $215.
Table of contents
Compare all eight Kauaʻi lūʻau on a map and table
The map pins all eight shows, so you can find the ones near your hotel. The table under it lists each show’s adult price, who it suits best, and the nights it runs.
Status after Hurricane Lowell: Luau Kalamaku is taking bookings again. As of September 27, 2026, the ʻAuliʻi Lūʻau in Poʻipū was paused, with no confirmed reopening date, and the other six shows were taking bookings.
Prices, details, and map locations below last verified September 2026.
| Name | Price (adult) | Best for | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ahi Lele Fire Show (Details ↓) | From $129, plus tax and fees | North Shore stays: a smaller fire show | Mon, Wed |
| 2Smith Family Garden Lūʻau (Details ↓) | $150 ($30 show only), plus park fees | Families and budgets | Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri |
| 3Wailua Nui Luau (Details ↓) | $175 to $200, plus 6% fee | Sunday nights: the only Sunday show | Sun, Tue, Fri |
| 4Drums & Dances of Polynesia (Royal Sonesta) (Details ↓) | $180, plus tax and fees | Līhuʻe stays: oceanfront on Kalapaki Bay | Thu (plus Tue in summer) |
| 5Luau Kalamaku (Details ↓) | $181.26 to $262.88, plus tax | The show: scripted, under a roof | Tue, Fri (plus Mon in Dec) |
| 6Lūʻau Ka Hikina (Details ↓) | $193.75, tax and fees included | Food: the most-praised buffet | Tue, Thu |
| 7ʻAuliʻi Lūʻau (Details ↓) | From $210, plus tax and fees | A sunset splurge on Poʻipū Beach | Mon, Wed. Paused after Hurricane Lowell as of Sept 27, 2026 |
| 8Havaiki Nui Lūʻau (Grand Hyatt) (Details ↓) | From $215.33, tax and gratuity included | Grand Hyatt guests: walk to dinner | Tue, Sat |
What is the best lūʻau on Kauaʻi?
The right lūʻau on Kauaʻi depends on where you’re staying. Lūʻau Ka Hikina in Kapaʻa draws the most praise for its food, and Smith Family Garden Lūʻau is the pick for families on a budget.
Q: What is the best lūʻau on Kauaʻi?
Start with where you’re staying. On the North Shore, Ahi Lele in Kīlauea is the only option. On the east side, Lūʻau Ka Hikina has the best-reviewed food and Smith Family Garden is the cheapest traditional show. In Līhuʻe, Drums & Dances of Polynesia is oceanfront on Kalapaki Bay. In Poʻipū, the Grand Hyatt show is best for Grand Hyatt guests, who can walk to it.
Q: Which Kauaʻi lūʻau has the best food?
Lūʻau Ka Hikina at the Sheraton Coconut Beach in Kapaʻa. It draws more praise for its food than any other Kauaʻi show: in 308 TripAdvisor reviews (as of November 2026), 232 praise the food and 10 complain. The buffet includes kālua (imu-roasted) pig, huli huli chicken, teriyaki beef, and mahi mahi.
Q: What is the best lūʻau on Kauaʻi for families on a budget?
Smith Family Garden Lūʻau in Wailua. At $150 an adult and $35 to $45 for kids, it’s the cheapest traditional lūʻau on Kauaʻi, and a $30 show-only ticket costs less still. The gardens, tram ride, and imu (underground oven) ceremony keep kids busy before the show.
Q: Is there a lūʻau on Kauaʻi on Sunday?
Yes, one. Wailua Nui Luau at the Hilton Garden Inn on Wailua Bay runs Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday evenings. No other Kauaʻi lūʻau has a Sunday show on its fall 2026 calendar.
Q: Which Kauaʻi lūʻau has the best oceanfront setting?
