The Hukilau returns for ninth annual Tiki bash in 2010

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - The Hukilau, the annual four-day Polynesian Pop festival that draws more than 1,200 devotees from around the globe, returned to Fort Lauderdale's beachside resort hotels and the historic Mai-Kai Restaurant on June 10-13, 2010.

Special musical guests included garage rockers The Neanderthals (featuring members of Los Straitjackets), retro jazz/Hawaiiana combo Sweet Hollywaiians (flying in from Japan for an exclusive U.S. appearance) and retro party band The Woggles from Atlanta.

Other performing bands included The Intoxicators (instrumental surf from Tallahassee), The Stolen Idols (Exotica from Tampa) and The Bikini Beachcombers (Hapa Haole from Milwaukee) and Walk the Plank (exotica and lounge from Atlanta). Other entertainers included longtime Hukilau emcee King Kukulele, Marina the Fire-Eating Mermaid, DJs, go-go dancers and more.

Among the other top attractions: Acclaimed retro artist Shag participated in events throughout the weekend in addtion to having his work shown in the on-site art show from Harold Golen Gallery. Master mixologist and author Jeff "Beachbum" Berry returned with an all-new cocktail seminar.

Also on tap were the popular Tiki treasures bazaar, "room crawl" and cocktail competition, "Sarong-O-Rama" fashion show," two Tiki film debuts and a seminar on the Weeki Wachee mermaids.

Billed as "the most intimate Tiki gathering in the world," the ninth annual Hukilau delivered four days of "exotic and intoxicating art, entertainment, music, historic seminars, fashion and of course, drink!"

For information and updates on the 10th annual event in 2011, go to TheHukilau.com

Los Straitjackets headline
8th annual Hukilau

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - The eighth annual Hukilau - the East Coast's largest Tiki and Polynesian Pop gathering - welcomed lucha-masked surf and rockabilly band Los Straitjackets to headline its main event on Friday, June 12.

From June 11-14, 2009, exotic music fans from around the globe flocked to Fort Lauderdale to see surf, rockabilly and Hapa Haole bands from across the country. In addition, the most intimate Tiki festival in the world featured an Exotica music history seminar at the beloved Mai-Kai restaurant, established in 1955 and virtually unaltered since its opening. Activities were centered around the tropical Bahia Cabana Resort on Fort Lauderdale Beach and benefitted from perfect weather all weekend.

One of the most dynamic and skillful instrumental bands on the planet, Los Straitjackets enthralled the crowd of mid-century enthusiasts, modern day beatniks, Tiki-carvers, mixologists and Exotica disciples with many of its classic tunes as well as choice cuts from The Further Adventures of Los Straitjackets (released April 28).

Catering to a subculture that revels in Exotica culture from post-war America and Polynesian Pop, Hukilau was again hosted by internationally-known ukulele player King Kukulele. Other performing bands included The Intoxicators from Tallahassee, The Disasternauts from Cocoa, The Stolen Idols from Tampa, Haole Kats from St. Petersburg, The Van Orsdels from Miami and The Bikini Beachcombers from Milwaukee.

Additional activities included a mixology seminar by tropical drink expert Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, a Tiki and low-brow art show by Harold Golen Gallery of Miami, a boat cruise along the Intracoastal Waterway and the first-ever Hukilau room crawl featuring guests hosting their own parties.

Hukilau history

Born out of a desire to recapture the essence of 1950s and 1960s Polynesian Pop and celebrate all things Tiki in a historic setting, The Hukilau has emerged as the premier Tiki event of the eastern United States. Born in 2002 at the Trader Vic's Atlanta location, the event was conceived as a way for Tikiphiles to congregate and bond in a setting conducive to their rum-fueled idolatry. Relocating in 2003, The Hukilau has made Fort Lauderdale and its crown jewel, the Mai-Kai restaurant, a haven for beachcombers, beatniks, bongo-beaters, Tiki-carvers, mixologists and Exotica disciples from around the globe.

Traditionally a hukilau is a festival held in the fishing villages of old Polynesia. A large net is cast into the sea and the villagers herd the fish while slowly pulling the net to the shore. The feast that ensues is meant to emphasize the spirit of family or, as the Polynesians say, 'ohana. The mainland Hukilau is a net thrown out to the entire world, bringing the lovers of Polynesian Pop or Tiki culture together for their own special celebration.

The Hukilau brings together amazing entertainment, exotic educational seminars and vendors of all things Polynesian set in the warm Florida sun – Polynesia in America's Vacationland!