A Luau experience by Chief's Luau. Back to all Oahu tours.
Tour Summary: Chief Sielu Avea, the original World Fire-Knife Dance champion, emcees all three hours himself, and no other Oʻahu luau puts on a bigger show. He plays it for laughs, and the fire-knife finale is the best on the island.
Large photoChief's Luau runs at Wet'n'Wild Hawaii in Kapolei, about 25 miles west of Waikīkī, so count the drive in both directions when you pick a show time. 
Large photoGuests get pulled on stage during the show, kids included. - Large photo
The warrior numbers run on a cast of roughly 25 performers. - Large photo
Pre-show activities run before dinner; the face painting is part of the warrior theme. - Large photo
The show moves from daylight into the night finale as the sun goes down. The full cast on stage after the show.
6 Tour Highlights:
- Chief Sielu Avea, World Fire-Knife Dance champion, emcees the full evening
- Fire-knife finale that closes the show
- Weaving a banana-leaf headband with the dancers
- The imu unearthing, with the pig lifted out of the ground
- Poi and lomi lomi salmon tasting
- All-you-can-eat buffet with kālua pork, sautéed fish and barbecue chicken
Important: The venue is Wet'n'Wild Hawaii, a water park in Kapolei, so there is no beach and no ocean sunset.
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult | Youth |
|---|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $152.64 | $124.02 |
Price note: Tickets with round-trip transportation are a separate product, about $36 more per person, and you pick them at booking rather than adding transport later. Children 5 to 12 pay $108.12 and ages 4 and under are free.
Tour Provider: Chief's Luau
Activity: Luau
Tour start time: 5:15 PM check-in, 5:30 PM luau start
Duration: 3 hours
Pick-up available? Round-trip transportation from Waikīkī is available as a separate ticket type costing about $36 more per person, chosen at booking rather than added afterwards.
Included: All-you-can-eat buffet dinner. Live show with fire-knife finale. Banana-leaf headband weaving. Poi and lomi lomi tasting. Imu unearthing demonstration
Cancellations: Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a refund. Parties of 10 or more must cancel 72 hours ahead.
Read more: about luau in our Oahu luau guide.
Chief's Luau details and tiers
Chief Sielu Avea won the World Fire-Knife Dance championship before most of his audience was born, and he still runs the room himself. He emcees the whole evening and pulls people out of their seats, and his jokes hold the three hours together. Even the reviewers who pan the food usually write that the fire finale was excellent.
The luau runs on the grounds of Wet’n’Wild Hawaii, a water park at 400 Farrington Highway in Kapolei, and you can see the slides from the tables. There’s no beach here and no sunset over the ocean. If a shoreline setting is what you pictured, book a different luau.
What happens between check-in and dinner
Check-in is 5:15 PM and the show starts at 5:30 PM. You weave a headband from banana leaves alongside the dancers and taste poi and lomi lomi salmon. Then everyone gathers for the imu unearthing, when the pig is lifted out of the ground. Dinner is an all-you-can-eat buffet: kālua pork, sautéed fish, roasted barbecue chicken. The pig you watch come out of the imu is part of the ceremony. The kālua pork on the buffet is cooked separately.
Aloha, Paradise or Royal: which seating tier
All three tiers see the same show and sit down to the same all-you-can-eat buffet. What moves up with the price is your seat, the lei you get at the door, and how many drinks are included. Aloha, the entry tier, seats you toward the back with a shell lei and one adult drink. Paradise moves you to the middle section, upgrades the lei to kukui nut, and adds a second drink. Royal puts you up front with a fresh flower lei and a Mai Tai on arrival, three drinks, and a souvenir gift.
The top Royal tier draws steady poor-value comments from the people who bought it, so we’d stay at Aloha or Paradise. Pay up for the closer seat, the nicer lei and the extra drinks if you want them, but the show and the buffet are the same at every tier.
Getting there and parking
Round-trip transportation from Waikīkī is a separate ticket type, about $36 more per person, picked at booking rather than added later. If you drive, parking at the water park is $13 per car, and the lot takes cards only.
Kapolei is a long drive west and afternoon traffic can double it, so give the bus room in your evening. Chief’s has also been cancelled at short notice for weather or low attendance, sometimes on the day, and refunds have been slow to arrive. Keep a spare night in the itinerary rather than making this your only luau evening.
You book Chief’s for the show. The fire-knife finale and the Chief’s hosting are the best of any luau on Oʻahu. The food is the weak part, buffet-scale and often served cool. Chief’s runs five nights a week and is dark Tuesday and Saturday, so if your first choice of night falls through, move it rather than dropping it.
About Chief's Luau
Chief Sielu Avea produces the luau and emcees every night himself. He is the original World Fire-Knife Dance champion and spent 20 years as the fire-knife star of the Samoan Village at the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is where the “Coconut Man” and “Ambassador of Polynesia” names come from. The dancers and fire performers are his own ʻohana.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Booking through this page costs you nothing extra and is made directly with Chief's Luau. We earn a commission from the operator, not from you, and it is what pays for the research that keeps lovebigisland.com free and free of paid placement. We only list operators we would send a friend to. Details on our affiliate links are here.