The Mai-Kai is rolling out the red carpet for The Hukilau this week as hundreds of revelers roll into South Florida for the 24th annual weekender that celebrates vintage and modern Tiki culture. Headquartered at the oceanfront Beachcomber Resort in nearby Pompano Beach, the June 3-7 event includes four days and nights at the historic restaurant.
Jump to more below
• Special cocktail menu to include four retired classic
• Updated Atomic Grog cocktail rankings, history
The event’s “villagers,” some who travel from around the world to attend, will be treated to bands and guest pop-up bars, a brand new Mai-Kai dinner show, a special theatrical drum show, new food and cocktails (featuring a menu of lost classics), plus the exclusive Florida appearance of retro pop culture humorist Charles Phoenix. [See the full schedule below]
Last year was the first time The Hukilau returned with full-blown events to the reopened Mai-Kai since 2019, before the four-year closing and $20 million restoration. The 2025 event was highlighted by the unveiling of two large Tiki carvings in the entry area. The tikis have already become iconic photo spots for guests.
The Hukilau preview stories
• Tiki weekender loaded with bands, bartenders and guest speakers
• The Hukilau honors a legend, welcomes new faces to 24th annual Tiki weekender
Returning villagers will find the Mai-Kai continuing to upgrade and enhance its 2.7-acre tropical wonderland and vintage 26,000-square-foot building, est. 1956. A classic 62-year-old carving was recently restored, the gift shop has been enhanced, and a new event center is starting to take shape.
Meanwhile, executive chef Justin Sherrer and beverage director Cory Starr continue to upgrade the food and beverage programs. Updated menus (food and cocktails) were released earlier this year. For The Hukilau, Sherrer and Starr (who is also the restaurant’s general manager), have teamed up to release an exclusive event menu featuring four dishes and four cocktails available only June 4 through June 7. [Full preview below]
As for the Polynesian Islander Revue, the oldest continually-running authentic South Seas stage show in the United States (including Hawaii) will receive its first major update since the November 2024 reopening. [See video] A new Polynesian cultural director, Lono Hanohano, took the helm in August and presided over a spectacular reunion of past performers as part of the 69th anniversary celebration in December.
Lono used to perform under the guidance of Mai-Kai matriarch Mireille Thornton, the former owner who directed the troupe from the early 1960s through 2019. He’s taking the opportunity to create a new show that emphasizes its rich cultural heritage, its dancers (the Mai-Kai Islanders), and musicians (Mai-Kai Serenaders). Several are second- and third-generation Mai-Kai entertainers.
Lono, who serves as one of the rotating emcees, recently appeared in an Instragam video (see above) with four of the performers discussing their culture and unique roles as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. The show is educational as well as entertaining, serving as a gateway to authentic South Seas traditions for many guests.
Hukilau guests with reservations for the first dinner show on Friday, June 5, will be the first to see the revamped show. They will also be treated to a special photo slideshow tribute to the late artist Danny “Tiki Diablo” Gallardo, who sadly passed away in early February. Seating starts at 4:30 p.m. and the tribute to Gallardo, whose art and Tiki mugs were featured at The Hukilau and Mai-Kai for decades, will begin at 5 p.m. A charity auction of some of the last pieces Gallardo created for The Hukilau will follow at 6 p.m. The Polynesian Islander Revue show is scheduled to begin at 6:30.
That night’s second seating at 8 p.m. will also include something special. At 8:30 p.m., the Mai-Kai will host the Taiko drumming group Samkoma in a rare performance before that night’s second dinner show. The group, which features Mai-Kai alum Malia (aka Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid) and current lead musician Conrad Teheiura Itchener (aka Kabuki), last took the showroom stage during the 69th anniversary festivities.
This performance is also open to the general public with reservations available online via the Mai-Kai website. Villagers with Hukilau passes who have not yet made a reservation for either show should contact Mai-Kai director of public relations Pia Dahlquist at (954) 646-8975.
Previous Mai-Kai updates
• The Hukilau welcomes Charles Phoenix, past event recaps, appetizer ratings
• Classic Tiki carving restored, reimagination continues
• Mai-Kai kicks off 2026 with new food and drink menus, special events
• Mai-Kai Restoration & Reopening Guide
Special cocktail menu to include four retired classic
Mai-Kai cocktail fans will be pleased to find beverage director Cory Starr and his bar team diving deep into the past, reviving three cult classics that haven’t appeared on the regular menu since the 1980s, and one that never did. Meanwhile, chef Justin Sherrer has prepared four special dishes that will be offered during The Hukilau, running from Thursday through Sunday (June 4-7).
