2023 Saturday 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.
The Secret Life of Vincent Price, Tiki Collector!
You Don’t Know Jack about Vincent Price! Best known for his acting in horror films – Price was also a voracious art collector. Learn about his art collection of Oceanic, African, and ancient South American antiquities. Did you know he founded a museum? No!?! He founded THREE! He was also a gifted chef who published cookbooks and even had multiple cooking shows in the late 1960s to early 70s. You probably know about his Brady Bunch episode (The Tiki Caves 1972) but you won’t believe the story Cammo will reveal of the true curse of the Tiki in Vincent Price’s life!
Cammo is the author of the tiki children’s book, Pineapple Poet and the Curse of the Smoothie Man and produced the first 2D-3D cartoon, Good Trick. His aunt was a missionary in Africa, and he grew up surrounded by her scary imported masks. He carves daily. During the 1960s, he lived three doors down from Vincent Price.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom B
Cost: $20
Dances from the Caribbean Islands - Merengue, Cha Cha, and Salsa.
Steve Conrad and Juliet Frew are back at it this time teaching us the dances from the Caribbean Islands! Learn the steps of the Merengue, Cha Cha, and Salsa.No experience necessary so complete beginners are welcome. No need to come with a partner to participate. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that allow you to move on the dance floor surface.
Steve Conrad has been teaching dance around the world for more than 25 years. He was recently featured on ABC’s “The Bachelorette”, HGTV’s “House Hunters”, and NBC’s “Little Big Shots: Forever Young”, as well as numerous music videos and in USA Today. Juliet Frew has been dancing and teaching for more than 12 years and was featured in the music video for Sia’s “Cheap Thrills”. Together Steve and Juliet teach and dance and love to share these dances with anyone ready to learn!
Location: Pacific Ballroom
Cost: $15
King Kukulele's Uke Jam
Join us for the annual Tiki Oasis Uke Jam! There is no fee to join in, and don’t worry about being experienced in your playing, just bring a ukulele. You never know who will stop by!
King Kukulele is a multi-talented entertainer and long-time emcee 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
Libations from the Island Down Under
Get your booty to the bar and meet Abby, Australia’s burlesque bartender Just Abby. With a focus on Australian spirits and native ingredients, Just Abby showcases what she loves most about Australian bartending with a Tiki tangent. Taste Aussie spirits, discover Australian native ingredients, and hear stories from the country with a ranch bigger than the state of Texas!
Australia’s burlesque bartender, Abby, catapulted to notoriety after winning the national title of Patron Perfectionist Australia in 2018, just eight months after mixing her first drink. Her winning cocktail, The Muldjewangk, combined Australian native ingredients in a new-wave tiki style. Now the national ambassador for Australian craft spirits Nip Of Courage, Abby works to create awareness of local producers with a tropical vibe.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom C
Cost: $55
Paranormal Pacific
Paranormal Pacific will travel throughout Polynesia and the cultures that engage with the Pacific Ocean, to tell their stories of ghosts, sea monsters, midnight warriors, and all the other entities that go bump in the night. Come learn about the fascinating myths and legends of the Pacific Islands and why Pele does not want you to steal a rock from her islands.
Deb Marley hosts Marley’s Ghosts, a storytelling podcast of vintage spooky tales. She is a classically trained actress and an expert in myths and legends. She loves taking her audiences on humorous, enchanting, frightening journeys. Listening to her is like listening to your favorite aunt tell family stories — if your favorite aunt were Morticia Addams or Lily Munster!
Location: Ballroom E
Cost: $20
Tropical Tasting #3
The Thursday and Saturday Tropical Tasting sessions will be different! Interact with makers representing new products and some of our old favorites. During this sit-down event, Tiki Oasis has curated a unique collection of rum and other spirit brands that go well in tropical cocktails!
Location: Town & Country Ballroom A
Cost: $35
Under The Sea with Disney
Robert Short will take you behind the scenes to look at the making of two of Disney’s underwater classic films, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and SPLASH. The seminar will take an entertaining deep dive into both of these ground-, or water-breaking films and the connections between the two. Be sure to pick up your raffle ticket at the door for the giveaway following the presentation.
Robert Short is a visual effects and makeup effects expert. His four decades of outstanding technical and artistic achievement have enlivened many of cinema’s most indelible characters, such as the Beetlejuice afterlife inhabitants (for which he won an Oscar), the mermaid from Splash, the dolphin from Ace Ventura, E.T.’s heart light, and the legendary design of The Predator.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom B
Cost: $25
The History of Rum with Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell
Nobody knows rum like Ian Burrell. Difford’s Guide describes Ian as “one of the most unique figures in the spirits and cocktails world…and the most entertaining guy you’ll ever meet.” The Global Rum Ambassador will take you on a tropical journey as he tells the story of rum through the eyes of a few cocktails.
