Luau is a celebration of community and culture. People gather to celebrate a good harvest, birth of a child, or share the Spirit of Aloha that is a blessing. Traditionally, family and friends come together to share food, stories, music, singing, and dancing.  There are a few things that you will need to take into consideration when planning your Luau. You will need to decide if you are going to look up recipes and cook your own Hawaiian BBQ, plan a Hawaiian Themed Potluck, or hire a Hawaiian Catering Company that specializes in real Hawaiian Food. Without giving a list of names, there are many businesses that offers fake Hawaiian Food. We will discuss this to help you weed out businesses that are not authentic. Simple logic is like this. If you want Italian food, you don't contract a Korean or General Catering company to cook for your party. There are many popular general catering companies that wants your business but can they really give you good authentic food without understanding the Hawaiian and Polynesian Culture? Logic is your best friend. 

Researching Hawaiian BBQ Recipes:
You can look on Youtube.com to learn how to cook specific food dishes.  Here is an example of learning to make Huli Huli sauce https://youtu.be/VzXLO4nXjgU?si=Fg9yU_vTTq7OqXs3 . We will soon create our very own Youtube Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Thai cooking page. For the time being, enjoy researching your own dishes. I "Bill Krenz" have traveled to many countries to learn from popular chefs, learned from aunties (best chefs), and interviewed other chefs that perfected only 1 dish. 

Planning your family potluck:
Its not uncommon to have a Potluck in Hawaii, Polynesian Islands, Filipino Parties, and other gatherings. Luau is a gathering of friends and family that shares 1 dish to create a large family buffet that can be displayed with 2-6 tables of food. There's always an uncle cook the Ribs, Huli Huli Chicken, Chicken Inasal, Roasting a Pig 6 hours before people arrive, aunties making poi and desserts, and the teenagers rolling musubis. This is what brings a family together as they sing Karaoke or sing songs as cousins and relatives play their guitars. 

Hawaiian Catering Services:

If you are foodie, do not hire general catering companies that does not specialize in Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Chinese cuisine. Hawaii is a very special island because it has the influence of all the other cultures that I mentioned earlier. The Hawaiian BBQ Meats are influenced from Japanese, Filipino, and Korean BBQ. The sides and appetizers originally come from these diverse cultures. Surprisingly, all recipes are very similar to one another.  Soy Sauce is the base to the majority of all island dishes like Fried Rice, Noodles, and BBQ Sauces. Please make sure to let the Executive Chef know that have gluten allergies to substitute soy sauce with Tamari. 95% of all Hawaiian Catering Companies do not specialize in Whole Roasted Pigs or Lechon. We are the only Luau Company in Nevada and California that specialize in Whole Roasted Pigs. I have traveled to Cebu / Car Car City to learn from top Lechoneros to roast traditional Lechons "Whole Roasted Pigs".  We can personally select larger pigs from farms to feed your party. 

There are food items that are not authentic. I will mention a few items that not authentic like meatballs, pineapple skewers, chicken wings, and mac n cheese. I only bring up these food items because I have seen these food items at some Luaus. Most Asian and Polynesian people do not eat White Meat, and not use Soy Sauce for dishes. As a Luau Specialist and Catering Company, we can customize our menus to avoid allergens. 

Luau Entertainment: 

Southbay Luaus originally started as an Luau Entertainment company known as The Manea Dancers. We have been entertain guests for over 40 years. We were trained by top instructors from Tahiti, Hawaii, Samoa, and New Zealand. It's important to understand each island to respectfully perform and represent each culture. Ever since covid, there has been an increase of many new Luau Entertainment Companies that has been launched. So there are many new companies that are promoting lower prices that might disappoint many customers. Things to take on consideration. Newer companies and lower quality companies tend to cancel their shows for a higher paying customer. There are non authentic entertainment companies that will take your money and give you a "cheesy luau" experience. Not all Luau Entertainment are the same. If a company is cheap, most likely their entertainment is cheap. You get what you paid for. Make sense? Live Tahitian Drumming is not available for all Luau Entertainment. Since I teach Tahitian Drumming, I have drummers that can improve your Luau Show. Not all Luau Entertainment has a quality MC, some companies depends on a pre recording MC.  That makes your Luau Show cheesy again.  When a company needs to take 15 minute breaks in between shows, avoid them, you are not paying for an authentic luau show.  

