Almost every first-time visitor wants to do one luau, and almost every one of them asks the same question: which one? Maui has eight or nine, they cost roughly the same, and the websites all show the same torches and the same sunset. The differences are real, though. Some are about the food, some are about the show, some are about who is sitting next to you, and one is about whether you want the real thing or the fun version.
This guide walks through the main luaus, says plainly what sets each apart, and covers the one thing that catches people out: they sell out weeks ahead. We do not sell luau tickets and have no partnership with any of these venues, so what follows is just our read as people who live here and have sat through most of them more than once.
First, what a luau actually is
A luau is a feast. The traditional center of it is kalua pig, a whole pig wrapped in ti leaves and cooked all day in an imu, an underground oven of hot stones. Around that come poi (pounded taro), lomi lomi salmon, poke, laulau, haupia (coconut pudding) and more. The commercial luaus add a show: hula, chant, drumming and, in most cases, Samoan fire knife dancing.
The split that matters is between luaus that present Hawaiian culture specifically and luaus that present a Polynesian revue, with dances from Tahiti, Samoa, New Zealand and Hawaii in one show. Neither is wrong. The Hawaiian-focused ones feel more like a cultural evening. The Polynesian revues are bigger, louder and more theatrical, and they are the ones with fire.
What to expect at any of them
Check-in is between 4:30 and 5:30 pm depending on the season, with a lei greeting and a welcome drink. You get an hour or so to wander, watch the imu ceremony where the pig comes out of the ground, try a few crafts and drink mai tais. Dinner is served around sunset, as a buffet at most venues and plated at a couple. The show runs about an hour after dinner. You are done between 8 and 8:30.
Prices run roughly $150 to $250 per adult for standard seating, with premium front-row packages higher, and children’s tickets about half. Alcohol is usually included for adults. Parking is usually free at the resort venues and tight at the standalone ones. Most run several nights a week rather than every night, and schedules shift by season.
Dress is resort casual. Bring a light layer, because the trade wind at 7:30 pm on an oceanfront lawn is cooler than it sounds.
The luaus, one by one
Venues, nights and prices change, especially in West Maui since the 2023 fire, so confirm the current details on each luau’s own site before you book.
Old Lahaina Luau
The one every guidebook names, and for good reason. Old Lahaina Luau is Hawaiian, not Polynesian. There is no fire knife dance and no Tahitian drumming, and the show walks through the history of hula from the ancient kahiko style through the missionary era to modern auana. The storytelling is thoughtful and the dancers are excellent.
The setting is oceanfront in Lahaina, with seating on traditional mats at low tables or at standard tables, and the food is the best buffet of the group. It is also the hardest ticket on the island. In winter and summer it sells out a month or more ahead, and the mat seating goes first.
Who it suits: anyone who wants the cultural version, foodies, and repeat visitors who have seen a fire show and want something with more depth. Who should look elsewhere: kids who want fire and spectacle, and anyone booking last minute.
Feast at Lele
Run by the same company as Old Lahaina Luau, and the opposite approach. Feast at Lele is a plated, five-course dinner on the beach in Lahaina, with each course paired to a different Polynesian island and the dance from that island performed between courses. Hawaii, Tonga, Tahiti, Samoa, Aotearoa. You sit at your own table, the food comes to you, and the show is right in front of your seat.
It is the most romantic luau on the island and the most expensive. It is also small, so it sells out as fast as its sibling.
Who it suits: couples, honeymooners, anniversaries, and anyone who dislikes buffets. Who should look elsewhere: families with small children, who will struggle with a long seated dinner.
Drums of the Pacific
The Hyatt Regency Maui’s luau in Kaanapali, and the one most Kaanapali guests end up at because it is a five-minute walk from their room. It is a classic Polynesian revue with a large cast, Tahitian drumming, hula and a big fire knife finale, staged on an oceanfront lawn at the south end of the resort. The buffet is solid, the bar is open, and the show is produced to a high polish.
It is a big luau, with several hundred guests on a busy night, so it feels like an event rather than a gathering.
Who it suits: families, groups, and anyone staying in Kaanapali who wants the fire and the spectacle without a drive. Who should look elsewhere: anyone who wants an intimate evening or a Hawaiian-only program.
Myths of Maui
At the Royal Lahaina Resort at the north end of Kaanapali Beach. Myths of Maui is a mid-sized Polynesian show with fire, hula and a storyline built around Maui legends. The setting is a lawn above the beach, and the resort is older and less glossy than its neighbors, which keeps the price a little lower. It has long been the value pick in Kaanapali.
Who it suits: families on a budget, and anyone who wants the full Polynesian revue at a lower ticket. Who should look elsewhere: anyone for whom the setting matters as much as the show.
Wailele Polynesian Luau
The Westin Maui’s luau in the middle of Kaanapali, on an oceanfront lawn with the beach walk running past. It is a Polynesian show in the same vein as Drums of the Pacific, somewhat smaller, with a buffet and a fire finale, and it is a good fallback when the Hyatt is sold out.
Who it suits: Westin and Whalers Village-area guests, and families. Who should look elsewhere: anyone looking for the cultural depth of Old Lahaina.
Maui Nui Luau
At the Sheraton Maui at Black Rock, the famous cliff at the north end of Kaanapali Beach. The setting is the draw: the lawn sits right below Black Rock, and the show opens with the resort’s nightly torch-lighting and cliff dive, where a diver lights the torches along the rock and leaps into the ocean at sunset. The show is Polynesian with fire. The food is a standard resort buffet.
Who it suits: anyone who wants the best sunset setting in Kaanapali and the cliff dive as an opener. Who should look elsewhere: anyone prioritizing food.
