A three-hour evening at the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort in Lihue: lei greeting, live pre-show Hawaiian music, a buffet spanning roasted pig to mahi mahi, open bar, and a 70-minute Polynesian production ending in the Samoan fire dance.
A three-hour evening at the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort in Lihue: lei greeting, live pre-show Hawaiian music, a buffet spanning roasted pig to mahi mahi, open bar, and a 70-minute Polynesian production ending in the Samoan fire dance.
QUICK ANSWER
Drums & Dances of Polynesia: A three-hour evening at the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort in Lihue: lei greeting, live pre-show Hawaiian music, a buffet spanning roasted pig to mahi mahi, open bar, and a 70-minute Polynesian production ending in the Samoan fire dance.
Price: $180 adult · $140 junior · $85 child · young children free.
Duration: 3 hours
Island: Kauai
Best for: Adults & children
Booking: instant confirmation.
IS THERE A LUAU IN LIHUE?
Yes. Drums & Dances of Polynesia runs at the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort on Kalapaki Bay in Lihue, minutes from the airport: a 70-minute production with a Samoan fire dance finale, a buffet with whole roasted pig, poke and mahi mahi, and an open bar.
Kalapaki Bay does the staging work before the performers arrive — the crescent beach fronting the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort in Lihue, framed by mountains dropping to the water, is the backdrop for the full three hours of this luau. The evening opens with a fresh lei greeting and a pre-show hour of live Hawaiian music from Keli’i Kaneali’i with hula by Elisha Kaneali’i, while a professional photographer works the crowd — the photography is complimentary.
PRICING
$180 adult · $140 junior · $85 child · young children free. Verified against FareHarbor, August 2026 — confirm current rates at booking.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
– Main luau show with intermission
– Full dinner buffet — salads, entrées, desserts
– Open bar
– Lei greeting on arrival
– Professional guest photography during the pre-show
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
– Held at the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort, 3610 Rice Street, Lihue, HI 96766
– Dress code enforced: resort casual
– Three-hour evening including pre-show
– Adult and child pricing available
– Cancellation: Confirm the operator’s current cancellation window at booking.
WHO IT’S FOR
Adults & children. Dress code is resort casual — no beachwear or sandals — and a light jacket earns its keep once the Kalapaki breeze picks up after dark.
WHAT IS DRUMS AND DANCES OF POLYNESIA?
Drums & Dances of Polynesia is the luau at the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort on Kalapaki Bay in Lihue, and the name describes the show rather than the venue: a 70-minute Polynesian production that moves from Hawaiian hula through Tahitian and Samoan dance, closing with the Samoan fire knife. It runs three hours end to end, and the resort is minutes from Lihue Airport.
WHAT THE EVENING RUNS TO
– A fresh lei greeting on arrival
– A pre-show hour of live Hawaiian music from Keli’i Kaneali’i, with hula by Elisha Kaneali’i
– Complimentary professional photography during the pre-show
– A full buffet: whole roasted pig, poke, mahi mahi, salads, entrees and desserts
– Open bar throughout: beer, wine, mai tais and soft drinks
– The 70-minute show, with an intermission
WHO IT SUITS
Families, because junior ($140) and child ($85) rates apply and young children go free. First-time visitors, because the pre-show hour explains what you are about to watch. And anyone staying near Lihue or flying out the next morning, since Kalapaki Bay is minutes from the airport rather than an hour up the coast.
BROWSE MORE
Browse more Kauai luaus, or see everything we run on Kauai. Planning ahead? Read our guide to our ranking of every major luau in Hawaii. Planning ahead? Read our guide to what is worth booking on Kauai. Choosing a Kauai luau? Read our Kauai luau guide. First luau? Read what actually happens at a Hawaiian luau, hour by hour.
Confirm the operator's current cancellation window at booking.
A buffet spanning whole roasted pig, poi, poke, and lomi lomi salmon, plus mahi mahi with lemongrass-kaffir lime butter, huli huli chicken, kalbi flank steak, honey-glazed Moloka’i sweet potatoes, and desserts including haupia cake and baked breadfruit with coconut syrup. The open bar pours beer, wine, mai tais, and soft drinks all evening.
At the Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort, 3610 Rice Street, Lihue, HI 96766, on Kalapaki Bay and minutes from Lihue Airport. The bay’s ocean-and-mountain panorama sits behind the stage.
Resort casual — no beachwear or sandals. Bring a light jacket; the bay breeze cools quickly after sunset.
The main production runs 70 minutes with an intermission, inside a three-hour evening that includes the lei greeting, live pre-show music and hula, and the buffet dinner.
$180 for adults, $140 for juniors and $85 for children, and young children attend free. The ticket covers the lei greeting, the pre-show music and hula, the buffet, the open bar and the 70-minute show.
Yes. The open bar serves beer, wine, mai tais and soft drinks throughout the evening.
