Aloha Oe to Ft Lauderdale's Hukilau

Odds are if you happened upon this post because you're contemplating attending this year's Hukilau then you already know that this year will be the last of these brilliant events. Here's more about the news from a recent email from Tiki Kiliki, the event's co-creator, co-founder, producer and organizer:

As we go into this 7th year I see how we’ve grown as an event, I see familiar faces and so many new ones each year. I’ve seen your children grow and some of you get married or engaged while at the event. I’ve met some of the most incredible people from all over the world – it’s become a personal journey, one I will never forget ... I encourage all of you to try to make this last year, as I promise to make every effort to bring you the last and the very best yet. There will be additional performances, seminars and surprises announced within the next week to accent our already stellar lineup. You will also see schedule changes so keep a good watch for those so that you can plan your vacation accordingly. It has been my extreme pleasure bringing Hukilau to you year after year, this has been an extremely difficult decision to say the least. I’m so looking forward to seeing all of you in June as we celebrate one last time together!

Sounds like a lot of fun. Now I'm doubly bummed I can't make it. Click here to visit the Hukilau's website.

Hukilau 2008, Ft Lauderdale, June 12-15

The Hukilau 2008 dates and events have been announced. Check it! I had all sorts of fun at last year's event, which provided all sorts of Tiki Chris blog fodder.

I ♥ T-Shirts: Hukilau 2007

Comfortable, practical, and these days the only accessory you need to make a statement, it's hard to imagine a world without the ubiquitous T-shirt. I ♥ T-Shirts takes a subjective approach to this modern fashion phenomenon with each post dealing with a favorite shirt. In this post, I take a look back a fun Tee I picked up at this year's Hukilau in Ft Lauderdale.

Shirt: Hukilau 2007
Designer: Kevin Kidney
Price: $20
Purchased: June 2007 at the Hukilau in Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Status: Still has that "new car" smell

Back in June, I had the good fortune of attending the 2007 Hukilau, "a celebration of midcentury Polynesian Pop splendor at the historic Mai-Kai in Ft Lauderdale, Florida" (click here for more Hukilau posts). Needless to say I had a fantastic time. While there, I also did a little shopping, picking up an official Hukilau T-shirt along with the rest of my plunder.

According to its accompanying tag, this "vintage soft" brown shirt made by Alternative Apparel, is "printed with water based inks to become more uniquely yours after each wash." It features Hukilau logo artist Kevin Kidney's phenomenal artwork. Kidney is perhaps best known for his work with Jody Daily designing more than 200 items to mark the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland. Kidney's Hukilau design is especially neato with its contemporary yet "could have been made decades ago" feel.


The 2007 Hukilau T-shirt is a cool little souvenir that quickly became a prominent standby when I needed something comfortable to wear these past few months, adding some much needed Florida sunshine to a more dreary than usual English summer.

Once home in London, I found that when I wore my Hukilau T-shirt I possessed super Tiki powers! Photography by Emiana © 2007

Interested in contributing a review of a favourite T-shirt or perhaps sending along a sample T to be reviewed? Click here to access my email address. Then, send an email with a brief description of your idea/product along with any relevant online links.

I ♥ T-Shirts is sponsored by Chongolio's Lost-Isle.

New Music Showcase: The Intoxicators!

One of the many highlights of attending this year's Hukilau was getting to catch a few performances by Tallahasee surf band, the Intoxicators! Here's a review of their 13-track CD, Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Journey to the Center of the Earth is a good mix of well executed surf tunes - classic and new, live and studio recorded. Almost as fun as listening to the CD is imaging the improbable images that the songs' titles suggest: "Prostitutes in a Clown Car," "The Claw End of the Hammer of the Gods," and "Tijuana Catfight" are a few examples.

My favorite song on Journey is the slowed down, atmospheric "Phantom Mustang" which would be the perfect song for any teenage male finding himself in the following situation: in the backseat of his daddy's '57 Chevy, necking with the girl of his dreams who has bubblegum breath and wears a fuzzy pink sweater and a skirt with a poodle on it. Yeah, the song's that good.

Of course, even better than listening to the CD is watching these boys live. They're tight.

Photography by Tiki Chris © 2007

Click here to visit the Intoxicators! website.

Click here to listen to the Intoxicators! on MySpace.

Hukilau 2007 Photos

Here are some of my photos from Hukilau 2007. Good times! Among the many highlights was finally making it to the Mai-Kai. Wow - worth the trip alone! I hope to make it back in years to come and to bring a few more folks with me.

General Hukilau photos:

Mai-Kai photos:

Jetsetter Lounge photos:

Make sure to check out the Summer 2007 issue of Tiki Magazine for more photos as well as my review of this year's Hukilau.

A Very Tiki June with Virani

I had the distinct privilege of experiencing this year's London Luau and Hukilau with my good friend (and roommate for much of June) Virani le Beachcomber. Now that the Tiki festivities are over, it seems Virani's a little more quick on the draw to share his photos from the events. So, until I can get around to posting my own pics and recollections, here are the links to Virani's:

Photos [from Hukilau]
Virani
Virani le Beachcomber
Monday, June 18, 2007

Click here for more of Virani's photos from this year's Hukilau.

London Luau 007
Virani
Virani le Beachcomber
Monday, June 11, 2007

Click here for more of Virani's photos from this year's London Luau.

HUKILAU! June 14-17 in Ft Lauderdale, Florida

Yep, I'm going to a Huki-huki-huki-huki-hukilau!


Should be a lot of trouble ... er, I mean fun, especially since I'll be sharing a room with this mad Frenchman: