Waikiki Starlight Luau

The luau cast members were excellent. The stage needs to be about 3 feet higher as was hard to see if others in front of yiu were taller and those sitting at dining tables were blocking a view to see the dancers. The Hilton advertises the Friday Firework Luau on the great lawn, you pay more for Friday and then you are told to move to the beach area. I would have gone another day to luau and watched the fireworks for free from my ocean view room at the Ali’i. This was quite the rip off in my opinion. Ive seen luau’s that lasted longer.

For $119/each you got one drink and seated in wooden folding chairs to the sides of the tables where the people who spent more money were (they ate a buffet dinner). The show was a little under an hour. The performers were good. More singing than dancing. Here’s why the low rating: you can just walk up and stand on the sidewalk and see the show for FREE. The venue had no exclusivity and any person staying at the hotel or not could walk up and see the show. Do more research and book a different luau.

Absolutely not worth it. At over $200 per person we expected much better. We chose this luau out of convenience since it was located in the resort and was voted best luau in Waikiki for 2025 (no idea how they earned that). However the photos and info online make it seem much more engaging/entertaining. There was very little “Hawaiian” or “luau” ambiance; it was just tables on a big lawn with a plain stage. They offered photos upon arrival but the only way to get a copy of the photo is to pay for the $70 decorative photo book. The activities were lacking and were only available within the first 15 minutes or so then they packed up for the show. The only table that remained was the sales table with souvenirs. The “hula lesson” was in no way that; the crowd basically shuffled back and forth for 30 seconds. The tables seemed arranged to maximize seating but resulted in a poor view. The performers were good but the show was quite short. Could’ve watched the show for free from the walkways surrounding the lawn as others were doing. The food was so bad and the drink selection was limited. The only decent thing was the customer service; the staff working the event were great. The convenience of this luau is absolutely not worth it.

I went to the Starlight Luau at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort and honestly, it was a pretty underwhelming experience. They first quoted something crazy like $800 for my wife, my 5 year old, and me. Then came the “special deal” of around $330 for all three of us, with the small catch of attending a timeshare presentation about condos. I agreed. The luau itself was just average. The artists were great, no complaints there. But everything else felt very ordinary. The all you can eat buffet was quite mediocre. Nothing really justifies the price you pay. You could honestly stand outside, watch most of it for free, and then go have a proper fine dining meal with that $300. One more thing that made it worse. Because we were at the luau, we missed getting a good spot on the beach for the Friday fireworks. The fireworks were actually amazing, probably one of the highlights, but we ended up watching them without a proper view. That part was genuinely disappointing. Then things got interesting. My son fell sick the next day, so I called to see if I could skip the timeshare session. They said no. Either attend or pay back the discount. That really killed the mood. After spending thousands on the trip, this felt like such an unnecessary hassle. I told them I would not be attending and that I would dispute any extra charges if they tried to bill me. Thankfully, they didn’t charge me in the end. Hilton is a great hotel overall, but I would think twice before attending this luau. Unless you enjoy a side of timeshare pressure with your vacation.

We loved this experience. The live band was excellent and the dancers were great although I understand some people who know luau better say the dancing is meh. For us, as our first Luau, we thought it was excellent. It was super convenient as we were staying at the Hilton and could walk down from our room. We did the Diamond VIP so we could be in the front and get seated and food first. We also got 2 drink tickets which we gave away. The main male dancer was so nice to me and my son. The female dancers could have been nicer when handing out the flower wrist bands and during pics. Our table host was excellent and attentive. I'm not happy with our picture, the "photographer" knows nothing about how to position people to make them look good. It's $70 for your picture and pretty substantial frame/book. They sell carvings which my son liked. The food was pretty good. The pineapple upside down cake was really good. The weather was great, no bugs. The host was a good singer and overall I thought it was great.

Food was not good, chicken rubbery, plates small, no salad plates offered. Food quality was low. The show was good, fire dance was the highlight. At $507 for two people, I would not return. To top It off they hit you up for photograph package at an additional $66, like an amusement park. It’s very convenient for hotel guests and Hilton pushes it hard.

My wife and I have many great luau experiences but last night was by far the best. What made it the best was the incredible performance on stage. The history, the dance, the chants, the music, the passion was simply overwhelming and extraordinary. The musicians were more than just talented, they were central to the experience. Costumes were memorable and the personality of each performer made the evening really special. Thank you, thank you. Mahalo. My wife and I did feel like family.

The Starlight Luau is good and entertaining but for $189 per person, just stand in the side and watch the show until you get bored. The food is not worth $189, trust me, it’s mediocre at best, you get a drink ticket per person which is a $20 value to do as you may.

I have no idea why this luau has only 3.4 stars! My husband and I attended on January 15th, and it was everything we imagined a Hawaiian luau would be. The location was picture-perfect, and the entertainment was exciting and engaging throughout the evening. We had no issues viewing the show, though we did purchase premier seating. As for the food, it far exceeded our expectations. We had read several reviews complaining about the buffet, so maybe we went in with low expectations—but the food was genuinely very good for a buffet-style meal. We were nearly last in line, yet there was never a shortage. Staff were constantly replacing dishes with fresh, full ones. While we were there, we purchased our photo and a wooden souvenir. Were they overpriced? Probably—but that’s pretty standard for tourist attractions. What’s ironic is that we had actually paid for a different luau on the 13th that had a 4.7-star rating. When we arrived and saw it was inside a mall, we immediately walked out. My point is: sometimes you really can’t trust Google reviews, but trust me when I say this is the luau you need to attend!

This luau was amazing!! I was a little scared after reading all the negative reviews but I don’t have anything bad to say about it. The performance was on point and exciting. The food was delicious and there was a good variety of things. We received a lei, a welcome beverage, and an extra drink ticket. They had water at the tables and a coffee/tea station. For the price, my expectations were met. Yes, it was on a rooftop but there is a gorgeous view of the sunset and ocean. The decorations and set up, make it seem like you are not on a roof. Myself; my 16 year old daughter and my friend all had a great time! As far as parking went, we zipped in and out of the parking garage and the bartenders validated the parking so it was free!