When the Hawai’i Club hosted its first lū’au in the 1960s, the event was a small, intimate gathering held on the grass lawn of the bluff. Now, members of the UP community overflow at the front door of Chiles Center, hoping for a spare ticket to one of the most highly attended student-led events at UP.
As the club prepares to host its 47th annual lū’au, they are introducing bleacher seating to maximize seating and accessibility to the celebration of Hawaiian culture, according to Hawai’i Club Lu’au Chair Sami Taga. While those who opt for bleacher seating will not be provided meals, Taga believes it will allow more of the UP community to experience the event who have not been able to in recent years.
The lū’au has been in the works since the fall semester when club committee members began planning intricacies such as the theme, menu and performances. According to Hawai’i Club Lu’au Chair Noelle Asato, the club consists of committee chairs both within the student body and parents in Hawai’i; their support is instrumental to the production of this event. Families and friends travel from their homes for the annual lū’au, made possible by a variety of moving parts, according to Club President Taylor Katahira.
“I just feel like we're really lucky to be able to do this every year and have the support that we do,” Katahira said. “We see all the work that goes into it, and we've put so much of our time into it, so it's so nice to see it finally come together at the end. It makes everything worth it.”
The lū’au will take place on March 29. Doors open at 4 p.m., food is served at 5 p.m. and the show begins at 6 p.m.
According to Taga, the menu is coordinated to match traditional Hawaiian cuisine, with gluten-free and vegan options available. With the assistance of many hands, Hawai’i Club members help Bon Appetit prepare meals for the club’s largest event of the year.
Tickets for the lū’au are $14 for students, staff and faculty, $10 for children aged 3-12 and general admission is $24.
In addition to games, raffles and the beloved Country Store — which sells local merchandise — the lū’au is primarily dance performances.
Dance rehearsals for the event began in January, a quicker turnaround than in previous years. All of the dances center around this year’s theme, ke ‘ala pua onaona o Hawai’i (“the fragrant flowers of Hawai’i”), following last year’s theme devoted to unity through the obstacles from the Lahaina Fires.
“This year is more of a lighter theme for us than what we've experienced in the past,” Katahira said. “But we still want to send a message of being a community and sharing our culture.”
This being Taga, Asato, and Katahira’s last lū’au at UP, the event holds a particular specialty as they reflect on what it means to them and the UP community at large.
“A lot of the time, we can get misinterpreted, or there's stereotypes about what Hawai’i is,” Katahira said. “It's nice to be able to authentically show and educate people about our culture, and at the same time allow our club members in the community to just be together and have fun.”
More information on the event can be found on the Hawai’i Club Instagram.
Tickets can be purchased by clicking on this link.
Kaylee Monahan is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at monahan26@up.edu.
Editors note: A previous version of this story incorrectly named the position of a member of Hawai’i Club's leadership board.
