Myrtle Beach luau: worth it?

The short answer

It is a good booking if you want one easy evening that feeds everyone, keeps the children watching and ends with something they will talk about at breakfast. The format is simple: you sit, you eat from a buffet while a band plays, and the dancers take over the floor, with the fire knives saved for the end. It earns its reviews through warmth more than scale. Think again if you picture torches on a beach at sunset, a gourmet dinner, or a big-budget arena production. This is a family-run show in a hotel function room, and that is the point of it.

What the ticket covers

Everything below comes with the price you pay at checkout, with no add-on needed. The dinner is a buffet, so you go up and serve yourself; the menu changes, which is why no dishes are listed here. The live show is the main event and runs through the two hours rather than starting after you have eaten, so arrive hungry and take your plate back to the table while the band plays. Parking is included too, which saves a cost on an evening when most visitors arrive by car. There is no tiered seating or premium package to choose between: one ticket covers the whole evening.

• A buffet dinner
• Water, iced tea and lemonade
• The live show: band, hula, Samoan dance and the fire-knife finale
• Parking at the venue

What you pay for on the night

A cash bar runs all evening for beer, cocktails and other drinks, so anything stronger than the included water, tea and lemonade is an extra. Photos taken at the show and souvenirs are sold in the room, and tips for the performers and servers are welcome but not part of the price. Bring cash for all three: the advice to carry it comes from the organisers themselves, and it saves a queue at the bar. Set a budget for the extras before you go if you are paying for a family.

Indoors, and cooler than you expect

The luau takes place inside an air-conditioned room at a Myrtle Beach inn. There is no beach, no sunset and no open-air seating, which also means the show goes ahead in any weather. The organisers warn that the air conditioning is strong and the room can feel chilly, so pack a light jacket or cardigan even on a hot summer night. Flowered aloha shirts and dresses are welcome but not required. The word lūʻau itself comes from a dish of young taro leaves, and the feasts date from 1819, when King Kamehameha II broke the old eating taboo by dining with women. Children who run cold will thank you for an extra layer.

Who is on stage

The family on stage is Samoan, from Nuʻuuli, a village on Tutuila, the largest and most populous island of American Samoa. Nuʻuuli is a village on the island's central east coast, and its name translates as black place or black land. The family brings a live Polynesian band and dancers who move between the islands of the Pacific: Hawaiian hula, Samoan siva and the fire knife. A comic emcee holds the evening together, and audience participation is part of it, so expect a few guests to be brought into the act.

Hula, from Pele to Laka

Hula has two broad categories. Kahiko, the ancient style, predates Western contact and is danced to chant and traditional instruments; ʻauana, a word meaning to wander or drift, grew up under Western influence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and is danced to song, guitar and ʻukulele. The show draws on both, framing the older dances around Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire, and the modern ones around Laka, the goddess of hula. Dancers in training were once placed under Laka's protection, and lei were left on her altar as offerings.

Read next: Hula, siva and ʻōteʻa

The fire-knife finale

The night ends with the Samoan fire knife, whose Samoan names are siva afi and ailao afi. It descends from the ailao, the showy display in which a warrior spun, tossed and caught his war club. The knife's hook goes back to the nifoʻoti, a Samoan club that took on the hooked tip of tools the whalers brought: blubber knives with long handles, and hooked cane knives. Expect spins, throws and catches with both ends alight. It is loud with drums and bright with flame, and it closes the night.

Read next: The Samoan fire knife dance

Is it good for children?

Yes, and families are the core audience. The pace suits young attention spans: food arrives early, the band plays from the start and the dances change often. The fire-knife act is dramatic rather than frightening for most children, though the flames and drums can startle a toddler, so sit where you can step out easily if you need to. The buffet makes picky eaters easier to feed than a set menu. The participation is good-natured; if your child is shy, they can simply watch. Bring a cardigan for each child, since the room is kept cool, and a little cash if they are likely to want a souvenir or the photo from the night.

Read next: Hula, siva and ʻōteʻa

Reading the reviews

The verified reviews beside the price are strong for a dinner show, and they tend to praise the same things: the dancers, the energy of the emcee, a buffet served on time and in quantity, and staff who are easy to deal with. Value for money scores a little below the overall mark, which is usual when drinks and photos sit on top of the ticket. Read the most recent reviews before you book rather than the oldest, since the family sets its own programme and it can change. Treat any line in the show's own marketing as advertising, and the verified reviews as the firmer guide.

Who this isn't for

Skip it if a luau to you means sand, torches and a sunset over the water, because none of that is on offer here. It is also the wrong pick if food is the reason you go out: the buffet is generous family fare, not a tasting menu. Visitors who dislike being drawn into a show, or who want stage machinery and stunts on an arena scale, will be happier elsewhere; Myrtle Beach has larger dinner theatres for that. And if two hours at a table is too long for your group, a daytime boat trip may suit better.

Read next: Luau or dinner cruise: which?

Booking, cancelling and the start time

Plans can shift without cost: GetYourGuide returns the whole amount for any luau booking dropped 24 hours or more ahead of the show, and seats can be held now with payment deferred. The show often comes close to selling out, so settle your dates and then book, rather than hoping for space on the evening. The start time for your date arrives with your confirmation. Wheelchair users can attend; requests about seats or food are best sent by message from your booking several days ahead, not raised on arrival. If the date you want shows no space, check the nights either side.