The Grand Wailea luau
The Grand Wailea’s luau is the big one on the south side, staged on a lawn above Wailea Beach with the sunset over Molokini and Kahoolawe. It is a Polynesian production on a large scale, with a big cast, fire, a well-run buffet and the polish you would expect from the resort. It is a long walk from the parking structure, and it is one of the pricier resort luaus.
Who it suits: Wailea guests, families, and anyone who wants the spectacle version with the best south-side view. Who should look elsewhere: budget travelers and anyone looking for the Hawaiian-only program.
Te Au Moana
At the Wailea Beach Resort, next door to the Grand Wailea, on a lawn right above the ocean. Te Au Moana is a Polynesian revue with a strong hula component, a fire finale and a buffet. It is a little smaller and a little less expensive than the Grand Wailea’s, with the same sunset.
Who it suits: Wailea guests who want a slightly more intimate version. Who should look elsewhere: same as above.
Feast at Mokapu
The Andaz Maui’s luau in Wailea, and the south side’s answer to Feast at Lele. It is plated rather than buffet, with a chef-driven menu, a smaller crowd and a show that leans Hawaiian with a modern staging. It is also one of the most expensive luaus on the island.
Who it suits: couples, food-focused travelers, Andaz guests. Who should look elsewhere: families and anyone who wants a big show.
How to choose
- The cultural one: Old Lahaina Luau.
- The romantic one: Feast at Lele, or Feast at Mokapu on the south side.
- The big fire show in Kaanapali: Drums of the Pacific, with Wailele and Maui Nui as fallbacks.
- The value pick: Myths of Maui.
- The big show in Wailea: the Grand Wailea luau, with Te Au Moana as the fallback.
- The best setting: Maui Nui at Black Rock, or any of the Wailea three.
- With small kids: any of the resort Polynesian shows. The fire holds attention and the buffets have plain food.
Book early, and here is how early
This is the part that surprises people. Luaus are among the first things to sell out on a Maui trip, ahead of most boats. Old Lahaina Luau and Feast at Lele regularly sell out four to eight weeks ahead in February, March, June, July and the Christmas stretch. The resort luaus sell out one to three weeks ahead in the same months. In September, October and early November you can often book a few days out.
Book directly on each venue’s own website. The dates and prices there are the real ones, and most venues release cancellations back to their own calendar first.
If you are reading this a week before your trip and everything is sold out, check for cancellations each morning, ask your hotel concierge, who sometimes holds a few seats, and consider the alternative below.
The alternative: a sunset on the water
If a luau is sold out, or if you have done one before and want something different, a sunset cruise gives you the same ingredients in a different order: the sunset, a drink in your hand, live music, and dinner. It leaves from the sand in front of the Kaanapali resorts, and it rarely sells out as far ahead.
The sunset dinner cruise runs about two and a half hours on a 65-foot catamaran that boards off Kaanapali Beach, with a full buffet, an open bar and a champagne toast at sunset. Live music on Wednesday and Saturday. From $147, all ages, whales from mid December to mid April.
The sunset cocktail cruise is the lighter version: two hours, open bar, pupus rather than dinner, live music on Tuesday and Thursday. From $86, all ages. It pairs well with a late dinner in Kaanapali afterward.
Neither is a luau. There is no hula and no imu. But if the question is “what do we do on our one special evening,” they are a good answer, and they are the one we would pick for a second trip.
Making the luau day work
A luau starts around 5 pm, so pair it with a morning activity and keep the afternoon free. From Kaanapali, parasailing or a jet ski ride in the morning, or the whale watching raft in winter, leaves plenty of time for a nap. The afternoon snorkel tour ends at 4 pm, which is tight for a 5 pm check-in but doable if the luau is in Kaanapali. Avoid pairing a Wailea luau with a Molokini raft morning only if you are staying in West Maui, since the drive back and forth eats the day. The ATV tour, the West Maui snorkel sail and the Haleakala bike tour are all finished by early afternoon. Do not put a luau on the same day as the Road to Hana; you will not be back in time.
Luau etiquette, briefly
- Arrive on time. The imu ceremony happens early and it is the most Hawaiian moment of the night.
- Try the poi. It is bland on its own and that is the point. Eat it with the kalua pig and the lomi salmon.
- Put the phone down for the hula. The dancers can see you, and the older kahiko pieces in particular are sacred to the people performing them.
- Tip the parking attendants and the servers. Luau tickets are expensive and the people running them are not paid out of that price.
- Do not wear the lei around your wrist or stuff it in a bag. Wear it, and take it home.
Quick answers
Which luau is best on Maui?
Old Lahaina Luau for culture and food. Drums of the Pacific or the Grand Wailea luau for the big fire show. Feast at Lele for a romantic plated dinner.
How far in advance should I book a luau?
Four to eight weeks for Old Lahaina Luau and Feast at Lele in peak months, one to three weeks for the resort luaus. More is better.
Are luaus worth the money?
Once, yes. The imu ceremony, the hula and a good buffet on an oceanfront lawn at sunset are a real Maui evening. Twice in the same trip, probably not.
Are luaus good for kids?
The resort Polynesian shows are. Fire, drums and a buffet with rice and chicken keep most children happy. The plated dinners are harder with little ones.
Is there a luau in Kihei?
Not a major one. Kihei guests drive 10 minutes to the Wailea resorts.
For the rest of your evenings and days, our best things to do in Maui guide and the 5-day itinerary have the plan, and the island map shows where each resort area sits.
Written by West Maui locals with 25 years in Maui water sports. How we make money.
