Updated April 19
Just three years old, an infant in terms of Tiki revival weekenders, Orlando’s Tiki-a-Go-Go has already grown into one of the premiere events on the annual calendar. This year’s gathering, happening March 27-29 at the Caribe Royale Resort, is loaded with some of the biggest names in the scene and chock full of activities for guests.
• SEE BELOW: Recap, photos and video from Tiki-a-Go-Go 2026
Not surprisingly, tickets sold out way in advance. We’ll be there to share a special presentation on the past, present and future of Tiki in the Sunshine State (Sunday at 11:30 a.m.). If you missed out on tickets, you can still meet up with the gathered masses at Sunday’s Magical Tiki Meet Up and Monday’s after-party at the Mai-Kai.
PREVIEW: Tiki-a-Go-Go 2026 seminar to explore the past, present and future of Florida Tiki
Launched in 2024 by two Florida couples with a passion for Tiki and retro Florida, Tiki-a-Go-Go has blossomed in a state that’s proving to be fertile ground for the subculture’s continued evolution. The event also attracts fans from around the country (and world), drawn to Central Florida’s robust and welcoming tourist market.
While the event has yet to encounter growing pains that have challenged other events (venue changes, pandemics, etc.), we see no signs of its popularity slowing down anytime soon. It can be daunting for newbies to negotiate the schedule’s vast array of activities, so we’ve tried to highlight some of the things we’re looking forward to below.
SEE BELOW: Our Top 5 highlights | Basic daily schedule
March 27-29 – Tiki-a-Go-Go at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando. Featuring symposiums and classes (Shag, Kevin Kidney & Jody Daily, Sven Kirsten, Tiki Tony Murphy, Spike Marble, Garret Richard, Marie King, Tim “Swanky” Glazner, Henrik & Denise Van Ryzin, “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller, Scott “Flounder” Scheidly, et al.), guest cocktail bars and bartenders, live music (Los Straitjackets, The Neanderthals, The Sound Minds, The Swingin’ Palms, Skinny Jimmy Stingray), supper club, burlesque, artists and vendors, and more.
• Bonus event: Magical Tiki Meet Up on March 29 at the Magic Kingdom and Polynesian Village Resort at Walt Disney World.
• Tiki-a-Go-Go on social media: Instagram | YouTube | Facebook page and group
Last year’s event built on the success of the first, welcoming many top experts in their respective fields, plus some longtime favorite performers (Tikiyaki Orchestra, The Intoxicators, et al.). Guest bars and room parties kicked the nightly parties into high gear, and sponsors were abundant. The Caribe Royale is a large resort with vast convention space and a tropical environment dotted with pools and palm trees, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Not mentioned above or below is one other major strength of Tiki-a-Go-Go worth touting. The number of rum and spirits companies, bars and related industry participants is impressive, totaling around 40 sponsors. They range from Angostura to Tanduay, from Bar Tiki to The Honu, all contributing great products and aloha. More sponsors usually means more free samples and benefits for guests, which is always a good thing as event tickets don’t come cheap.
Tiki-a-Go-Go 2026: Top 5 things we don’t want to miss
In no particular order, here are five things we’re looking forward to during the whirlwind weekend.
Seminars
A focus on educational seminars on a wide range of topics is a foundational element of Tiki-a-Go-Go. The event space at the Caribe Royale allows for an extensive schedule. This includes topics as diverse as Asian Influences on Tiki Fashion (with Margo Scott) and Vintage Florida from DogLand to Skunk Apes (with Cathy Salustri), plus many deep dives into Tiki and Disney culture by notable experts.
The schedule includes 33 seminars and 14 classes and activities, most around an hour long, packed into 15 hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It’s impossible to attend them all, of course, but if you plan your day wisely you can catch some fascinating presentations about topics you enjoy.
Note that some classes require a separate ticket and are likely sold out, but most of the seminars are offered to everyone with an event ticket. Seminar rooms can hold 100 or more, and seating is first-come, first-served. Below is our wish list. We’ll try to attend as many as we can.
