The evening, strand by strand
The evening, strand by strand
A boutique evening threaded, like a lei itself, from one small moment to the next.
- Plumeria
A flower lei at the door
A handmade lei greets each guest stepping onto the rooftop — the first strand of the evening, and the one you keep.
- Pīkake
A welcome drink at your table
One welcome drink comes with every ticket, poured as your party finds its seats above Kalākaua Avenue.
- Lehua
Sunset across the street you're sitting above
The terrace faces the beach side of Waikīkī, so the sky over the water does most of the evening's early work for free.
- Maile
The buffet, or straight to the show
Dinner tickets move through the hotel's International Buffet before the show; the express ticket trades the meal for a shorter night of welcome drink and performance alone.
- ʻIlima
The lei's own story, told in mele and hula
The hoʻike is built around lei-making itself — hula old and new carrying how a lei is strung, worn and given, rather than a generic island revue.
- Kalaunu
Flowers fall to close the show
The final number ends with flowers falling over the stage — the rooftop's last image before the lift ride back down.
Each strand above borrows the name of a flower long used in lei-making — not necessarily the bloom on your own lei that night. Showtimes move with the season and the sunset, so check your confirmation rather than a printed clock.
A nonprofit luau and the lei behind it
A nonprofit luau and the lei behind it
Run by a nonprofit, not a resort
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, also known as the Hawaiian Council, presents the show, and says proceeds go toward its own community work: housing assistance, vocational training and small-business support for Native Hawaiians.
Why a lei is never just a necklace
Hawaiian lei are strung from flowers, leaves, shells or feathers and given to mark everything from a graduation to a farewell. Etiquette holds that a lei is offered with a slight bow, never tossed aside, and ideally returned to the ground, the sea or a tree rather than the bin.
Hula old and new, in the same show
The company bills its evening as moving through hula both ancient and contemporary — the two broad styles behind nearly every hula performed today — carried by mele, the chanted or sung poetry that held Hawaiian history before it was written down.
Waikīkī before the towers
Long before Kalākaua Avenue's hotels, Waikīkī was a retreat where Hawaiian royalty are recorded surfing on longboards in the 1800s. The avenue below the rooftop takes its name from King Kalākaua, whose reign later helped revive hula after decades of missionary-era bans.
On the Nalea Terrace
On the Nalea Terrace
A small rooftop, not a banquet hall — what's actually on the third floor of the Diamond Head Tower.
Where you're sitting
The show runs on the Nalea Terrace, the third-floor rooftop of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's Diamond Head Tower, looking out past Kalākaua Avenue toward the beach.
The International Buffet
Dinner-ticket guests eat beforehand at the hotel's own International Buffet, a spread the hotel describes as spanning Hawaiian and other island kitchens alongside the usual carving and seafood stations.
The express ticket
The lighter ticket drops the buffet entirely, trading it for the welcome drink and the show alone — built for anyone who's dined already or would rather keep the night brief.
Dress and the evening air
Resort casual works for the rooftop; the operator's own guidance is to bring a light layer, since the terrace catches the breeze once the sun is down.
Dinner ticket or express
Two ways onto the rooftop
| Ticket | What's included | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner ticket | Lei greeting, one welcome drink, the hula show and a seat at the Hyatt's International Buffet beforehand. | Anyone who wants the whole evening built around a proper sit-down meal. |
| Express ticket | Lei greeting, one welcome drink and the show itself, without the buffet. | Guests who've already had dinner, or would rather keep the evening brief. |
Compare the dinner and express tickets on this same listing ↗
Book the evening
Choose your date
Open dates, party size and the current fare for Nā Lei Aloha load below, straight off GetYourGuide's calendar and priced in your own currency.
More Oʻahu evenings on GetYourGuide
Before you ride up to the roof
Before you ride up to the roof
Getting into the hotel
The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort sits at 2424 Kalākaua Avenue; the terrace is reached from inside the Diamond Head Tower, third floor.
Parking
Validated self-parking in the hotel's garage, from the Uluniu Avenue entrance, covers up to four hours; valet runs a flat US$12 for the same window. Either way, allow fifteen extra minutes to park and ride the lift up.
What to wear
Resort casual works for the rooftop, and the operator suggests a light layer once the sun goes down and the trade winds pick up.
When your evening starts
Showtimes shift with the season and the sunset, so check-in and start times sit on your own confirmation rather than a fixed clock printed here.
Read before you go up
Read before you go up
The Nā Lei Aloha evening, step by step
What happens between walking onto the Nalea Terrace and the flowers falling at the end.
Open this guide → choosing a ticketDinner ticket or express: choosing your Nā Lei Aloha ticket
Both tickets share the lei, the drink and the show. The difference is the meal in between.
Open this guide → lei traditionsThe story the lei still tells
What a lei means in Hawaiian culture, and why this show builds a whole evening around one.
Open this guide → on stageHula old and new: what's behind the show
The company bills its evening as moving through hula both ancient and contemporary. Here's what that distinction actually means.
Open this guide → logisticsGetting to the rooftop: parking, dress and timing
Everything practical for the Diamond Head Tower terrace, in one place.
Open this guide → who you're booking withWhy the proceeds matter: who runs Nā Lei Aloha
A Waikīkī luau presented by a Hawaiian nonprofit rather than a resort — here's what that changes for your evening.
Open this guide →FAQ
Before you book the rooftop
What does “boutique” mean for this luau?
It's a rooftop terrace rather than a resort lawn: GetYourGuide's own listing describes every table as within three rows of the stage, with a far smaller crowd than most Waikīkī luau draw.
What's the difference between the dinner ticket and the express ticket?
Both include the lei greeting, one welcome drink and the full show. The dinner ticket adds a seat at the Hyatt's International Buffet beforehand; the express ticket skips the meal for a shorter evening.
Where exactly on the hotel is the show?
On the Nalea Terrace, the third-floor rooftop of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's Diamond Head Tower, at 2424 Kalākaua Avenue.
Is parking included?
Validated self-parking in the hotel garage covers up to four hours from the Uluniu Avenue entrance; valet is a flat US$12 for the same window. Build in fifteen extra minutes either way.
What should we wear?
Resort casual, with a light layer for once the sun goes down — the rooftop catches the evening breeze.
What time should we arrive?
Showtimes move with the season and the sunset, so your own booking confirmation carries the check-in and start time rather than a fixed schedule.
Who benefits from the ticket price?
The show is presented by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a nonprofit also known as the Hawaiian Council, which says proceeds support its housing, vocational-training and small-business programmes.
Is this a general island revue, or specifically about the lei?
The company builds its hoʻike around the lei itself — its history and how it's made and given — told through hula both ancient and contemporary, rather than a generic Polynesian variety show.
A small rooftop above Kalākaua Avenue where the evening is built around one flower lei and the story it carries.
Reserve Nā Lei Aloha ↗The figure above is per person; GetYourGuide totals your whole party, in your own currency, at checkout.