Toa Luau — Attraction in Oʻahu

Aloha Fam from cold Colorado!

On the evening of Friday March 14, 2025 my family of 8 had the absolute honor of attending the Toa Luau in Waimea Valley. We sat in the VIP section (it is totally worth paying for). My mom was even named Chief! This was one of the most amazing experiences that we have ever had, and will definitely be making a point to go back to Oahu just for this Luau.

Prior to the start of the main event, the guests have the chance to partake in various food making processes, learn a traditional dance (which was both funny and a highlight), and a demonstration of tree climbers literally running up and down the tree (I know they weren’t running, but it sure felt like it!) and more!

While the food is not the “traditional cooked underground” that many might expect (this is impossible - this is still the US; the FDA is in charge), the food is absolutely incredible. The pork is perfectly seasoned and moist, the rice is perfectly sticky and flavorful. The salads have a unique flavor that I wish I could recreate. The cake was delectable, and that is coming from a group who usually despises coconut.

While the events and food were worth going alone, it was the show that stole the evening. First, I must say, I have never seen so many absolutely gorgeously beautiful and talented people in one place in my life. Not only this, but the pure joy that radiated from each performer spread across the entire audience and made the experience that much more special. Second, the dancing, the drumming, the stand-up! What words can describe it better than WOW, INCREDIBLE, OUTSTANDING. When Hawaiians dance, it is to tell a story, and oh boy the stories they told. It felt like stories of hope and kindness, stories of rage and war, and stories of family and love. I felt each one to my core. I felt like an intruder watching something that I should not have been allowed to see, an ancient ritual that I must have permission for. Third, the fire dancer was so freaking cool! I have seen fire dancers in my time, but never anything like this. I don’t want to go into much detail, but he is one of the most talented people I have ever seen play with, hold, and eat (yes eat, I wonder, does he have taste buds?)!

This Luau will always hold a special place in all of our hearts. My daughter fell in love with every man on stage (don’t worry ladies, she's only 14), this has made my sons want to learn more about the Hawaiian culture, and it has made my husband and I start considering what it would take to move to Oahu to enjoy the Aloha life that was so abundant at this Luau.

To everyone who made the Luau possible - the chefs, bartenders, servers, performers, drummers, lighting and music, stage set up, and anyone else I may have missed: Mahalo from the Hart family. We are so honored to have been in your presence, and we thank you again from the bottom of our hearts, for allowing us to join your family at such a special event. Mahalo and Aloha!

I should add that I have another review for Waimea Valley, but that is a whole other beast...

TL;DR: If you are looking for the best luau experience in Oahu, Toa luau is the one you should book! With friendly staff and delicious food, it's worth the trip to the North Shore!

First, you must head to Waimea Valley before your luau experience: the grounds were spectacular, all of the plants were so beautiful. I really liked the hibiscus section with all the different colourful varieties! We even got a nice pin by doing their quest to learn about Hawaiian history in the valley! Allow yourself 2-3 hours at least to see everything!

The highlight has to be the 30 foot deep, rain fed fresh water waterfall! They provide you life jackets (free) and had extremely helpful lifeguards on site to assist you! It was magical to have the opportunity to swim in such a lush environment!

Now onto the luau:

First, we got a beautiful fresh flower lei and a drink that was included with the package. The Lillikoi Valley nectar drink was especially good! The butterfly pea tea made it look extra beautiful!

Then, we were seated and headed out to the lawn to engage in some activities like coconut opening and crown leaf weaving. There was also a live cooking demonstration, Hulu dancing demonstration and a coconut tree climbing demonstration!

We headed back to our seats and the welcome opening ceremony begun. The Silver Seating still allowed for a good view of the stage! Shortly after we were served the food. Everything included was delicious and well seasoned, my favorites were the Kalua pork and the shoyu grilled chicken! I liked that they served you the food directly to your table and that they came around several times asking if you wanted anything extra. I got seconds of the pork and chicken and somehow they were even better than the first round of food!

The fruits served with dessert were incredible ripe and sweet, the papaya melted in my mouth! The pineapple was so sweet it was almost like candy!

The haupia had a great firm pudding texture and lovely coconut flavour!

The coconut cake was light and fluffy, the frosting wasn't too sweet!

The Polynesian show was quite the spectacle, including several dances featuring all of the Polynesian islands, history and fire dancing!

The MC was funny and knowledgeable! But the sound system inside the pavilion, was not clear so we couldn't make out everything he was saying, which is a shame because you could tell he was trying to be very engaging!

All the staff were incredibly kind, they go out of their way to treat you like family. They put on a great show, with lots of interactive opportunities to keep your interest so you're never bored! You can really see how much effort they put into the dancing and authenticity to show you their vibrant culture!

This is the only afternoon seating luau from the research I did, so it allows safe/early driving back to your accomodation, which is a huge plus!

Please come to Toa Luau, you won't be...

We knew we wanted to do a luau on our trip to Oahu, and did a lot of research trying to find the best one available. We landed on Tua Loa, with a promise of authentic luau and a great experience. As it turns out, we’re staying at Aulani Resort and they offer a luau as well, for about the same price. We didn’t do this one, but our room overlooked the luau space so we got to watch the show and compare the experiences. When you buy the luau package at Tua Loa, you also get admission to Waimea Valley which includes a botanical garden and a water fall that you can swim up to.This does increase the value proposition for the cost, and the Valley is across the street from Waimea Bay Beach which is a beautiful location. We very much enjoyed the Valley and waterfall, which is an easy 20 minute walk from the front. The luau starts with patrons getting a nice lei and being assigned to a table based on the package tier that was purchased. The venue is completely covered, with open sides, so rain is not a concern. There is a smallish stage where most of the show takes place, and generally all the seats have a good view. After seat assignment and a visit to the bar, we were brought outside to a courtyard where they had several interactive demonstrations including spinning the firestick (unlit), peeling coconuts, harvesting coconut meat and milk, and hula dancing. These were fun diversions and gave people the opportunity to meet the cast before the show. There was also an outdoor cooking exhibition which was interesting. The meal portion was next, with the food being brought to the table rather than a buffet. The menu consisted of grilled chicken with a teriyaki style glaze, pulled pork, green salad, mac salad, rice, roll, and a fruit plate. The food was good if not overly outstanding, and the staff came by frequently asking if anyone needed refills. Dessert was a coconut cake that was good. For the show, they put on a series of dances, instrumentals, narrations, and finished with a fire twirling finale. The performances were good, though the production values were very basic (which in honesty is more traditional). We enjoyed the show even if some of the content was not overly compelling. Comparing this show to the Aulani one, obviously the Disney show had much higher production values with lights and animations that accompanied the performers. It was what you would expect from a Disney show, and seemed enjoyable. Tua Loa was produced by locals and you can tell they take great pride in what they do, even if they can’t compete with the glitz of some other shows. All in all, we had a good time. These are not cheap tickets by any means, but with the addition of the Valley and waterfall, we felt we got a good value...