The Wednesday Night Hula Show at South Maui Gardens in Kihei is one of my favorite new(er) recommendations on Maui. 

If you’re semi interested in a luau but not 100% sold on the price tag (a lot of resort luaus are pushing $300 PER PERSON now!!), this is a GREAT option. 

Hula Show at South Maui Gardens

South Maui Gardens is a nursery/event space close to the Cove Beach Park with a beautiful outdoor venue that’s home to a food truck park…and a hula show on Wednesday evenings. 

The entertainment lasts from 5-7 PM and features live music plus an hour long show with dances from across the Pacific Islands (including Samoan fire knife dancing). 

The venue is open seating and while they have some mats, benches, and picnic tables, they encourage you to bring your own beach chairs or blankets to set up camp on the lawn. 

Tickets to the show are about $100/person and sometimes they have a 25% discount available online. Also, certain times of the year they add a Sunday night show option as well. 

There are dozens of food trucks on site, but the shining star is Kitoko. Their truck is at South Maui Gardens full time, but during the Wednesday night hula show, they have a special menu. 

I LOVED the crispy pork belly with okinawan sweet potato gnocchi. 

Honestly, I LOVE this whole concept so much. 

You get to see a full quality production without paying a premium for mediocre food and drinks. $100/person is a pretty good deal for 2 hours of entertainment and the flexibility to do whatever you want for food…have dinner somewhere else before or after, share something from a food truck, go all out and have a feast!

And not having to sit at a table and make small talk with strangers is a big bonus for me ; )

Seriously, I have been to a LOT of luaus and even at the best of the best, the food is…mediocre. But I was blown away with the food at Kitoko plus there are dozens of other food trucks all serving up yummy, fresh food. And it’s just a much more customizable experience than you’ll find at a buffet. 

Granted, this isn’t the big fancy resort experience. You’re not going to get leis, see them pull the pig out of the ground, and have the whole party atmosphere, but I think it’s a really good fit for a lot of travelers. 

Find more info here. 

P.S. I travel to Hawaii multiple times a year, and let me tell you a secret…I do most of it for FREE using credit card points and miles. 

I have a somewhat intricate system that I’ve fine tuned over the years to maximize earning points and how I cash them in, but the short version is:

I use THIS Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for free Marriott nights. The sign up bonus alone on this card will get you 3 (sometimes 5!) free nights at hotels in Hawaii like the Sheraton Maui, Royal Hawaiian (Oahu), Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott (Kona). 

And I use THIS Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards card for free flights on Southwest. The sign up bonus will get you at least one round trip flight to Hawaii (possibly two depending on where you’re flying from). 

The combo of these two cards will have you most of the way to a free trip to Hawaii right out of the gate. Again, you can sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless >> HERE and the Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards >> HERE
And if you’re really serious about getting into the travel hacking game, read this post for a more in depth look at how I maximize credit card points to book travel.