• 12:15 p.m. Friday – From Two Shores, One Spirit: Enchanted Tiki Bar and Grog Grotto Collide! with Kelly Merrell and Dizz Fernandez
• 12:30 p.m. Friday – Donn Beach: The Man, the Myth, and the Legend with Tim “Swanky” Glazner
• 1:45 p.m. Friday – Tiki: Native Drums in the ‘Nineties with Kevin Kidney and Sven Kirsten
• 3 p.m. Friday – Tiki Gardens: A South Seas Island in Florida with Jon Bortles
• 4:15 p.m. Friday – Ghostly Retreats – Making the Haunted Mansion with How Bowers
• 10:30 a.m. Saturday – The House that Tiki Built – The Architecture of Escapism with Sven Kirsten
• 12:15 p.m. Saturday – Shag: From Waikiki to Palm Springs – My Lifelong Tiki Trek with Josh Agle (aka Shag)
• 12:15 p.m. Saturday – Images From the Tiki Magazine Archives, 2004-2013 with Jonpaul Balak
• 2:45 p.m. Saturday – Donn Beach’s Wars at Home and Abroad with Tim “Swanky” Glazner
• 2:45 p.m. Saturday – How Social Media Reshaped Tiki with Spike Marble
• 4 p.m. Saturday – FloridaLand: “10 Big Attractions for One Low Price” with Jon Bortles
• 4:15 p.m. Saturday – Exploring the Tiki World with Barbara B. Wavell
• 10 a.m. Sunday – It’s a Plunderful Life – Pirates in the Parks with How Bowers
Last (literally) but not least, we’ll present Florida Tiki: The Good, the Bad and the Future of Polynesian Pop in the Sunshine State on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. as the event wraps up. This multimedia presentation will include a complete rundown on the state’s rich and diverse history of Tiki hotels and motels, restaurants and bars, theme parks and more. Included will be some never-before-seen home video footage from the 1960s.
We’ll also explore the current revival, detailing the dozens of new venues that have opened over the past 15 years. Guests will also be treated to exclusive news and images of some the new Tiki bars and restaurants that will be opening over the next several years. It promises to be a comprehensive examination that may change the perception of Florida’s role in Tiki history. The first 50 attendees will receive a very special guide to Florida Tiki past and present. Click or tap here for the preview and check out the recap below.
Official site: Detailed list of presentations | Presenters | Day-by-day schedule (PDF)
Bars and bartenders
No Tiki event would be complete without tasty tropical drinks to pair with the immersive atmosphere. Tiki-a-Go-Go has the benefit of being in Central Florida, where there is no shortage of top bars and bartenders nearby. Supplemented by guests from out-of-state and overseas, this year’s lineup includes 14 participating bar teams and 10 other mixologists and industry experts.
From Florida, look for Bar Hana (Sarasota), Bar Tiki (Clearwater Beach), Don the Beachcomber (Tampa), Kaona Room (Miami), Luau Lads (Jacksonville), Mai-Kai (Fort Lauderdale), Permanent Vacation (Maitland), Red Lei Lounge (Jacksonville), The Honu (Dunedin), and more. The Friday and Saturday night events are loaded with pop-up bars from these Florida locations (see below).
In addition to the concerts, cocktails will be served at daily hospitality suites and other special events all weekend. Among the other guests bars and bartenders visiting the Sunshine State are Dirty Dick (Paris, France), The Golden Tiki (Las Vegas), The Inferno Room (Indianapolis), Wusong Road (Cambridge, Mass.), and Garret Richard of the Sunken Harbor Club (New York City).
Some of the guests will be offering educational seminars and classes. Among these are:
• 1:45 p.m. Friday – Garret Richard: Stirred and Tropical
• 2:45 p.m. Friday – Shelley Bowers (Hoku Hoku Tiki, Los Angeles): Donn Beach and the Pearl Diver: Decoding the Mystery of Gardenia Mix
• 1:15 p.m. Saturday – Marie King (Don the Beachcomber): Rum Fundamentals
• 1:45 p.m. Saturday – Kelly Merrell (Trader Sam’s, Anaheim): The Forbidden Spirit: Breaking the Rum Routine
• 3 p.m. Saturday – Devon “Kitty” Lopez (Bar Tiki) with Jon Atkins: Let’s Party … Let’s Batch It!