The ʻAuliʻi Lūʻau sits on the lawn at Poʻipū Beach with a sunset backdrop, but it’s paused after Hurricane Lowell. Drums & Dances of Polynesia at the Royal Sonesta is oceanfront on Kalapaki Bay in Līhuʻe and running on Thursdays, plus Tuesdays from late June to mid-August.
Q: Which Kauaʻi lūʻau has the best show?
Luau Kalamaku at Kilohana Plantation stages a scripted story in a covered theater-in-the-round, so rain doesn’t stop it. Ahi Lele on the North Shore also runs under a covered pavilion, rain or shine.
Choosing a lūʻau on Kauaʻi
Start with where you’re staying, then the night of the week. If you haven’t booked a place to stay yet, our guide to where to stay on Kauaʻi compares the island’s six regions. Outside summer, Drums & Dances runs only on Thursdays, and Wailua Nui is the only Sunday show, so check those two against your free nights early.
After that, compare food and setting. Ka Hikina has the strongest food reviews, and you eat in a pavilion off the sand. Drums & Dances and Wailua Nui are on the water, with far fewer reviews to judge them by.
Things to check before you book
What the price includes: The Grand Hyatt and Ka Hikina prices include tax and fees. Drums & Dances, ʻAuliʻi, and Ahi Lele add about 10.7% at checkout, Wailua Nui adds a 6% fee, and Luau Kalamaku adds tax to a price that already carries its fees.
Seating: No Kauaʻi show lets you pick a seat on a map. At most shows you buy a tier and are seated by tier (Smith’s seats by party size instead): Wailua Nui’s preferred seating puts you in the first two rows, and Ahi Lele sells its front, second, and third rows as separate tickets. General seating at Ka Hikina, Drums & Dances, and Ahi Lele is first come, first seated.
Rain: Luau Kalamaku and Ahi Lele run under a roof. The lawn and courtyard shows decide on the day: the Grand Hyatt show has stayed outdoors through rain and moved to a ballroom on dry nights, and Wailua Nui has handed out ponchos, paused, moved indoors or cancelled.
Parking: Smith’s charges $10 per car plus $5 per person for the state park, even on a show-only ticket. Check resort parking when you book.
What to expect from a lūʻau
A Kauaʻi lūʻau is a dinner and a show, two and a half to nearly four hours from check-in to the last dance.
The evening: Check-in opens between 4:45 and 5:30 PM. You get an hour or so for drinks, crafts, and photos, then the buffet, then a show of about an hour to an hour and a half.
The crowd: You’ll share a long table with other guests unless you buy a premium tier. At Smith’s, parties of six or more get reserved tables, and smaller parties find seats in an open scramble. Luau Kalamaku is the largest show on the island, and reviewers at Ahi Lele and Ka Hikina single out their smaller crowds.
Kids: Children 2 and under are free at every show. Child tickets run from about a quarter of the adult price at Smith’s to about three quarters at Ahi Lele.
The meal: The buffets serve Hawaiian staples like kālua pork, fish, and poi. Smith’s and Wailua Nui hold an imu ceremony, uncovering a pig from the underground oven where it cooked on hot rocks. Ka Hikina and Ahi Lele have none.
The eight shows, from the North Shore to Poʻipū
Kīlauea on the North Shore comes first, then Kapaʻa, Wailua, and Līhuʻe on the east side, then Poʻipū on the south shore.
Ahi Lele Fire Show at Anaina Hou, Kīlauea
Best for: North Shore stays and a smaller crowd, if you don’t need a traditional lūʻau with an imu ceremony.
Ahi Lele is a buffet and Polynesian fire show under the covered Porter Pavilion at Anaina Hou Community Park, a nonprofit park in Kīlauea, and it runs rain or shine. Coppin Colburn and his ʻohana (family) run the show. Doors and the buffet open at 5:30 PM, live music and hula start at 6:45, and the fire dancing begins around 7:30.