The menu itself is a collector’s item, a fun six-page, black-and-white booklet that features a lot more than just the food and drinks. It’s designed like a classic coloring book, with all the pages set up to be detailed in unique colors by guests. Starr said crayons will be available for the young ones, and the young at heart. Inside, there are games (a maze and word search) plus a contest that asks guests to help the Mai-Kai create its next swizzle stick. See the front and back cover above. You’ll have to pick up a copy in person to play the games.
The menu will be available throughout the restaurant, including the Molokai and Bora Bora bars, and all the dining rooms. The cocktail portion will feature three classics from the original 1956 menu, plus one that’s even older. All are culled from the historic notebook of the Mai-Kai’s founding mixologist, Mariano Lucidine, who retired in 1979. Minor adjustments were made to the recipes, updating them with modern spirits and ingredients. All of the cocktails are priced at $18, or $9 during happy hour.
• Demerara Float – Based on Don the Beachcomber’s Demerara Dry Float, this is the cream of the crop of what we used to call the “lost classics.” After it’s retirement in the late 1980s, the drink made a comeback at multiple events beginning in 2013. It was featured at the first “lost cocktails party” at The Hukilau 2013 (see menu below), then again at the restaurant’s 60th anniversary in 2016. It was also served at the 2016 release party for Tim “Swanky” Glazner’s Mai-Kai history book. It became a favorite during a “Flashback Friday” promotion in 2017, then made available by request until the 2020 closing. We hope this event marks the cocktail’s return to regular appearances.
• Dr. Fong – The Mai-Kai’s version of Donn Beach’s distinctive Dr. Funk cocktail is not as frequently featured. The anise-heavy drink was retired around 1970 and not seen again until 2016, when it was featured at the History and Mystery book release. It was served on Flashback Fridays in 2017, but hasn’t returned until now. We got a preview during Wednesday’s “Calm Before the Storm” bartender dinner and found it much more punchy than we remember. The menu shared with guests said it included both sponsor Tanduay Silver and a “funky white rum blend,” lime, pomegranate, Angostura and Pernod. We would bet money that the funky blend includes some Jamaican overproof. We found it to be an unexpected flavor bomb, recommended for fans of absinthe and funky rum flavors.
• Last Rites – The only one of the four that has been served since the reopening, this is Licudine’s version of Donn Beach’s Puka-Puka Punch. It fell off the menu at the same time as the Demerara Float. Starr is particularly enamored with this drink, which calls for Martinique rum (as revealed in the original 2007 version of Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari. We know that the island’s current rhum agricole was not widely available in the 1940s and ’50s, so Starr has toyed around with different rums in this drink at multiple events. The last two were a Bora Bora Bar takeover on March 8 and Tiki-a-Go-Go in Orlando on March 27. The new Rites of Passion communal drink is loosely based on this classic, but featuring gin and guava. We’re excited to taste the latest version.
• White Cloud – Created by Lucidine in the 1940s, long before he joined the Mai-Kai, this never appeared on any menu, but it’s believed to be an early version of what would later become the Moonkist Coconut, which is still served today. A recipe from the Licudine family archive was published in 2017 in the 10th anniversary edition of Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari. This menu marks the first time this creamy classic has seen extensive service at the Mai-Kai. It was the clear standout drink of those served to Hukilau bartenders Wednesday. [See menu] We found it to be an unexpected surprise, creamy and rummy with potent orange liqueur notes. It features Tanduay Silver rum, falernum, creole shrubb, lime and a unique blend of coconut water and cream. A must-try cocktail that we hope returns again soon.
Note that we now refer to these as “retired cocktails” since they’re far from lost. Thanks to Starr and the revived Mai-Kai, we should be tasting them many more times in the future. Check out updating ratings guide to see how they currently rank. We’ll be sure examine them in detail this weekend and update the ratings, if necessary.
Not to be out-done by the cocktails, chef Sherrer continues to push the envelope with his food program since taking the helm last March. He released an updated menu in February, which we detailed in a recent blog post. We also completed a thorough tasting of all the appetizers on the current menu, sharing our ratings and reviews in a story last month.
A new dessert menu went into service in May featuring the delicious new Crispy Guava & Cheese Rangoons. And Sherrer is continually creating new dishes and rotating them through various special offerings. We tasted an amazing Kona Coffee Grog Custard, sort of an elevated flan, during Wednesday’s bartender dinner. It would pair well with the namesake Kona Coffee Grog dessert drink.