The award-winning “EduTainer”, Ian Burrell, has redefined the definition of an international spirits ambassador and established himself as the world’s only recognized Global Ambassador for the rum category. He has judged competitions and conducted masterclasses and seminars on seven continents. In 2007, he created the world’s first international rum festival, The UK RumFest, which has influenced all other rum festivals worldwide.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom C
Cost: $60
Tiki History Reimagined: The Restoration and Reopening of The Mai-Kai
The Mai-Kai is a miraculous survivor. The South Florida historic landmark endured a near-catastrophic roof collapse in late 2020 but found new owners with deep pockets and an ambitious vision to preserve it for generations to come. When the restoration of the 66-year-old Polynesian palace is complete, it will be meticulously returned to its former glory and also include millions of dollars in enhancements that respect the past and charge boldly into the future. In this multimedia presentation, embedded journalist Jim “Hurricane” Hayward of The Atomic Grog blog will take you behind the scenes at The Mai-Kai. He’ll be joined by two key members of The Mai-Kai team: Creative director “Typhoon Tommy” Allsmiller will offer unique insights into the painstaking restoration efforts, while longtime manager Kern Mattei will provide up-to-the-minute news on the renovation project, along with his unique perspective on Mai-Kai history.
Jim “Hurricane” Hayward is a veteran journalist and blogger, best known for The Atomic Grog blog – covering Tiki events, music, art cocktails and culture since 2011. Along with its popular Mai-Kai cocktail guide, the blog has become the go-to source of information on the landmark restaurant’s closing, sale, restoration, and reopening. Typhoon Tommy is a multiple Thea Award-winning scenic artist with 13 years of experience in the theme park industry. After turning his talents full-time to creating magical escapes in the world of Tiki, he became creative director and designer for The Mai-Kai renovation project in 2022. Kern Mattei grew up at the historic restaurant during its heyday and now leads the efforts to modernize the infrastructure while maintaining as much of its original beauty as possible. He has been general manager since 1993, following in the footsteps of his father, Kern Mattei Sr. (1964-1991).
Location: Ballroom E
Cost: $20
Tiki Oasis Bookclub
Ahoy! In honor of this year’s Tiki Oasis theme The Enchanted Sea, The Tiki Oasis Book Club will be reading the ultimate under the sea adventure, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne! How many of you are nostalgic for the Nautilis rides at Disneyland and Disney World? Or remember the classic Disney movie starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason… and a giant squid? It’s time to read the book that inspired them all — Walt Disney’s favorite. Everyone is invited to join this discussion on the mysterious Captain Nemo, savage sea monsters, narwhals and Nautili, and have ourselves a landlubbing literary adventure!
Karen Finlay lives in Vallejo (AKA Vallejoasis), CA, with her husband, Jon Burchard, and two tiny dogs, Dorothy Parker and Dino Martina. She owns a small independent bookstore, Alibi Bookshop. Books, Tiki Oasis, and the Tiki Oasis Book Club are her favorite things.
Location: Palm Room 3
Cost: FREE
Tropical Tasting #4
The Thursday and Saturday Tropical Tasting sessions will be different! Interact with makers representing new products and some of our old favorites. During this sit-down event, Tiki Oasis has curated a unique collection of rum and other spirit brands that go well in tropical cocktails!
Location: Town & Country Ballroom A
Cost: $35
Thrillas from Manila: Famous Filipino Tiki Barmen
Enjoying that Jet Pilot, Saturn, Puka Punch, or Black Magic? Thank the Filipino bartenders who created those drinks and many other Tiki classics. While a select few of these first-generation immigrants gained fame back in the day, most toiled anonymously behind the scenes, their talents exploited by penny-pinching restaurateurs and unrecognized by Tiki-crazed consumers. But now Beachbum Berry reveals the untold stories of these unsung heroes. Cocktails will be served. Mabuhay!
One of Imbibe magazine’s “25 Most Influential Cocktail Personalities of the Past Century,” Jeff “Beachbum” Berry is the author of seven award-winning books on tiki drinks and the owner of Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 in New Orleans, named by Esquire as one of the world’s best bars. He has been profiled in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Times.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom C
Cost: $60
Polynesiacs: Navigating a Home Tiki Bar
Travel along with Author Tiki Tom-Tom of Polynesiacs: Tiki At Home, on his recent trip to visit seventy-five escapist and immersive home spaces across the continental United States. Take a peek inside the private paradises and oases created by Polynesiacs from New York to California to Washington to Florida. Tiki Tom-Tom will share the entertaining stories of fellow Tiki lovers and also give you the details of his new sixteen-point navigation system based on what he learned from interviews during his visits.
Tiki Tom-Tom (aka Tom Jaynes) is a writer, photographer, artist, sewist, singer, educator, wanderer, and full-time Polynesiac. Despite his wild stories, Tiki Tom-Tom is actually a self-described wallflower, not a boisterous partygoer. Having previously worked as a community college administrator, he now lives a nomadic lifestyle and enjoys planning his next road trip while relaxing at Queequeg’s Coffin, his very own tiki bar in Durham, North Carolina.
Location: Town & Country Ballroom B
Cost: $20
The Jungle {Live podcast taping}
Join David “Dr. Skipper” Marley and Trevor Kelly for a live recording of their popular podcast “The Jungle” and take questions from the audience. This will be a fun filled hour of Disney comedy and wild stories. We invite you to join the fun and ask them questions about the park, especially the Jungle Cruise, or any topic that comes to mind.
David “Dr. Skipper” Marley and Trevor Kelly will do a live recording of their popular podcast “The Jungle” and take questions from the audience. It will be a fun-filled hour of Disney comedy and wild stories. We invite you to join the fun and ask them questions about the park, especially the Jungle Cruise, or any tiki topic that comes to mind.
Location: Ballroom E
Cost: FREE
