A luau is the one evening most visitors book before they land, and Kauai has a handful of good ones rather than the dozens of Oʻahu and Maui. That makes the choice simpler. Here is how the main options compare, what a luau evening actually involves, and the one we send people to.
What happens at a luau
Every Kauai luau follows roughly the same shape over three to four hours. Check-in in the late afternoon with a lei or shell greeting and an open bar or welcome drink. A stroll through the grounds, crafts and sometimes a garden or a train ride. The imu ceremony, where the kālua pig is lifted from the underground oven it has cooked in all day. A buffet dinner: kālua pork, lomi salmon, poke, chicken long rice, teriyaki, poi, haupia. Then the show, an hour of hula, Tahitian drumming, a storyteller and a fire-knife finale. You are back at the car by about 8:30.
The options
Luau Kalamaku at Kilohana Plantation (Līhuʻe)
The biggest production on the island, held in a covered amphitheater on the grounds of the 1930s Kilohana plantation house, ten minutes from the airport. The show is a staged theatrical telling of the first Polynesian voyage to Hawaii with fire poi balls and fire-knife dancing, and the setup includes an open bar from 5 to 7:30, a craft fair, the imu unveiling at 6:10, dinner with live music, and the main show at 7:30. An optional plantation train ride runs before dinner. Packages run from about $189 per person for standard seating, with premium seating, the train ride and hotel pickup as add-ons. It runs on select evenings with 5 pm check-in; the calendar shows the nights.
This is the luau we send people to when they want the full show: the theater, the fire, the production. Check dates and book Luau Kalamaku, or book it with hotel pickup if nobody wants to drive after the open bar.
Smith Family Garden Luau (Wailua)
The old-school Kauai luau, run by the same family since 1961 on 30 acres of gardens by the Wailua River on the east side. The evening starts with a tram tour of the gardens, then the imu, a buffet and a show in an amphitheater with a volcano set. It is the more traditional and family-feeling of the two big luaus, a little cheaper, and the gardens at sunset are the reason to choose it. It is not booked through this site; reserve directly.
The resort luaus
The Sheraton in Poʻipū and the Sheraton Coconut Beach in Kapaʻa each host an oceanfront luau a few nights a week, and the Grand Hyatt in Poʻipū runs one seasonally. They are smaller, the setting is the beach at sunset, and the food is hotel-catered. Choose one if you are staying at the resort or want the ocean behind the stage rather than a theater.
Which to book
- Want the biggest show: Luau Kalamaku.
- Want gardens, tradition and a family feel: Smith’s.
- Want the ocean at sunset and a short walk home: your resort’s luau.
- With young kids: any of them; the fire-knife finale is the hit. Book standard seating near the aisle for exits.
Tips from people who have sat through many
- Book early in the week so a weather cancellation can be rebooked; the big luaus run on set nights, not daily.
- Arrive at check-in time, not show time. The open bar, the crafts and the imu are the first two hours.
- Premium seating is about sightlines, not food. At Kalamaku the standard seats in the amphitheater see fine; at the beach luaus the front rows matter more.
- Eat lightly at lunch. The buffet is large and the poke goes fast.
- Do not pair it with a 7 am boat. Luaus end late and the Nā Pali departures are early; put the luau on a day before a late start, such as the zipline or a beach day.
- Dress for an evening outdoors: sundress or aloha shirt, a light layer for after sunset, flat shoes for grass.
For the rest of the evening plan, sunset at Hanalei or Spouting Horn, see the things to do on Kauai guide, and for which night fits the week, the 5-day itinerary.
Written by Kauai locals who spend their days on the water and the trails. How we make money.
