Fia Fia Luau - Ko Olina

Great luau. I've seen others in the past, but Fia Fia was the most entertaining I've attended by far. The Chief was great, and he blended just the right mix of tradition, Islands culture, audience participation, comedy and spectacle. The Fia Fia performance felt fresh despite it - I'm sure - having been performed a kajillion times. Sure, I could have done with less anniversary and honeymoon romanticism, but the show almost seemed Vegas-ready, which I mean as a compliment.

The venue was great too - small enough to feel intimate but big enough to accommodate the show. I'd do 5 stars for Fia Fia, but I can't go that far overall because of the food.

My mahi mahi was cooked to oblivion, and I swear I've had that same Marriott green salad at every work offsite and catered meeting. Cooked in an underground pit or not, my Kalua pork was a salt lick but I did still enjoy it. I also appreciated the taro rolls for a little additional local flavor. My kids liked the Mac n cheese, so it was great that the kiddos were taken care of. I wasn't thrilled with the huge free for all / everyone get in line at once buffet system, but after waiting for what seemed like forever, we did all finally get plenty of food.

Overall, I feel like if they improved the food, Fia Fia would be a home run. Even with the food as it is, I still think Fia Fia is the best show in town.

If you are going to attend a tourist luau on Oahu, then you should go to the Tuesday night "Fia Fia Luau" presented at the Marriott Ko Olina resort and hosted by Chief Sielu Avea. You have to call the Marriott Ko Olina directly to order tickets ahead of time.

We have attended Fia Fia many times at the Marriott Ko Olina and think the buffet luau is great, the Polynesian show is top notch, the outdoor oceanfront setting is beautiful and the small and intimate size of the crowd means the sight-lines for the show are way better than other luau venues for the same money.

Our wait staff could have been a bit better serving drinks during the pre-luau activities, but the freshness and variety of the buffet and the production dances of the luau made up for this small critique. There are no bad views at the Fia Fia luau due to it's smaller size and table layout.

A similar show is presented at his "Chiefs Luau" other evenings at the Wet & Wild Waterpark in Kapolei, but we think the food offering is better at Fia Fia.

Of course the headliner himself is what you go to see: the famous and very funny Chief Sielu Avea himself, a longtime mainstay from the Polynesian Cultural Center and now entertainer of his own luau production.

Yes you can go to the Paradise Cove or Disney Aulani Ka Wa'a luaus on Oahu's leeward (west) side, but they can't offer the up close and personal one on one experience of a living Oahu legend like Chief Sielu. We had a great time and would highly recommend.

2nd Tuesday in April
Party of 12: Six adults and six children
First time

Traveling with six children, five years and younger, and staying at KoOlina, we thought we would make it easy on ourselves and try out the Fia Fia luau instead of heading out to Paradise Cove. So happy we did! In all the years we have been coming to KoOlina we have seen the luau happening but never attended.

I made reservations one week prior to our arrival which apparently in April is recommended. The luau is limited to 300 people and sells out. Tickets were picked up at the concierge desk. The luau started at 5pm. Upon check in, you are welcome to take a photo with a few of the dancers. The picture is then brought to you before the end of the night with an option to purchase $30. I always purchased the group photo.

Each luau ticket comes with 2 drink tickets. There are 3 different alcoholic house drinks to choose from or you can select a soft drink with the ticket. Water bottles are on the table. Ask for a cup of ice if you like it cold. You can also start a bar tab and order from Longboards. Dinner is buffet style and goes quickly since there are a couple of tables set up. The food is plentiful and you are welcome to go back for seconds. The food was delicious and comes with traditional Hawaiian dessert.

The entertainment was excellent. Music playing all throughout the evening. Service excellent. After the luau was officially over, the entertainers remained near the stage area to thank everyone and stay as long as people wanted to take photos. Lots of photos. LOL We appreciated that because our little toddlers were enamored with them and were so excited to see the dancers up close and personal.

A definite highlight of our trip! We booked our seats the day before (having arrived late Sunday night). The show is every Tuesday. After checking in they'll usher you to take a picture before seating you. We bought the premium seats which came with a fresh lei and headpiece. Later in dinner they'll come by with your picture for $30. I had requested GF for my meal which was meh. First they brought a bunch of raw veggies then my main course was fish, chicken, and pork. Rice and veggies. Everything was pretty bland- GF options on the island haven't been great thus far. My husband piled tons of pork, macaroni salad, green salad, and rolls on his plate. The pork was the best part. The dessert (for me) was awful- a coconut gelatin wiggly thing with a side of fruit (the only redeeming factor), and my husband had some sort of cake with fruit.