The buffet has smoked kālua pork, teriyaki chicken, and vegetarian and vegan options; drinks cost extra. General admission is first come, first seated, so arrive when doors open at 5:30. Show-only tickets can’t be booked online, only through a phone waitlist, and one reviewer found those seats the worst in the house. Reviewers call the show short and casual next to the resort productions. Ahi Lele keeps a 15% processing fee on refunds.
- When? Mondays and Wednesdays.
- Where? Porter Pavilion, Anaina Hou Community Park, 5-2723 Kūhiō Highway, Kīlauea.
Ahi Lele Fire Show at Anaina Hou
The only fire show on Kauaʻi's North Shore: a buffet dinner, live Hawaiian music and hula, then Polynesian fire dancing by the Colburn family under the covered Porter Pavilion in Kīlauea. It runs Monday and Wednesday evenings, rain or shine.
from:
$129
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Lūʻau Ka Hikina, Sheraton Coconut Beach (Kapaʻa)
Best for: the food. In the reviews we read, it drew more food praise than any other Kauaʻi lūʻau: 232 of 308 reviewers praise the food and 10 complain.
Lūʻau Ka Hikina has run since March 2022 in Halau Hoʻokipa, an open-air pavilion beside the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort in Kapaʻa. The buffet covers kālua pig, huli huli chicken, teriyaki beef, mahi mahi, and haupia (coconut pudding), and the open bar is included until the show starts, at about 7:30. Reviewers also single out its smaller crowd.
Ka Hikina advertises the beach, but you eat in the pavilion, off the sand. Guests get a shell necklace rather than a flower lei, and there’s no imu or torch-lighting ceremony. Hosts seat you at long shared tables in arrival order. Cancel at least 48 hours ahead for a refund.
- When? Tuesdays and Thursdays, check-in 5:15 PM.
- Where? Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, 650 Aleka Loop, Kapaʻa.
Lūʻau Ka Hikina at Sheraton Coconut Beach
Lūʻau Ka Hikina serves the best-reviewed lūʻau buffet on Kauaʻi, with kālua pig, huli huli chicken, Hanalei poi and haupia (coconut pudding) tartlets. After dinner, a host explains where each hula, Tahitian, Māori, Tongan and Samoan dance comes from, in an open-air pavilion at the Sheraton in Kapaʻa.
from:
$194
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Smith Family Garden Lūʻau (Wailua)
Best for: families on a budget, if you don’t mind a big crowd.
Status: As of September 27, 2026, Smith’s has reopened after Hurricane Lowell.
Smith’s is the cheapest traditional lūʻau on Kauaʻi, held in 30 acres of gardens on the Wailua River. The evening starts with a tram ride through the gardens and an imu ceremony, then dinner under a shared pavilion, then the show in a separate open-air amphitheater. About three in ten reviewers came as a family.
Reviewers describe being herded between stops and losing saved seats to other guests in the open-seating scramble, and the amphitheater’s narrow bleacher-style benches are hard on bad backs. Drinks start after the imu ceremony, there are no craft stations, and the entry photo is sold. Part of the cast is family, which some reviewers find charming and others amateur. The $30 show-only ticket lets you see the show and eat dinner elsewhere in Wailua.
- When? Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
- Where? Smith’s Tropical Paradise, 3-5971 Kūhiō Highway, Wailua River State Park.
- Price: $150 adults, $45 juniors (7 to 13), $35 children (3 to 6). Show only: $30 adults, $15 children (3 to 12). The state park adds $5 per person and $10 per car; Hawaiʻi residents are free.
- Website: Smith Family Garden Lūʻau
The last act of Smith’s Tropical Luau on Kauaʻi. Image credit: Jennifer Kramer on Flickr.
Wailua Nui Luau, Hilton Garden Inn Wailua Bay (Kapaʻa)
Best for: Sunday nights. It’s the only lūʻau on Kauaʻi with a Sunday show.