For The Hukilau, Sherrer and the Mai-Kai are offering four special items:
• Paniolo Burger ($16) – Crispy cheese, pineapple kimchi, guava smoked bacon, fries.
• Typhoon Shelter Shrimp ($18) – Crispy garlic, black bean, Shaoxing wine, scallions, chili oil.
• Smuggler’s Spring Rolls ($13) – Beef short rib, cabbage, peppers, onions, sweet chili.
• Hukilau Hand Roll ($13) – Salmon poke, avocado, cucumber, tobiko, sushi rice, crispy nori.
The burger, which has recently been available only in the Molokai on Wednesdays through Sundays, is already is getting rave reviews. We tasted the shrimp and spring rolls during the bartender dinner and recommend them both. The shrimp (two pieces) are huge and feature a very rich, earthy flavor profile. The savory beef gives the traditional spring rolls a unique twist. We look forward to trying the burger and hand roll.
Sherrer is looking forward to fully flexing his culinary muscles when his tight space is expanded and designed to his specifications as part of the reimagination of the back-of-house kitchen. This project is complicated because it entails a complete redesign of the area that was damaged in the 2020 roof collapse, which has remained without a roof while the rest of the restaurant was refurbished. The large space will also include a new event center, which we detailed in a recent story.
There’s still a long way to go, Sherrer said, noting that they’re “waiting on a lot of construction.” It’s hoped that the project will be complete in time for the 70th anniversary in December. And definitely in time for the 25th anniversary of The Hukilau next June.
To see what the chef has been up to lately, watch the video of him preparing one his new dishes, the Paniolo Ribeye. This premium, bone-in cut is dry aged for 30 days in the Mai-Kai’s private label rum inside a USDA-certified facility.
Speaking of Mai-Kai Rum No. 1, villagers who have not returned since last year will undoubtedly be stocking up on the restaurant’s new 100-proof blend that’s available in the gift shop. You can’t miss the vibrant display case, right next to the window into the secret back bar where a photo of Licudine with the founding Thornton brothers hangs in tribute.
FAQ: Everything you need to know about Mai-Kai Rum No. 1
Unfortunately, signature mugs will be in short supply in the Mai-Kai Trading Company. A huge shipment from overseas, expected in time for The Hukilau, has not yet arrived. The shortfall leaves the classic Rum Barrel, Mara-Amu and Mystery Drink vessels available for purchase this week. There’s also a new supply of the Tahitian Drum, a 2024 mug designed by Joe Vitale and manufactured by Tiki Farm. Note that this mug is currently not being used for a drink.
Some of the mugs pictured on the cocktail menu are being used only in service so they don’t run out. A few others (Shrunken Skull, The Cannibal) are not in service either. The Cannibal cocktail is still on the menu, served in a metal swizzle cup. But the Shrunken Skull is temporarily off the menu until new mugs arrive. (See more on the menu below.)
The are plenty of Rum Barrels, which ironically were out of stock during The Hukilau 2025. Aside from the mugs, the gift shop is well-stocked, including array of new merchandise. [See previous coverage]
The Hukilau at the Mai-Kai
The Hukilau features four full days of Tiki cocktails, pool parties, live music, vendors, symposiums, and a takeover of the oceanfront Beachcomber Resort & Club in Pompano Beach, 5 miles northeast of the Mai-Kai. Passes start at $199 for full access to all the Saturday and Sunday activities. Full weekend passes are also available. Rooms at the resort should also still be available.
Buy tickets: Weekend passes, Charles Phoenix presentation
• The Hukilau on social media: Instagram | Facebook page and group
Following is a day-by-day breakdown of what you can expect at the Mai-Kai and the Beachcomber Resort during The Hukilau, with a special emphasis on Mai-Kai related activities. Check the website for an extensive rundown on everything available to event passholders.
• Wednesday, June 3 – “Mutiny at the Molokai Party” in the Molokai Bar starting at 5 p.m. with live music by Skinny Jimmy Stingray. Guest bartenders the Luau Lads (5-7 p.m.) and Permanent Vacation (7-9 p.m.) in the Molokai’s “poop deck.” There will also be a special dinner in the Tahiti Room for all of the event’s guest bar teams. At the Beachcomber, the Build Your Own Tiki Bar Conference runs from 1 to 5 p.m. One of the nine guest instructors is Mai-Kai staff carver Tom Fowner.