Fire Shows explained:
​We have created fire shows for over 30 years. I would advise avoid contracting any production that uses grass skirts with a fire torch. That will become a disaster and a liability. Do not book any fire inside a building. Traditional Samoan Fire Knife "Siva Afi" is a performance that changes from price that is based on the date, location, and availability. Samoan Fire Knife dancers are not a discounted performance. We charge a higher price for Samoan Fire Knife to guarantee your show. If you pay little money, do not expect that your performance is guaranteed. If you want the best performers, then you should not hesitate to pay their respectable price. Most inexpensive fire performers are amateurs, why risk your show with amateurs that will take lower money. Professionals demand their price. Make sense? 


Luau Props and Luau Decorations:

We offer Tikis, Outriggers, Palapas, Thatching, Giant Flowers, Strolling Gorillas, Hanging Monkeys, Giant Tiki Kong Roaming Tiks, Great White, and more. Please visit out luau props page.

We provided Luau Decorations, Palapas, Hanging Monkeys, Thatching, Hula Kids Show, Game Coordinator, and more for a very Special 7 year old celebrant. The Hawaiian Menu was a hybrid between Hawaiian Food and Food that was kids friendly. 

We had fun planning a Corporate Luau in Torrance. We had to feed 300 people, provide Luau Decorations, Palapas, Lei Making Classes, Reptile Petting Zoo, Polynesian Show, DJ, Tropical Plants, Staffing, Party Rentals, and more. The other set of pictures was for the owner of Adams Marketing in Garden Grove. 
We were cooking fresh Crab Cakes, Coconut Battered Shrimp, Kabobs on location, and decorated her house. 

We have produced many Luau Parties for any size, any budget, and location. We offered Hawaiian Catering, onsite cooking, and a Luau Show at Laguna Woods, CA

We were honored to plan a Luau Retirement party for LA's previous Assemblyman. He was loved by his community. We had to convert the entire area into Hawaii. As you can see, the event was beautiful. We provided Luau Props, Polynesian Dancers, Fire Show, Tahitian Drummers, Hawaiian Catering, Bar Services, Party Rentals, Event Coordination, and Event Staffing. Lots of work but it was a success

We were invited to join one episode about Tikis. We choreographed a Haka at the end of the show. Our dancers had a wonderful time

This event had Hawaiian Fine Dining, Luau Props, Bamboo Tunnel, 14ft Waterfall, Tropical Centerpieces, 2 x Giant LED Screens, Variety Band, Hawaiian Band, Luau Show, Fire Show, Party Rentals, Multiple Tiki Bars, Lei Greeting with Fresh Orchid Leis and more. 

We were elected to the Luau Planner to prepare an event for Anheuser Busch. They invited 3000 people at Seaside Lagoon, Redondo Beach, Ca. We had to plan the following: Many 40ft tents for vendors and sponsors, party rentals, lounge cigar area, Hawaiian Catering, Event Staffing, Luau Props and Decorations, Branding Models, a few whole roasted pigs, AV/Lighting, DJ, Hawaiian Band, Branding Logistical Map, Vendor Management, Payroll, and more

We have produced a few Luau Parties in El Cajon, La Jolla, and Mission Bay area. We are sharing a compilation of Luau Pictures that includes Hawaiian Catering, Luau Props and Decorations, Luau Show, Hawaiian Band, Party Rentals, Event Coordination and Services, Bar Services, authentic orchid leis with greeting, and more

This was produced at one of TY Warner's Properties on the beach. We converted this property to look like a resort literally. 100% of everything that you see in these images were provided by us. We provided Hawaiian Catering, Onsite Cooking on location, Luau props and Decorations, Real Tropical Plants, Palapas that were dug into the sand, party rentals, thatching the 40ft deck, overlays, giant tropical flowers, lounge area, tiki bars, 10k loose orchids from Hawaii, Giant Fire Show, Giant Drum Circle, Live Band, AV/Lighting, Luau Decorations from parking Valet Area, Valet, High End Porta Potties with Air Conditioning with Assistant, Security for 7 Days, Setup for 7 days, Event Staffing, Catering Staffing, 20 + Luau Entertainers, Event Coordination and Production, Power, and more.