Celebrate the ‘aloha administration’ at Tiki Oasis in San Diego
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On Friday I’m headed down to San Diego for Tiki Oasis 9, which bills itself as ‘the largest and longest running tiki event on planet Earth’ to follow up on my article last fall about the resurging interest in Polynesian pop culture.
Since then, our first Hawaiian-born (yes, Lou Dobbs, really) president has hosted a White House luau, a new Tiki bar has opened off the Strip in Las Vegas, a new Trader Vic’s has opened in the downtown LA Live complex, and spirit makers have hopped on the Tiki train as it gathers steam, launching new offerings like Skyy Infusions Pineapple Vodka and Seven Tiki Rum.
And, on the way back from the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing a few weeks back, I was surprised to find that an honest-to-goodness Don the Beachcomber restaurant had sprouted along Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach where Seafood Sam’s (then Kona) used to be.
If you’re a Tiki fan, you might want to make the trek to the Oasis. Although many of the symposiums and events are sold out, there will be a limited number of $40 tickets available for both the Friday and Saturday night festivities.
It’ll be interesting to see how the somewhat insular subculture feels about all the attention resulting from the ‘aloha administration.’
Personally I can’t wait for Friday night’s ‘Tiki Fashion Show’ -- and a chance to check out Shag’s new limited-edition Toes on the Nose aloha shirt.
For a full schedule of events, symposiums and vendors (oh, there will be vendors -- including the non-Tiki, but totally retro Fez-o-rama), surf on over to Tikioasis.com.
-- Adam Tschorn
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