• Thursday, June 4 – The Build Your Own Bar conference continues at the Beachcomber from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Event registration starts at 2 p.m. At the Mai-Kai, Daniel Dalla Pola of Miami’s Kaona Room will pop up in the Molokai Bar starting at 5 p.m. Back at the Beachcomber, the opening night party starts at 6 and runs until late with live music and complimentary cocktails from six guest bars. Boca Island Tiki Lounge, featuring former Mai-Kai bar manger Michael DeMahy, will host a bungalow party at 9 p.m. [More info on all the bars]
• Friday, June 5 – At the Beachcomber: Fowner will host a workshop on how to create a light-up fish float pendant at 10 a.m. This is followed at 11 by a desktop vignette workshop with South Florida artist Todd Ashbaugh (aka Captain Cowfish), who has also done woodwork for the Mai-Kai. Also at 10 a.m., author Tim “Swanky” Glazner (Mai-Kai: History and Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant, will present a symposium on the topic of his new book, Searching for Don the Beachcomber. MeduSirena Marina, a former Mystery Girl and Tiki renaissance woman, will present Confessions of a Fire-Eating Mermaid at 11:30 a.m. featuring a documentary film and Q&A. Also at 11:30, villagers can make their own Trobriand shield painting with artist LuRu, who joined Fowner in October to create the Mai-Kai’s artistic Halloween overlay and can now be found in the Lanai hosting activities for kids. A 1 p.m. seminar will offer a tour of South Florida’s Art Deco and mid-century architecture. At 2:30, Fowner will teach guests how to turn fresh palm fronds into a wearable tropical hat. See our previous story for info on all the seminars and classes. The poolside party features three bands and seven pop-up bars from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. After the Mai-Kai festivities, the party resumes with five bars serving cocktails and late-night bungalow parties starting at 9 p.m.
At the Mai-Kai: The restaurant opens an hour early for villagers with happy hour running from 3 to 7 p.m. and live music with Slip and the Spinouts in the Molokai Bar. The first dinner show seating starts at 4:30. The Tiki Diablo tribute begins at 5, followed by the charity raffle and premiere of the new Polynesian Islander Revue show at 6:30. Seating for the second show starts by 8 with a special performance by the Taiko drum group Samkoma at 8:30. The Intoxicators rock the Molokai Bar from 7:30 to 9.
• Saturday, June 5 – All events are at the Beachcomber, starting with a 10 a.m. presentation on the Mutiny on the Bounty films, including the significant influence on the Mai-Kai. The Molokai Bar features set pieces from the 1962 movie (starring Marlon Brando), and the new Bora Bora Bar’s design also pays homage to the story of the Bounty. DeMahy will pop up with Boca Island Tiki poolside from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The daytime party will feature eight other bars plus four bands and runs until 7. [More info on all the bands] From noon to 6 p.m., villagers can browse the 30 vendors in the Tiki Treasures Bazaar, including workshop artists Ashbaugh and LuRu, author Glazner, and official Hukilau mug maker John Mulder, who created the Mai-Kai’s recent Christmas Barrel. After a luau dinner and guest performance by Central Florida’s Polynesian Fire from 7 to 9, the evening kicks into high gear with a poolside performance by The Disasternauts at 9 along with bungalow parties and five more guest bars into the a.m. hours.
• Sunday, June 7 – The Beachomber festivities wrap up with a buffet brunch and two more guest cocktail bars from 9 to 11 a.m. The Mai-Kai opens at noon with the “Last Chance Party” taking over the Molokai Bar until 5 p.m. with live music by Jackie Colada. Charles Phoenix, the “King of Retro,” will take the showroom stage at 1 p.m. with his “Floridaland” slideshow, a whirlwind road trip adventure exploring the Sunshine State’s unique roadside attractions, tourist traps, souvenir shops, motels, and more. The last time Phoenix appeared at The Hukilau was 2008, when he also did a presentation on stage at the Mai-Kai. Tickets are still available for this special presentation for South Seas ($25), Aloha ($50), and Palm ($65) passholders. The general public can also attend with tickets priced at $75.
Okole Maluna Society: The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide
Hurricane Hayward reviews and rates the historic restaurant’s current and past tropical drinks, plus reveals a treasure trove of ancestor and exclusive tribute recipes.