• 4:15 p.m. Saturday – Daniele Dalla Pola (Kaona Room): Low Tide Tiki + Cane, Cask & Coral
Official site: Bars, bartenders
Bands
Tiki-a-Go-Go’s approach to live music is typically quality over quantity, with the evenings dedicated to a small but stellar lineup of exotica, surf and other retro-minded musical acts. The five bands booked this year include four nationally-known recording artists, plus a Florida favorite.
Los Straitjackets are making their return to a Florida Tiki event for the first time in eight years. Sporting their signature Lucha Libre masks, the mysterious foursome is is one of the world’s most recognizable instrumental rock bands. Formed in Nashville, Tenn., in 1988, the dual-guitar combo has released more than 20 albums over the past three decades, from The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets (1995) to Somos Los Straitjackets (2025).
Fronted by Los Straitjackets guitarist Eddie Angel, The Neanderthals clobber their audiences with a primitive blast of frat/party rock. Dressed in their signature leopard skin furs, the “band that time forgot” promises to leave Tiki-a-Go-Go attendees with a performance to remember. Also channeling ’60s garage rock sounds are The Sound Minds, a power trio from Albany, N.Y., featuring The Neanderthals bassist Ian Carlton and Los Straitjackets drummer Chris Sprague. A debut 45 and single were released in 2025.
A counterpoint to the raucous rock, The Swingin’ Palms are known for their authentic Hawaiian and exotica instrumentals and laid-back vibe. Based in Albany, N.Y.,and featuring three members of The Sound Minds plus a ukulele player, the band is making its fourth Tiki event appearance in Florida after three previous years at The Hukilau. The self-titled debut EP was released in 2019.
Based in Deerfield Beach, Skinny Jimmy Stingray is a veteran surf guitarist who channels the vintage style and sound of the 1960s. The three-piece group is known for its regular gigs in the Mai-Kai’s Molokai bar, combining instrumental classics with high-energy originals.
Official site: Entertainment and performers
Retro Tiki Marketplace
A large portion of a Caribe Royale ballroom has been set aside for the Retro Tiki Marketplace, featuring 30 vendors selling all manner of artwork, clothing, collectibles, and much more. Jetsetter passholders get first shot at the goodies at 9 a.m. Friday, followed by full access from 10 to 5 p.m. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for everyone.
We highly recommend checking out the Don the Beachcomber booth, where the restaurant brand will be offering a wide array of merchandise, new and old. Look for author Tim “Swanky” Glazner, selling and signing copies of Searching for Don the Beachcomber along with a limited amount of his new cocktail syrups based on Donn Beach’s secret recipes. Tiki-a-Go-Go will be the world premiere of both the book and the syrups.
• Related story: Countdown to Don the Beachcomber biography begins with fundraiser, early special edition
Among the artists selling their hand-made goods will be Brandon Campbell, Highwater Hideaway, Jesstasmic, Kymm Bang, Lava Lane, Skipper Hoss, John Hunter, TikiKitchen Studios, Tiki Tony Murphy, and Woodland Giant Shipworks.
Booths featuring collectibles, clothing and other goods will include Lo Que Fue Boutique, Ohio Tiki Nuts, Adventure Room, Aloha Art & Alligators, Basement Kahuna, Castaway Grotto, Gay Fad Studios, Good Finds, Lorelei’s Vintage, Madvintage, Park Candy Island Supply, and South Seas Salvage.
Other vendors with unique offerings: Aku Aku Tiki Bar, Cathy Salustri, Dr. Skipper, and Theme Park Preservation Society. And don’t forget the official Tiki-a-Go-Go booth, where you can find the event’s signature mug (by Eeekum Bookum), event glassware (designed by Shag), plus other special keepsakes.
