the night in order
The Pāʻina luau, from the lei at the door to the final photo
How three hours on the Marriott's lānai usually unfold, moment by moment.
Reserve the Pāʻina luau ↗The evening at a glance
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Check-in | Third floor; lei and welcome mai tai — your voucher shows the time |
| Before the show | Lei-making demonstrations and temporary tattoos |
| On dinner & VIP tiers | Hawaiian buffet with a prime rib carving station |
| Mid-show | A hula honouring Queen Liliʻuokalani |
| Later in the show | Hula ʻauana and the wider Polynesian story |
| Finale | Fire knife dancing, then photos with the cast |
Checking in
Check-in is on the third floor of the Waikiki Beach Marriott — your voucher shows the check-in time. Table assignments are given out there rather than chosen in advance, so parties who want to sit together should arrive and check in as a group.
The welcome
A shell lei goes over your head and a mai tai into your hand almost as soon as you arrive, while lei-making demonstrations and a temporary Polynesian tattoo keep the lānai busy before the show starts.
If you've booked dinner
On the buffet and VIP tiers, a Hawaiian spread opens around a prime rib carving station as the light starts to go — the show-only tier skips straight to the performance.
The queen's hula
The show's centrepiece is a hula written to honour Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaiʻi's last reigning monarch, performed around three hours after check-in begins.
Further into Polynesia
Later numbers move from the older hula kahiko style into hula ʻauana, carrying the story beyond Hawaiʻi into the wider Pacific before the night's final act.
Fire, then photos
Fire knife dancing closes the show, and the cast stays out afterwards for photos with anyone in the audience who wants one.