But. Let's face it- you come to a luau for the show and this did not disappoint. I would give 10 stars for the show. The host, Chief, was hilarious. The show was a journey through the South Pacific, celebrating the language, song, and dance of the many islands. Close to the end, they paused to celebrate birthdays, honeymoons, and anniversaries. We are on our honeymoon but we're too shy to raise our hands so we stayed seated. The couples on stage were all given a beautiful tropical bouquet, such a nice touch, with a Hawaiian wedding song serenade! The show closed with the fire dancing. WOW. I have never seen anything like it in my life. World champion fire dancers performed and my mouth stayed open in awe the entire time. My husband who does not normally enjoy anything like this loved it. It was fantastic and worth every penny!

Another great experience on Tuesday with Chief Suila and his warriors and entertainers. I believe this is the sixth one we have attended in 16 years. All consistently good ...

"What a waste of money! The dinner wasn't worth the price at all. The food was of really bad quality, too dry, and with very limited options. There was only one type of dessert available. The show was okay, but all we could see were people's heads. Hotel guests who didn't pay for the show and were watching from their balconies or around the stage had a much better view. We couldn't even hear the sound properly. Overall, we've had much better experiences watching these kinds of shows elsewhere during our previous trips."

I would love to give this 5 stars because the show is wonderful. The performers are great and keep you entertained. The dancing is fun and interactive. They take lots of pics at the end and take pride in their work....and I get we pay for the luau versus the food but if I choose a luau for the buffet and menu at a certain price then I would hope for a little something better

The "buffet" tho is horribly sad. You get 1 soda and 1 alcoholic drink (or soda if your prefer) of a general ticket holder. 2 alcoholic drinks if preferred ticket holders. So, no unlimited drinks...oh actually unlimited water bottles. The food spread itself wasn't appetizing: the pork was too liquidy, the teriyaki chicken was luke warm, the fish was overcooked, idk where the salmon was, the hawaiian sweet rolls were cold and hard (stale?) And the butter was cold so one could not even enjoy the rolls, the rice was not cooked right and soggy, the Pico had chunks of meat that blended in looking like tomato. The dessert was boxed and was a small sample of cake, a container of haupia and a few bites of pineapple. Why no dessert buffet? Oh and let's not forget the kids menu which was a packed container of 1 scoop of Mac and cheese, 2 pieces of chicken tenders and like 6 baby carrots with a big container of ranch. That's a toddler plate not a plate for say a 10 year old...why no buffet spread for the kids??

Lastly, when I booked the reservation and got a confirmation call I was told valet parking is free. When we arrived we asked the valet guy who took our keys "free parking for the luau right?" And of course he said yes, to just get our ticket validated. Then of course! when we go to retrieve our car we are told it's $3. I asked "is it not validated and covered by the luau?" The girl's response? "Validation covers $25. The rest, you pay $3". Why so many inconsistencies

Literally told my husband during the luau that we could have watched it from Longhi's while eating dinner there and saved hundreds of dollars. Lesson learned.

Food was terrible. Way overpriced for what we got especially since the show was on the center lawn right in the middle of the property. So we could have sat anywhere and watched the show. The show was good, MC awesome, fire amazing. But we could barely see in General seating (seriously, the people sitting at the restaurant or anywhere in the resort had a better view than us). In general seating you get 1 drink ticket and the drinks were just ok. My suggestion is to go next door to Aulani where the price is the same but you get an open bar and way better views. Or... make reservations at the restaurant on the Marriott property, eat waaaaay better food and watch the show from there.

We went to Fia Fia Luau last night and it was amazing!

The food is now back to buffet style like pre-Covid with the exception of kids and special diets. Those will come out in take away boxes.

Booking was a little complicated since the website has next to nothing information and no one knows about the complimentary valet parking.

First call (808) 679-4700 and ask for concierge. They will give you the option of premiere or standard seats. Premiere is closer to the stage with leis and Aquafina water. Standard is further behind seats with shell necklace and they have to wait a bit to get in line for the buffet.

The tricky part: concierge will tell you the confirmation number and to pick up your tickets by 4pm because concierge closes at 4:30pm. And that's it.

What to know:

- luau guests not staying at the Marriott can get valet parking validated for free. Ask someone who looks important at the luau to sign the stub for you before leaving.
- they let guests enter the area at 5pm. Line starts around 4:45pm but don't fret...
- seats are assigned!
- show starts at 5:30pm.
- expect to be there for almost 3 hours!
- those with kids or special diets will get their food in take away boxes before the buffet starts.
- this luau holds roughly 200 guest every Tuesday. Much smaller than most luaus.

Have fun!

Food and shoe are both phenomenal. We paid for the preferred seating which I did not think was worthy it but you get seated first and get to eat first so it was good for keeping my hungry husband happy.

The chief has an Incredible life story. Authentic, hilarious and even touching in his tribute to his parents. Fire dance was most impressive. Dinner was actually quite good.