A Luau experience by Hawaiian Council (Kaula Luau). Back to all Oahu tours.
Tour Summary: A Native Hawaiian nonprofit stages one family's voyage from Tahiti to Hawaiʻi as a 45-minute theater production at Ko Olina. Native Hawaiian theater artists wrote and directed it, and there is no bad seat in the house.
The main show runs 45 minutes, seated, after the food stations close, and it ends on the fire-knife number. 
The backdrop pairs ʻIolani Palace with a page of Hawaiian-language newspaper text, one of the projected sets the show cycles through. The venue is small enough that the back tables still sit close to this stage, so the tier names oversell the sightline difference. The fire-knife number closes the evening, well after the food stations have shut and everyone is seated. Ocean's Edge is an open-air amphitheater next to the Ko Olina marina, and the breeze off the water picks up once the sun is down. Tables seat eight, and a request to sit with another party has to be in by 10 AM on show day.
6 Tour Highlights:
- A 45-minute narrative show written by Moses Goods and directed by Kipe Ebana, a 40-year veteran of Old Lahaina Luau
- One family's history from Tahiti through Samoa to Hawaiʻi, told in mele, oli, hula, Tahitian and Samoan dance, acrobatics and fire knife
- A room small enough that the back tables still sit close to the stage
- A pre-show hour of net throwing, drumming, unlit fire-stick twirling and temporary tattoos
- Sunset over the water during dinner, on the marina side where the boats come in
- Ticket revenue funds Hawaiian Council's housing, education, workforce development and cultural programs
Important: Adult pricing starts at age 21, so guests aged 12 to 20 book the youth rate and only 21-and-over pay the adult price.
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult | Youth |
|---|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $169 | $139 |
Price note: Adult pricing starts at 21, which is older than any other luau on this list, so a 19-year-old in your party books the youth rate rather than an adult ticket.
Tour Provider: Hawaiian Council (Kaula Luau)
Activity: Luau
Tour start time: 5:30 PM (October through May), 6:00 PM (June through September)
Duration: 3 hours
Location: Ko Olina
Pick-up available? An optional round-trip shuttle picks up from Waikīkī-area hotels for $30 per person.
Included: Village-style dinner from food stations. One welcome cocktail per ticket. 45-minute narrative stage show. Pre-show cultural activities. Free parking in the luau lot
Cancellations: Change or cancel through the operator's website until noon on the day of the performance. No-shows are not refunded. The show runs rain or shine and ponchos are handed out; a refund or rebooking is offered only if the performance itself is cancelled.
Read more: about luau in our Oahu luau guide.
Kaula Luau details and booking
A grandmother and her granddaughter tell their family’s story from Tahiti through Samoa to Hawaiʻi, and the 45 minutes that follow are closer to a staged production than a luau floor show. Moses Goods wrote it. Kipe Ebana, who spent 40 years with Old Lahaina Luau and Paradise Cove, directed it. Mele, oli, hula, Tahitian and Samoan dance, acrobatics and fire-knife work carry the narrative under stage lighting and video projection.
Hawaiian Council, a Native Hawaiian-led nonprofit, opened the show on 27 February 2026 and puts ticket revenue into its housing, education, workforce development and cultural programs. The room is small, seated at tables of eight, and we didn’t find a bad seat in it.
The first hour disappears if you walk straight to the food
The evening opens at 5:30 PM for most of the year and 6:00 PM in summer, and that first hour holds net throwing and drumming, with unlit fire-stick twirling and temporary tattoos. All of it shuts down the moment the pre-show hula begins, so guests who head straight for the stations miss it. We’ve seen the check-in line run 45 minutes and the gates open late, and the queue stands in full sun with no shade over it.
What the food stations serve, and what the drinks cost
Moani Island Bistro and Bar, a locally owned restaurant at Ka Makana Aliʻi, serves from a cluster of stations rather than one buffet line: kālua pork with lomi tomato and poi, huli huli chicken with garlic mash, ʻahi poke with taro chips, vegetable yakisoba, and coconut sweet bread with macadamia nuts. Go back as often as you like until the stations close.
One welcome cocktail comes with the ticket. After that, cocktails run $10 to $14 and beer $10 to $12. The yakisoba and the roasted vegetables are the meatless options, and vegans should check the yakisoba sauce at the station.
Standard dinner and show is $169 per adult and $139 for guests 12 to 20, with children 4 to 11 at $99 and under-3s free on a lap without a meal. The VIP tier at $249 doesn’t buy a better seat. It buys 30 minutes at the stations before everyone else, plus tableside cocktails, a gift bag and a photo.
Plan on 3 hours from doors to the final fire-knife number. Parking is free in the designated luau lot beside the marina, and a round-trip shuttle from Waikīkī-area hotels costs $30 per person. Tables seat eight, so a couple should expect to share one. Same-table requests for parties split across bookings need to be in by 10 AM on show day, and the show runs rain or shine with ponchos handed out.
The writing and the staging are what this luau is for, and of the Oʻahu luaus we cover we think it puts on the best show. The food is the weak point, consistently. Dishes arrive cool, the selection is short, and if dinner is the reason you’re booking a luau, book a different one.
About Hawaiian Council (Kaula Luau)
Kaula is owned and run by Hawaiian Council, a Native Hawaiian nonprofit, and ticket revenue goes back into the organization’s housing and education programs. Moses Goods, a Native Hawaiian playwright, wrote the show, and Kipe Ebana directed it after 40 years with Old Lahaina Luau and Paradise Cove.
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