TIKI CULTURE

Memories from Hukilau 2010, Fort Lauderdale

There’s nothing like getting a bunch of swingin’ kats and kittens together with island music, vintage threads and lots of rum. Well kids, let me tell you, his year’s Hukilau didn’t disappoint. From tattooed chicks in short skirts and flower leis to guys wearing palm tree shirts and short-brimmed fedoras, the eclectic crowd that swamped Fort Lauderdale was more fun than a barrel of fez-wearing monkeys.

That's me, Tiki Chris with three of my best girls - Colleen, Shannon & Molly

If you’ve been to an event like this (or to this one) you know how much fun can be packed into a couple of rum-drenched days. If you haven’t then you should definitely plan to. Our presence at the event was truncated due to a busy work schedule, but we still had a fantastic time on Friday night, Saturday and Saturday night. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking forward to the Hukilau!

The Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale is this weekend, and I must say that us kats and kittens at Pirate’s Cove Tiki Bar have been looking forward to this since we left last year’s shindig. This year, we’ll be hitting the Mai Kai for dinner and show with a couple of friends who’ve never seen it…in fact, even though they’ve lived down here in the land of palm trees and Mojitos for years, they’ve never been to the Mai Kai at all. Krazy, huh?

Bahia Cabana, site of the Hukilau

That brings up a point. It amazes me just how little most people know about our little Tiki and Retro culture, even though if you look hard enough, it’s everywhere. The Hukilau is one of the largest Tiki events in the galaxy, and brings in a lot of business to Fort Lauderdale. Yet most of the people I’ve yapped about it to have never even heard of it. Hell, I didn’t find out about it until just a few years ago, and I love this stuff! Maybe it’s best kept as a best kept secret, huh?

As for this  weekend, we’ll be attending the Friday night party and we’ll be at Bahia Cabana during the day on Saturday; we’ll be watching the premier of the Tikimentary ‘In Search of the Lost Paradise’; we’re going to the Wreck Bar for the Mermaid Show and will hit the Mai Kai in the evening. (Note to burglars: We have a very large dog, an cop-wired alarm and a next door neighbor with a shotgun and a coke habbit).

So as far as Tiki Lounge Talk posts go, not sure how things are going to play out in the next couple of days, so you might not hear from me until Sunday. That of course depends on the level of intoxication achieved at The Hukilau, catch my drift? Groovy. And for those swingers going to the big party - see you there kids…just like last year, I’ll be the guy in the Hawaiian shirt!

-Tiki Chris Pinto, reporting from the lanai next to the pool.

Get Ready for Tiki Caliente! June 4-6

Tiki Caliente II

They don’t care if it’s the biggest, they just want to be one of the best! That’s the kind of fun, laid-back & sip-a-cocktail attitude you’ll get when you swing down to Tiki Caliente this weekend.

Tiki Caliente II will be held at the Historic Caliente Tropics in Palm Springs, California, the birthplace of Tiki Oasis.

The Caliente Tropics

Entertainment includes Hula Girls, Martini Kings, Tikiyaki Orchesrta, Eliminators, Slacktone and the Cherry Capri. A Tiki art exhibit, “Primitive Pop for the Sophisticated Savage” features the Art of Derek Yaniger, Sam Gambino, Robb Hamel, Hassan “Headhunter” Patterson, and my favorite, Doug Horne.

The Caliente Tropics Resort is a fantabulous, original Tiki-themed hotel. Built in 1964, The Caliente Tropics has hosted such swingin’ notables as Elvis, Anna Nichole Smith and even members of the Rat Pack. The basement held the famous Cellar Steak House, but unfortunately had to be filled in with sand due to a slipping foundation. Kookie.

As with most of our Tiki Treasures, the Caliente Tropics almost didn’t make it through the 1990s. But some groovy kats bought her and fixed her up real nice in 2000, sinking 2.2 million clams into the resort to make her primo. Now the world of Tikiphiles can rejoice in this hip Tiki Megapad during Tiki Caliente II!

