Hawaii club is hosting their 44th annual Lū'au on Saturday, April 2 from 4-9 p.m. in the Chiles Center, the first Lū'au since 2019 due to COVID-19. Attendees can expect traditional Lū'au food, hula performances and a fire dancer along with a shaved ice stand and local Hawaiian goodies.
The event is open to all UP students, faculty and members of the public. Attendees will be required to show their UP IDs or proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend the Lū'au.
Typically, an abundance of attendees are made up of friends and family coming from Hawaii, but due to the Lū'au being hosted at a later date, ticket sales are low in comparison to previous years, according to junior Caroline Chan, Lū'au co-chair for Hawaii club.
“Usually we will try to coordinate the date of the Lū'au to be when spring break is in Hawaii so that people would be able to make travel arrangements if they wanted to come up,” Chan said. “But this year, Chiles was not available during that time.”
Despite not meeting the anticipated ticket sales, Chan, along with fellow co-chairs, Michelle Fukumitsu and Kacie Moku are using this as an opportunity to stay cautious of COVID-19.
Masks will be required when not eating or drinking and tables will be taken out to allow for space. The number of seats allowed at each table will also be decreased.
Outside of safety precautions, this year’s Lū'au will have new acts not seen in previous years.
“This year, our pre show consists of a lot more acts from different clubs and different talents around the school,” Moku said. “It's normally shorter but we have many performers from Guam club and FASA. We have a skit being done with a student fire dancer, as well as two singers that are going to be performing.”
With this being Hawaii club’s 44th Lū'au, the club is excited to continue spreading their aloha spirit onto the University campus.
The Lū'au committee, student volunteers and the parent island coordinators in Hawaii began planning over the summer to ensure everything runs smoothly in time for spring. Food, flowers and decorations are shipped from Hawaii to Portland to help the Lū'au capture the traditional elements.
Those interested in attending the Lū'au can purchase tickets through the ticket website up until April 2.
“Lū’au and Hawaii Club are so meaningful because they provide a chance to bring a little bit of home with us to Portland, as well as a chance to connect with others, build relationships, make many wonderful memories, and help celebrate and appreciate our home, culture, and the community and aloha it all brings,” Chan, Moku and Fukumitsu said in an email to The Beacon.
Janea Melido is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at melido24@up.edu.