Official site: Full list of vendors, links
Magical Tiki Meet Up & Mai-Kai
Pre-dating Tiki-a-Go-Go by six years, the Magical Tiki Meet Up began in 2018 as a gathering of retro-minded Disney fans in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom. The two events came together in 2024, and the eighth annual event hosted by Typhoon Tommy and Kari Allsmiller remains a fitting climax to Tiki-a-Go-Go on Sunday, March 29.
The event takes place at both the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Polynesian Village, one of the original hotels built for the resort’s 1971 opening, still sporting many vintage touches. You’ll need a ticket to get into the theme park, but there’s no charge to enjoy the “Poly,” which featuring multiple restaurants and bars (most notably Tambu Lounge and Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto.) The Carible Royale offers special Disney pricing for guests.
The meet-up begins at 1:30 at the Jungle Cruise attraction, proceeding to the Enchanted Tiki Room, followed by some free time in the theme park. Everyone is scheduled to rendezvous at the Polynesian at 5 p.m. for libations on the outdoor Tiki Terrace attached to Trader Sam’s.
Though Monday, March 30, is not an official event day, many Tiki-a-Go-Go attendees are expected to make the trek 200 miles south to the Mai-Kai, the historic Polynesian palace that recently enjoyed a $20 million reimagination and restoration. For those visiting from out-of-state who already came a long distance, the additional journey is well worth the effort.
General manager Cory Starr and his team will host bartenders participating in Tiki-a-Go-Go, including Adam Rains (The Golden Tiki, Las Vegas), Scotty Schuder (Dirty Dick, Paris) and the team from Permanent Vacation (Maitland). Look for the bartenders to pop up and serve special cocktails in the outdoor Bora Bora Bar. The Mai-Kai opens at 4 p.m., and happy hour runs until 7 with most of the drinks on the restaurant’s newly updated menu available at 50% off.
Special features
• Answers to frequently asked questions about the Mai-Kai
• Photo and video tour: The 16 most iconic photo spots at the Mai-Kai
Tiki-a-Go-Go daily schedule
Below is a basic schedule of the daily events. You can find the full schedule in PDF form at Tikiagogoevent.com, along with links to key information about the event.
FRIDAY
• 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. – Registration open
• 9 a.m.-5 p.m. – Retro Tiki Marketplace
• Noon.-5 p.m. – Hospitality suites
• Noon.-5:15 p.m. – Seminars, events, classes
• 10:15-11:45 a.m. – Kickoff party
• Noon-6 p.m. – Brand showcases
• 5:45-7:45 p.m. – The Buena Vista Supper Club (Trevor Kelly and The Swingin’ Palms)
• 6-9:15 p.m. – Hospitality suites
• 9:15 p.m.-midnight – Evening concert featuring live bands (The Neanderthals, Skinny Jimmy Stingray) and pop-up bars
SATURDAY
• 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Registration open
• 9 a.m.-6 p.m. – Brand showcases
• 10 a.m.-4 p.m. – Retro Tiki Marketplace
• 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. – Seminars, events, classes
• Noon.-5 p.m. – Hospitality suites
• 6-9 p.m. – Hospitality suites
• 9:15 p.m. – Evening concert featuring live bands (Los Straitjackets, The Sound Minds) and pop-up bars
• Midnight – Moonlight Burlesque
SUNDAY
• 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Seminars, events, classes
• 1:30 p.m. – Magical Tiki Meet Up at the Magic Kingdom and Polynesian Village Resort
Thanks to the great turnout for “Florida Tiki: The Good, the Bad and the Future of Polynesian Pop in the Sunshine State,” we’re sharing the full seminar slideshow on the blog along with the results of the voting for the state’s top Tiki location. While supplies last, you can also order the 24-page booklet that details the 150 historic and current sites across Florida. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY or the direct links below.
• Purchase a printed copy of Florida Tiki: The Encyclopedia of Polynesian Pop in the Sunshine State.
• Find out who won the balloting for favorite current bar or restaurant.
• See an online version of the presentation at Tiki-a-Go-Go.
MORE: Mai-Kai attends Tiki-a-Go-Go, hosts after-party
Social media coverage
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