2023 Friday Seminars
Join us as we celebrate Tiki and Mid-Century style in a variety of educational seminars.
If a seminar is noted as 21+, that means no babes in arms or strollers allowed.
Underwater Photography
MeduSirena the Fire Eating Mermaid is a renowned photographer known for her ability to make anyone look great underwater! In this TWO PART session, you learn as a group how to relax and pose underwater. Wear something comfortable to move around in underwater! Session TWO will be scheduled with your individually between 8:30-11am on Saturday where each person will be photographed individually! The session includes one edited photo in one outfit. There will also be an option to purchase additional photos.
Swim shows, fire-eating, dancing on broken plates, and laying on a bed of nails are MeduSirena’s forté. Her career began at the Hawaiian Inn Daytona Beach and The Mai-Kai, and her work has led to worldwide recognition; she was one of the last models photographed by Bunny Yeager. MeduSirena performs in the underwater swim show at the legendary Wreck Bar at B Ocean Resort Fort in Fort Lauderdale.
Location: Regency Pool
Cost: $55
Beach Bohemians of the 20th Century - The History of Beachcomber Style
The success of Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood made the Beachcomber bar concept famous and inspired countless “Beachcomber” businesses across America and the world. Beginning with the historic characters that created the myth of the Beachcomber, Sven Kirsten will reveal a plethora of unpublished Polynesian Pop eye candy and explain some of the intricacies of the style.
It was his love for visuals that inspired Sven to collect and photograph the remnants of the forgotten culture of Polynesian Pop in America, leading him to identify the Tiki as its icon. As a hunter and gatherer of lost artifacts and ephemera of this phenomenon, he began to see the pattern of a unique art form, publishing his findings in The Book of Tiki in September 2000. For the first time, the book presented all the aspects of Tiki-style; its design, graphics, architecture, social culture, and cocktail mixology. In 2007, Sven published his second book, Tiki Modern, then Tiki Pop in 2014, and The Art of Tiki in 2017. He continues to seek out, promote, and preserve all things Polynesian Pop!
Location: Town & Country Ballroom B
Cost: $25
Tropical Hair Floral Design
Renaissance woman Atalanta teaches you the tricks of the trade from her vast florist knowledge. In this hands-on class, you will learn how to design a gorgeous tropical floral arrangement that you can WEAR in your hair and then take it home with you!
Atalanta is a flower girl. She is always surrounded by flowers, even when sipping a zombie in The Sip Ship, her home tiki bar. Atalanta has been a professional florist since she was 15; tropical flowers are her favorite. In addition to her passion for flowers, she loves driving her 1965 Chevy Corvair and remodeling vintage RVs.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom C
Cost: $45
Singalong with King Kukulele
Warm-up those pipes and join us for a sing-a-long with our very own Mayor of Kaunakakai, the one and only King Kukulele. You’ll not only learn how to pronounce humuhumunukunukuapua’a, but sing it too! All ages and singing (dis)abilities are welcome and encouraged!
King Kukulele is a multi-talented entertainer and long-time M.C. for Tiki Oasis. He is a comedian, actor, and ukulele player who has performed around the world. Kukulele is known for his inexhaustible energy and for singing hapa haole and novelty songs at events ranging from Hollywood movie premieres to Disneyland.
Location: Palm Room 3
Cost: FREE
Pearl of Wisdom: The Iconic Art of August Holland
Eric Lussier brings to life the artist August Holland, creator of the most collectible trio of Mid-Century Tiki still life paintings ever! At age 15, Holland submitted art to Popular Science Magazine, which printed it without credit. After attending the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Holland eventually found recognition in the Windy City. Goes Lithography was his first publisher, printing his most famous work. This seminar will also focus on how Goes Lithography just recently found the original, long lost printing plates!
Eric Lussier is a mid-century modern man, art and vintage collector, and artist. He studied sculpture and mixed media works. Lussier majored in art in school, emphasizing sculpture and mixed media works, and went on to have showings at the Scottsdale Shemer Art Center and the Arizona State Capitol. He was offered a full apprenticeship with famed bronze artist John Waddell upon graduation. Eric has spent the last 30 years working in the vintage vehicle restoration business, and buying and selling vintage.
Location: Ballroom E
Cost: $20
The Legend Returns: Don the Beachcomber
The Legend Returns! Don the Beachcomber was one of the world’s first tiki bars, created in the early 1930’s by Donn Beach, with original locations all across the United States. Don the Beachcomber returns in 2023 with multiple new locations, guided by visionaries of the restaurant and tiki worlds! Hosted by Adrian Eustaquio, join Tim “Swanky” Glazner – author of the upcoming Donn Beach biography, Max Well – Co-Director of the Donn of Tiki documentary, along with Daniel “Tiki Diablo” Gallardo, Marie King, Justin Peterson, Sven Kirsten, and Marc Brown from Don the Beachcomber for a panel full of news, sneak peaks of upcoming DTB locations, surprises (and more!) all while sipping on classic Donn Beach cocktails! Q&A session to follow the panel’s presentations.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom B
Cost: $35
Tropical Tasting A: Drink Well. Do Good.