Wailua Nui opened in December 2025 on the oceanfront lawn of the Hilton Garden Inn Kauaʻi Wailua Bay, the newest lūʻau on the island. Tihati Productions produces it, with an imu ceremony and a hana noʻeau (Hawaiian craft) activity before dinner. You get your table assignment and check-in time by text two days ahead.
As of September 2026, it had 54 TripAdvisor reviews, far fewer than the older shows. The show is on a hotel lawn, off the sand, and guests on the balconies above can watch. Reviewers praise the food, especially the kālua pig and prime rib, though one large party found dishes gone at the end of the line. Rain has meant ponchos, a pause, a move indoors or, a few times, a cancellation, and one guest waited weeks for a weather refund.
- When? Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, 5:00 PM.
- Where? Hilton Garden Inn Kauaʻi Wailua Bay, 3-5920 Kūhiō Highway, Kapaʻa.
- Price: $175 adults and $95 children (3 to 10) in standard seating; $200 and $110 in preferred seating, which puts you in the first two rows and first in line for the buffet. A 6% fee is added at checkout.
- Website: Wailua Nui Luau
Drums & Dances of Polynesia, Royal Sonesta Kauaʻi (Kalapaki Bay)
Best for: a Līhuʻe base and an oceanfront evening on Kalapaki Bay, a short drive from Līhuʻe Airport.
The Royal Sonesta’s lūʻau runs on the oceanfront grounds at Kalapaki Bay, next to Nāwiliwili Harbor, with open seating on a first-come basis. It books on FareHarbor as Drums & Dances of Polynesia; earlier versions of this guide called it Feast of the Pacific. The dress code is resort casual. Adult tickets are for ages 21 and up; juniors 13 to 20 pay a lower rate.
The resort’s lūʻau page says the show is operating after Hurricane Lowell. With 15 TripAdvisor reviews as of September 2026, it has the smallest review record on the island.
- When? Thursdays, 5:30 PM, plus Tuesdays from late June to mid-August.
- Where? The Royal Sonesta Kauaʻi Resort, Kalapaki Bay, Līhuʻe.
A conch shell signals the start of the Royal Sonesta’s lūʻau, held oceanside on Kalapaki Bay.
Drums & Dances of Polynesia, Royal Sonesta Kauaʻi
An oceanfront lūʻau on the lawn at Kalapaki Bay in Līhuʻe, about five minutes from the airport. Dinner is a buffet with ʻulu (breadfruit) mac salad and huli huli (Hawaiian barbecue) chicken, followed by Polynesian drumming and dances from several island groups.
from:
$180
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Luau Kalamaku, Kilohana Plantation (Līhuʻe)
Best for: the show, a scripted story staged under a roof.
Status: Luau Kalamaku is taking bookings again after Hurricane Lowell.
Luau Kalamaku tells a scripted story in a covered theater-in-the-round at Kilohana Plantation outside Līhuʻe, so rain doesn’t stop it. The Silver and Gold packages add better seating and an earlier 4:45 PM check-in than the standard Hawaiian package. The Manor House tier adds a sit-down dinner at Gaylord’s.
It’s also the largest lūʻau on the island, with reviewers counting up to about 1,000 guests, and food is the most common complaint in its critical reviews (dry chicken, salty pork, dishes gone for late tables), as it has been since 2023. One premium-seat guest in August 2026 reached the buffet after several dishes had run out. Expect upsells during the evening.
- When? Tuesdays and Fridays, plus Mondays in December.
- Where? Kilohana Plantation, 3-2087 Kaumualiʻi Highway, Līhuʻe.
Luau Kalamaku at Kilohana Plantation
Luau Kalamaku puts on Kauaʻi's most theatrical luau show, a scripted story of voyagers sailing from Tahiti to settle Kauaʻi, told through hula and Tahitian dance and ending with fire-knife dancing. It plays in a covered pavilion at Kilohana Plantation, so rain doesn't stop it.
from:
$181
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Havaiki Nui Lūʻau, Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi (Poʻipū)
Best for: Grand Hyatt guests who want a lūʻau they can walk to.