Three full days packed with music, dancing, tropical drinks and fun awaits you. Of course there will be a room crawl, and the bars are open till 2am. Cherry Carpri will even host a Tiki Fashion Show on Saturday. And there will be plenty of groovy vendors to spend your money with! So if you’re in the Palm Springs area, take the wheel of your automobile and swing on down to Tiki Caliente this weekend!

(If you do, make sure you look for TLT’s good friend Mahinui Gail, who will have a table set up with info on her TikiTabulous getaway/rainforest weddings in Hawaii! Or check it out here.)

-Tiki Chris, recovering from too many hamburgers over Memorial Day Weekend.

THE BIG THREE TIKI EVENTS! Hukilau, Ohana & Tiki Oasis are coming up fast

Sure kids, there are dozens of great Tiki events taking place all around the country (and the world), but when it comes to the biggest in the 48 states, none compare to the BIG THREE: The Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale Floirda, Tiki Oasis in San Diego California, and Ohana Luau at the Lake in Lake George New York.

The Hukilau 2010, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
June 10-13

TheHukilau.com

Since I live 15 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale Beach, going to The Hukilau is as easy as sipping a Mai Tai under a palm tree. Four days of Tiki themed parties, drinks, films, art, dining and shows will make you feel like you’re in the South Pacific. And of course, the world famous Mai Kai Polynesian Restaurant & Tiki Bar (The original from 1956) is included as the main attraction on Saturday night, featuring their Polynesian fire dancers and (what I think is) the best PolyPop dining outside of Hawaii.

Entertainment at the Hukilau this year includes King Kukulele, The Woggles, Neanderthals, Sweet Hollywaiians, Intoxicators!, Stolen Idols, The Bikini Beachcombers, Walk The Plank, Elena -Hula Hooper Extraordinaire!, Candy Del Rio, Reverend Valentine and South Florida’s own Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid.

In between the drinks, music and dancing will be specials guests: Shag - Josh Agle, a book signing by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, Lu Vickers - The History of Weeki Wachee, DVD of Tiki WORLD PREMIERE - Paradise Lost, Duda Leit Tikimentary - In Search of the Lost Paradise, Art from Harold Golen Gallery of Miami, and Sarong-O-Rama fashion show with Tiki Bree & Sandra Carr. Add to that the room crawl, Tiki Treasure Bazaar and the Master Mixologist Cocktail Challenge and you’ve got one hell of swingin’ Tiki bar party! We’ll be there for the big event on Friday night, all day Saturday and Saturday night for dinner and the Polynesian show at the Mai Kai.

Ohana Luau at the Lake
Lake George Village, New York
June 25-27

LuauAtTheLake.com

Luau at the Lake takes place each year in one of my favorite vacation spots, Lake George, New York at the fantabulous Tiki Motor Inn, a throwback to the golden years of Poly Pop. Lake George Village itself has a very ’50s vibe to it, and it’s not unusual to catch a ’57 Chevy or ’50 Merc cruising the strip on a Saturday night. This year’s Ohana features some great music from Granite Tiki, Bamboo Saxotica, 9th Wave, The Ghosts, Pablus, Waitiki, Fisherman, Jimmy Virani, Francis LLacuna and more.

Room crawls and outdoor movies viewable from the pool add to the fun. There’s also going to be a cocktail contest, a mini golf tournament and the Luau Under The Stars…featuring a pig roast, traditional hula and the fire knife dance. And of course there will be a section of Tikirific vendors to grab some hip souvenirs from!

And Last but certainly not least…

Tiki Oaisis
San Diego, California
August 19-21

http://tikioasis.org

According to the people who run Tiki Oasis, Tiki Oasis is “the largest and longest running Tiki Event on planet earth.” Here at Tiki Lounge Talk we have no reason to doubt the authenticity of that statement. One of the longest running Tiki parties, Tiki Oasis is set in the heart of what most people consider the home of the Tiki Culture rebirth, Southern California. (Of course some of us never noticed a rebirth because we’ve been swiggin’ rum at the Tiki bar all our lives)

Entertainment is wall to wall featuring King Kukulele, The Tikiyaki Orchestra, APE, The Martini Kings, Mimi Le Meaux, Clouseaux, Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid, The Maikai Gents, Lushy, Tana the Tattooed Lady, Project: Pimento, The Hula Girls, Lady Borgia, Thee Swank Bastards, Megan Mayhem, Violetta Beretta and Sultry Savage Burlesque, and Martin Cate. The schedule hasn’t been posted on the website yet, so it’s a sure bet there will be more stuff added to the event.