Love tropical cocktails and planet Earth? You’re in luck – Tiki Oasis has handpicked the tastiest sustainable spirits, rum, and beyond. You’ll leave this sit-down event with your own tasting glass, your new favorite eco-friendly tipples, and a reusable glass straw courtesy of Surfside Sips.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom A
Cost: $35
Craft Your Own Bitters Workshop
Tiki Lindy, the award-winning mixologist, teaches you about bitters and how to make them. In this hands-on seminar, craft your own bitters to take home with you! Three cocktails with custom bitters recipes will be served during the seminar, so you can see how to use your bitters at home! Packed full of fun and funny history and science, plus all the supplies and ingredients to make your own custom blend! What will you call your bitters?
Tiki Lindy started her career in the cocktail industry nearly two decades ago. She specializes as a private events bartender and consultant for tiki bars and event cocktail menus and regularly represents spirits brands for industry-sponsored events. Tiki Lindy is a recurring contributor to Exotica Moderne magazine, a spirits and cocktail technique educator, and an author of three books; a fourth book is in the works.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom C
Cost: $60
CA's Forgotten Bars & Restaurants
Quinn brings to life his new book ‘Bar Keeps: A Collection of California’s Best Cocktail Napkins’ in this fun and fabulous tour through the cocktail napkins of the golden state. This seminar will surprise and delight anyone who is a fan of cocktail culture, roadside diners, hidden dives, Tiki bars, and more.
Longtime Angeleno, Patrick Quinn, is a writer, visual artist, and Universal Studios production designer for their annual Halloween Horror Nights event. He and his wife spend their weekends at flea markets and antique malls hunting for lounge music LPs, 1970s snapshots, Western Union telegrams, early travel guides, and vintage cocktail napkins.
Location: Ballroom E
Cost: $20
Ukulele Strum and Sing
Learn to play the ukulele in one day! Join Steve Conrad and Juliet Frew for a strum and sing session where you will learn chords, strums, and fingerpicking styles for simple songs. No experience is necessary, but please bring a ukulele!
Several years ago, Steve Conrad and Juliet Frew met at Tiki Oasis Arizona and have been teaching and performing ukulele together ever since. They enjoy sharing their love for the ukulele, creating fun and easy-to-follow classes for their students.
Location: Palm Room 3
Cost: FREE
The Derby Daiquiri and Beyond: How to Create Your Own Classic
The Mai-Kai’s Derby Daiquiri was one of the most celebrated cocktails of the mid-century, a simple riff on the Cuban classic by master mixologist Mariano Licudine. Six decades later, it remains one of the most popular drinks on the historic restaurant’s menu. It also provides a case study on how a vintage recipe can be enhanced by just a few simple tweaks, creating something new and exciting. Join The Mai-Kai’s longtime manager, Kern Mattei, and cocktail blogger Jim “Hurricane” Hayward for an examination of Licudine’s genius as they guide you toward creating your own signature classic.
Kern Mattei was born into The Mai-Kai family and has worked there since his youth, from barback and bartender to the past three decades as manager. His father was the GM before him, and his mother performed in the stage show. His unique position makes him intimately familiar with the restaurant’s famous cocktails, their history and the secret recipes. During the current refurbishment, he runs the takeout cocktail program, providing quarts and gallons of classics like the Barrel O’ Rum and Black Magic to thirsty locals. Blogger and journalist Jim “Hurricane” Hayward has covered The Mai-Kai for more than a decade, documenting and recreating the cocktail recipes in exacting detail in his blog The Atomic Grog.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom B
Cost: $45
The Marriage of Tiki and Surfing; Unlocking the courtship through sport, music and media
From palm frond shacks at Malibu, Windansea and San Onofre to the hallowed halls of the Hollister mall empire, Tiki Style has long permeated the Surfing consciousness worldwide. Symbiotically, surfer style has blended seamlessly into the Tiki world from Denmark to Des Moines. How did this “Marriage” evolve? beginning with the days of Duke Kahanamoku, Bo examines the connections how one of the coolest sports ever came to get “tikified” in the hippest, most happening way.
Bo Bennett is a social worker, surfer, radio personality, model, and former Waikiki Beach lifeguard. He has a B.A. in Television & Film, a master’s degree in Social Work, and is an avid collector of surf music, aloha shirts, and surf memorabilia. Bo has lived in Los Angeles and Hawaii and, for the last 30 years, has resided in La Mesa, California.
Location: Ballroom E
Cost: $20
Tropical Tasting B: Drink Well. Do Good.
Love tropical cocktails and planet Earth? You’re in luck – Tiki Oasis has handpicked the tastiest sustainable spirits, rum, and beyond. You’ll leave this sit-down event with your own tasting glass, your new favorite eco-friendly tipples, and a reusable glass straw courtesy of Surfside Sips.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom A
Cost: $35
Hawaiian Rum: from Ko to Cocktail
All rum must be made from sugarcane (ko), and Hawaii has some of the most interesting sugarcane on the planet. Steve Jefferson will discuss how sugarcane started on Earth, how it was intentionally spread worldwide, and how it culminated in Hawaii. The discussion will also include how different types of rum are made, including fermentation and distillation. Learn about blending rum and how vital this has been to the history and success of rum.
Steve Jefferson, a third-generation kamaʻāina, is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Kuleana Rum Works, the first rum distillery in Hawaii. He launched a sugarcane farm, a distillery and barrel room, and a 3,000-square-foot bar and restaurant. Kuleana Rum Works distributes four core rums across eight states. Steve lives in Kohala, Hawaii, and enjoys the ocean, racing, and spending time with his family.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom C
Cost: $50