Havaiki Nui runs in a courtyard at the Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi in Poʻipū. The menu includes imu kālua pork, fresh catch, huli huli chicken and grass-fed Makaweli New York steak. Reviewers praise the pork, poke and desserts, and several found the steak overcooked. Every ticket price includes tax and gratuity. A premier ticket gets you better seats.
At 3.7 stars across 594 TripAdvisor reviews as of September 2026, it has the lowest rating of any Kauaʻi lūʻau. The courtyard sits between hotel buildings rather than on the ocean. Reviewers point to a small cast. The venue (lawn, courtyard or ballroom) is decided on the day: some guests sat through rain outdoors, and others were moved inside on a dry night. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
- When? Tuesdays and Saturdays, 5:30 PM.
- Where? Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi Resort, 1571 Poʻipū Road, Kōloa.
Performers at the Grand Hyatt Luau on Kauaʻi. Image credit: The Grand Hyatt Kauai Luau
Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi Lūʻau
This lūʻau is on the Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi's own grounds in Poʻipū, so resort guests walk to it from their rooms and nobody in the group has to drive home after the open bar. The evening runs from a welcome mai tai through a buffet with Makaweli steak to a fire-knife finale.
from:
$215
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.ʻAuliʻi Lūʻau, Sheraton Kauai Resort (Poʻipū)
Best for: a special-occasion splurge, with sunset on Poʻipū Beach and an open bar.
Status: The ʻAuliʻi Lūʻau paused after Hurricane Lowell. As of September 27, 2026, there is no confirmed reopening date.
ʻAuliʻi runs on the oceanfront lawn beside the Sheraton Kauai Resort pool at Poʻipū Beach. Reviewers mention the ocean view far more often here than at any other show. Both seating tiers include the open bar. Aliʻi seating adds the first four rows, a specialty lei, and first turn at the buffet, and reviewers often call it worth paying for. The show covers dances from across Polynesia and adds a segment on 1950s Hollywood hula.
It has the highest standard adult ticket on Kauaʻi once tax and fees are added. Hotel rooms and balconies overlook the lawn, and rain sometimes moves the show to the Poʻipū Ballroom, while on other nights guests sat through showers with no cover. Reviewers often complain about the food.
- When? Mondays and Wednesdays; check-in 5:00 PM from October to February.
- Where? Sheraton Kauai Resort, 2440 Hoʻonani Road, Kōloa.
ʻAuliʻi Lūʻau at Sheraton Kauai Resort
Kauaʻi's special-occasion lūʻau: sunset and dinner on the lawn beside Poʻipū Beach, with Kōloa Rum mai tais from the open bar. Aliʻi Seating puts you in the first four rows, with appetizers brought to your table.
from:
$210
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Lūʻau shows not operating right now
Tahiti Nui Luau in Hanalei still appears in older lists, but it has put its lūʻau on hiatus, with no show dates on sale.
Free and low-cost ways to see hula
You can see hula on Kauaʻi without a full lūʻau ticket. Our Kauaʻi events calendar has the next dates for the free shows at Coconut Marketplace and Poʻipū Shopping Village.
- Poʻipū Shopping Village: a free hula show with live Hawaiian music, Mondays and Thursdays at 5:00 PM.
- Coconut Marketplace, Kapaʻa: a free hula show with a fire-knife dancer on Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:00 PM. The center’s events calendar lists each week’s shows.
- Smith’s show-only ticket: the Smith Family Garden show without the dinner, $30 for adults and $15 for children, plus the state park fees.
Our list of free things to do on Kauaʻi covers beaches, hikes, and farmers markets.
Lūʻau shows on Maui, the Big Island, and Oʻahu
If your trip covers more than Kauaʻi, our guides to Maui lūʻau shows, lūʻau shows on the Big Island, and lūʻau shows on Oʻahu compare every show on each island by price, location, and night.