The bad news: These events are almost sold out for 2010. Rooms are totally booked and the goodies like commemorative Tiki Mugs are either gone or almost gone. So why am I posting this now? So you don’t forget to plan for next year, that’s why.

No kidding kids, if you can’t get into one of these events this year, start getting the luggage & cab fare  together for next year. These things sell out QUICK! In fact, the hotel rooms at Bahia Cabana (the host hotel for The Hukilau) sold out about a week after they announced it, if I remember right. So put it on the books, jump in your jalopy and make tracks!

Hope to see some of you at The Hukilau! I’ll be the guy in the Hawaiian shirt.

-Tiki Chris reporting from the cabana on the beach, under the hot Florida sun.

Tiki Lounge Talk is the place where mellow Tikiphiles meet swingin’ kats and kittens. Pull up a cocktail, lay a Les Baxter platter on the hi-fi and get into Retro & Tiki Culture and swing with kool kids! Ker-razy, man!

Kon Tiki Tucson - Relighting The Torches After 25 Years!

Relight the Night at the Kon Tiki

It’s always kool to hear about an original modern-era Tiki Bar that’s thriving. It’s even kooler when they are almost 100% original from 1963. Kooler yet - real torches on the sign.

I’ve been spoiled by the Mai Kai. Living only 15 minutes from Fort Lauderdale, and working within walking distance of it a few years ago, seeing live fire torches on the side of the highway was status quo. I guess in other parts of the world, no so much.

This Saturday, April 10, the Kon Tiki in Tucson, Arizona will be relighting their torches after a 25 year black out. This is great news for any kats that dig Tiki culture - every Tiki bar needs a little fire, after all! I poked around and tried to find out why the torches haven’t been lit since 1985, and can’t find an answer. Could it be some ridiculous city ordinance against open flames? Were the torches busted, and too costly to fix? Or were they just being lazy? Whatever the reason, the Kon Tiki will light up the night once again!

Kon Tiki’s Relight The Night (click here for the website)

From the Kon Tiki’s Press Release:

“Unlit for 25 years, Tucson’s oldest tiki bar will join forces with Flam Chen, Tucson’s renown fire performance group, to make the grand relighting of the Kon Tiki’s signature tiki torches a truly scorching affair. The evening festivities will include a relighting ceremony by Flam Chen, accompanied by local drumming troupe The Disillusionists, a dinner show with The Tikiyaki Orchestra, the muscial stylings of Tucson’s own Shrimp Chaperone and the hypnotic rhythms and hula-hooping gyrations of Las Vegas’ Thee Swank Bastards.

An interior shot of the Kon Tiki

The Kon Tiki is one of the last remaining, operational tiki temples from American’s mid-century tiki past. The interior is almost completely original from the opening day - including, what some tiki historians call, the largest collection of Milan Guanko tikis, still in situ, in the world. The collection is about to get bigger as two more recently discovered Milan Guanko tikis, original to the Kon Tiki, will be returned to their proper place and unveiled for Relight the Night. We have many local and California artists that have donated items for our charity raffle, proceeds from which will benefit Hope Animal Shelter, Tucson’s only no kill dog and cat shelter.”

The "Special-er" Kon Tiki Mug created for the event. Only 100 are being made.

Believe me kats & kittens, if it weren’t clear across the country I’d be there. And my wife Colleen, who is very active in rescuing abused and neglected animals, would be there double quick. I may have to settle for a souvenir Tiki Mug, or just for pix of the event. Either way, It’s GREAT to see a true old-style Tiki Bar doing well, even in these kooky evil economic times. Long live TIKI!

-Tiki Chris for Tiki Lounge Talk, the Blounge (web-lounge, get it?) for Tiki Culture and Retro Night Life