The Best Luau in Oahu is a Spectacular Event with amazing thrills, action packed performances and wonderful food. This is one of the main reasons why you come to Hawaii.
Polynesian Cultural Center
The Polynesian Cultural Center is a full day of absolute entertainment. The shows are fun and amazing. You will learn about the six Polynesian Villages and get to experience the music, dancing and way of life of each village.
Not only will you experience the Best Luau in Oahu, but You will also get a luau buffet dinner, reserved seating to the Ha! Breath of Life show, and a VIP canoe ride, depending on the luau package you purchase. Make sure you at least get the Ambassador package to get your own group tour guide. Make sure to take water (they will allow you to take it in) and wear a hat and sunscreen. With all of the entertainment and fun, it’s easy to get sunburned and dehydrated.
Polynesian Island Dance Demonstrations
A Must do in Oahu is getting to experience the unique and interesting dancing from each of the Polynesian Islands. Along with experiencing the Best Luau in Oahu, You will see the cultural flare that these islands show you thru the expression of dance. Enjoy as you see just a glimpse of these artistic dance styles.
While, the Cook Islands are not a permanent attraction at the Polynesian Cultural Center, we were so lucky that when we were on vacation they were there demonstrating their music and dance. They might be there when you go as well. Even if they aren’t, there are plenty of other dance demonstrations that will be sure to be amazing.
Canoe Pageant
You do not want to miss canoe pageant. It’s fun way to experience the six Polynesian islands. During the pageant, each of the islands display their beautiful, unique Polynesian cultures through music and dance, all while drifting on a canoe. It’s also a good time to sit down and grab a cold drink and a snack.
VIP Canoe Tour
Setting the mood for the Best Luau in Oahu, Tour the island villages from the water with a peaceful canoe ride on the 3-4 foot deep lagoon that winds through the Polynesian Cultural Center. A perfect way to see all of the beauty that the Polynesian Cultural Center has to offer.
Ha! Breath of Life

The night was capped off with the Ha! Breath of Life show. We can’t show you pictures or video of the show since recording and photography is prohibited…so you need to see it yourself! I did snap a quick picture of the stage before the show began and as you can see, it’s outdoors and it’s impressive.
It was amazing and had everything you could want in a show.
A sweet, important story, exciting dancers, and a truly spectacular fire show.
See the Story of the Breath of Life and live the experience for Yourself.
The Hukilau Market Place
The Hukilau Marketplace is the perfect place to buy and eat all things Hawaiian. The marketplace is part of the Polynesian Cultural Center, but sits right outside the entrance gate so you can frequent all of the gift shops and food kiosks even if you won’t be spending the day in the cultural center.
We spent one day in the cultural center, but we went to the Hukilau Marketplace almost daily. We enjoyed malasadas from Penny’s one morning, which are Portuguese donuts that is popular on the island. The chocolate filled malasadas were my favorite. We ate at Pounders for dinner, which is an island style restaurant.
Then one day we had lunch at a gourmet hot dog stand called Hale Pop. Then of course we had to enjoy shave ice from the Beachside Shave Ice stand. There were too many food stands for us to visit all of them, but that just gives us another reason to go back. Check out all of the amazing food options at polynesia.com.
The Hukilau Marketplace is also the perfect place to pick souvenirs or any kind of island gifts or clothing that you know you want. There’s something for everyone at any of the dozen stores locate in the marketplace. Accessories, artwork, carvings, ceramics, chocolate, are just some of the things you can find. For a list of the many stores polynesia.com

Polynesian Football Hall of Fame
If you or anyone in your traveling party are American football fans, then The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame is a must stop. While it is located at the Polynesian Cultural Center, it is not necessary to purchase tickets to the cultural center to enjoy it. The gallery showcases the the inductees and their achievements with memorabilia, pictures and plaques.
Shaka
What is the hand sign they are using?
It’s called the Shaka. Here’s how it came to be.
Polynesian Islands Explained
What are the islands represented at the Polynesian Cultural Center? Watch this video to find out.
Learning to Hula
Of course what comes to everyone’s mind is that in Hawaii, you need to Hula. That’s covered in this tour. They teach us how to Hula! How cool is that!

Village Demonstrations and Shows
Each of the six islands has demonstrations and shows that teach a little about their cultures and ways of life. All entertaining and informational and some are down right hilarious.
Watch as a Samoan villager, at the Polynesian Cultural Center, wows us with his coconut tree climbing abilities during an informative and hilarious demonstration.
The Cultural Differences of the Polynesian Culture stand out. The Men are masters of the kitchen and do all the cooking and cleaning.

Another interesting cultural fact is that the Chief of the Tribe is the only one that sleeps on his bed.

He can have as many wives as he wants but they can’t sleep on the bed with him.
The Wives have to sleep on the floor next to him.

We could not have had the amazing experience we had without our talented and knowledgeable guides Ali and Ola. They were the best and made the tour fun and exciting.