Updated Atomic Grog cocktail rankings, history
We hope to see you at the Beachcomber and/or the Mai-Kai during the whirlwind weekend. To help you navigate the restaurant’s massive cocktail menus, we’ve updated our Okole Maluna Society guide rankings and history, now available in convenient PDF format …
LATEST ATOMIC GROG MAI-KAI COCKTAIL RATINGS AND HISTORY
• Ratings of all the Mai-Kai cocktails on the current menus (Updated June 2026)
• Mai-Kai cocktail ancestry: History of the classics (Updated June 2026)
The first document includes our most updated rankings of all the drinks on the main cocktail and Bora Bora Bar menus. It combines the classic ratings we first posted last June before The Hukilau with the new cocktails that were added to the main menu this January.
It’s broken down by classics (those that came from menus prior to the 2024 reopening) and “new cocktails,” which includes anything added since Cory Starr took over the bar program. It also includes past cocktails that are no longer on the menu.
Luckily, they’re not gone forever. You never know when some of these drinks will return for special events. As detailed above, three classics are featured on a special menu during The Hukilau 2026. We will continue to update this document as menus change and we tweak our ratings.
The second document is an updated version of historic research that we first compiled back in the early days of the blog. Founding mixologist Mariano Lucidine is one of the most acclaimed bartenders who got his start at Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood, Calif., the 1930s. He quickly moved to Chicago, where he worked his way up to the No. 2 bartender at the Tiki godfather’s first new outpost.
He was lured to the Mai-Kai in 1956 by the founding Thornton brothers, bringing with him his famous little black book of recipes that still today remain closely guarded secrets. Many of the early Mai-Kai drinks were retooled Don The Beachcomber classics from the ’30s and ’40s, and they serve as a time capsule to another era. Our ancestry document breaks down which Mai-Kai drinks are descendants of Donn Beach’s originals, both on the current and past menus.
For comprehensive news and complete archive of our past cocktail reviews and recipes, consult the the Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide, which you can also find as a link on the top menu of the blog. We also have a page that features more than 100 Mai-Kai cocktail recipes that we’ve shared since the blog launched in 2011. This includes both official and authentic recipes, plus our popular “tribute recipes” that attempt to duplicate all the drinks we’ve tasted.
As you may have noticed, we have not updated any of the recipes posted prior to the 2019 closing. Version 2.0 of the Okole Maluna Society Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide is still very much in the works and nearing completion. We promise that when it relaunches, it will be an even more comprehensive and detailed look at Mai-Kai (and Don the Beachcomber) cocktails.
One reason for taking our time was to be sure we incorporated the new signature spirit, Mai-Kai Rum No. 1, into as many cocktails as possible. It’s now featured in dozens of drinks, and our new recipes will take this into account. We’re also incorporating new ancestor recipes from Searching for Don the Beachcomber, the recently released book by Mai-Kai historian Tim “Swanky” Glazner.
Along with the book, Glazner has joined forces with B.G. Reynolds to release three of Donn Beach’s famous “secret syrups” that have never before been produced. Two of these (#4 and #7) are very close in taste to the secret syrups of the same name that are used by the Mai-Kai. In past recipes, we’ve shared our advice on how to recreate these syrups using more common ingredients. But having the actual syrups available for purchase will make our tributes even more authentic. A commercial release is expected this summer.
We’ll be promoting the updated guide this summer along with a few features and surprises, so stay tuned. This will include a history of the Mai-Kai menus, from 1956 to today. Since the reopening, the menus have been changing way more rapidly than in the past, so it’s been a challenge to keep up. Here’s the latest info:
Main cocktail menu: The last full menu update was in January, which we covered extensively in this blog post. It features four non-alcoholic, 11 mild, 10 medium, 14 strong, three communal, and nine “modern tropical” drinks. That’s a total of 51 with 47 being alcoholic. Of those 47, we consider 10 to be “new cocktails” by our definition (including the new Rites of Passage communal drink) and 37 to be classics.
However, if you’re attending The Hukilau, you’ll notice one fewer drink on the current strong menu, released in May. As noted above, a shortage of mugs has forced the temporary removal of the Shrunken Skull. That signature drink just can’t be served without the mug. We’re assured that it will return when the mugs arrive from overseas.
A new signature mug – designed by Tiki historian Sven Kirsten for Tiki Farm and released last summer, is also on back order. But The Cannibal cocktail remains on the menu, served for now in a metal swizzle cup.
The Bora Bora Bar menu has not changed much in recent months. It features a dozen drinks that the bartenders at the streamlined outdoor bar can make in front of guests, which is a treat for some of us. In the long history of the Mai-Kai, no other bartenders have been visible to the public. In keeping with Don the Beachcobmer tradtion and the secrecy of the cocktails, both indoor bars are hidden away behind closed doors. True, you can now get a peek at the main service bar via a window in the gift shop, but you don’t get much of a view of the bartenders in action.,
The Bora Bora menu includes 10 cocktails from the main menu, plus two unique items. The Mexican Mara Amu is a version of the Mai-Kai classic featuring tequila. And the Painkiller is a traditonal version of the island classic. Note that any of the other cocktails from the main menu can still be ordered in Bora Bora, they just may take a few extra minutes to be delieverd from one of the bars inside.
One last menu worth mentioning has been quietly rolled out in recent months. Though all the drinks have always been available upon request, there’s now a printed version of the after dinner drinks menu that’s typically distributed to guests having dinner in the dining rooms. These drinks should also available in the bars upon request.
The current after dinner menu features five drinks: The flaming Kona Coffee Grog, Hot Buttered Rum, Tahitian Coffee, Chocolate Snowflake, and Mai-Kai Blizzard. All are included in our updated ratings. Note that the Tahitian Coffee mug pictured on the menu (also used for the Shrunken Skull) is out of stock, but the drink can be served in a different mug.
Expect updates as soon as the mugs arrive. Check the menus page at Maikai.com for the latest. And keep an eye out for expanded menus in both the Bora Bora and Molokai bars in the coming months. Bartender and mixologist Ethan Bartman told us that the Bora Bora menu will be “easygoing, tropical and breezy” while the Molokai menu will feature “modern tributes to Mariano.”
As always, we’ll keep you posted.
Okole maluna!
MORE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
RECENT MAI-KAI NEWS
May updates: The Hukilau welcomes Charles Phoenix, past event recaps, appetizer ratings
The East Coast’s longest-running Polynesian Pop event returns June 3-7 with an expansive schedule that includes three days and nights at the Mai-Kai, including a special presentation by “the King of Retro.”
Preview: The Hukilau to feature special pop culture presentation
Food ratings: Reviews of all the Mai-Kai’s apps
Mai-Kai’s classic Tiki carving restored as reimagination continues
Take an inside look at the restoration of the vintage carving by artist Tom Fowner, including exclusive photos and step-by-step guide to his work. GET THE FULL STORY
Direct links: Barney West tiki revived | Photos, in-depth recap
MORE: Gift shop revamped, new guest space in the works
Mai-Kai kicks off 2026 with new food and drink menus, special events
The historic South Florida restaurant remains laser-focused on improving the cocktails, food and guest experience.
• Full coverage of Mai-Kai 2026 news and events
Jump to the latest news
• Cocktail menu: Modern tropics added, classics enhanced | New drink ratings
• Food menu: Breaking down the latest updates
MORE HUKILAU PREVIEWS
The Hukilau 2026 preview: Tiki weekender loaded with bands, bartenders and guest speakers NEW
Villagers can look forward to live music and entertainment, seminars and classes, 20 guest bars, plus five days relaxing at the Beachcomber Resort and Mai-Kai restaurant during the June 3-7 event.
Direct links: Sneak preview of the official event mug by Eeekum Bookum
• Bands and entertainment | Symposiums and workshops | Bars and cocktails
The Hukilau 2026 honors a legend, welcomes new faces to 24th annual Tiki weekender
The state’s original Polynesian Pop event returns June 3-7 for an immersive experience at the oceanfront Beachcomber Resort and historic Mai-Kai, which will host a tribute to the late artist Danny “Tiki Diablo” Gallardo.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Mai-Kai Rum No. 1: Everything you need to know about historic restaurant’s signature spirit
Answers to common questions about the new 100-proof blend from Barbados and Jamaica, bottled exclusively for the Mai-Kai.
Answers to frequently asked questions about the Mai-Kai
Check out our handy guide featuring all the basics you need to know to plan your next trip to the Polynesian palace.
Photo and video tour: The 16 most iconic photo spots at the Mai-Kai
Learn how to get those classic shots on your next trip to the historic South Florida restaurant. We take you on an adventure via new and vintage photos, plus video from Spike’s Breezeway to document the top locations inside and outside.
FULL MAI-KAI COVERAGE
EXCLUSIVE: Mai-Kai Restoration & Reopening Guide
Check out all past news, photos, video and deep details on the refurbishment and resurrection of the Polynesian palace.
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