Ulupalakua w/ Kimo and Keoni Maui’s Paniolo to Waikīkī’s Live Music at Tiki’s Grill & Bar

When most think of Waikīkī, iconic ocean views and beachfront dining often take center stage. Yet, the true spirit of Waikīkī lives in the rhythm, music, and deep community roots that flow through Tiki’s Grill & Bar, where generations connect through mele, hula, and shared aloha.

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Last week, Tiki’s was honored by a surprise that lifted even the midday air—a lunchtime hula performed by the incomparable Kimo Kahoano. A true ambassador of Hawai‘i’s culture and proud graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Kimo’s celebrated career has stretched from fire-knife dancer and singer to actor, DJ, and beloved emcee. He’s recognized as the voice of the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival and the heart behind the island anthem “It’s Aloha Friday,” rallying locals and visitors alike in a spirit of celebration and unity for the last day of the week.

Music, Hula, and “Ulupalakua”: A Living Legacy

On this special afternoon, Kimo was joined by his longtime friend Keoni Coelho, a regular local musician at Tiki’s who brings live Hawaiian music to our dining room several times a week. Together, they delighted guests with an impromptu hula to the cherished Hawaiian classic “Ulupalakua (Breadfruit Ripened on the Back),” penned by John P. Watkins in 1947 as a tribute to Maui’s paniolo country and cool mountain breezes. These moments of live music and hula, surrounded by the sounds of laughter and song, are what make Tiki’s ohana happen.

Carrying the Culture Forward

To witness Kimo performing hula to “Ulupalakua” is to feel the heartbeat of the islands—a coming together of generations, heritage, and community. Guests became participants, not just observers, drawn into a tradition honoring aloha, ohana, and the art of storytelling through music and dance. Shakas and smiles rippled through the outside bar, from longtime locals to first-time visitors searching for a genuine Hawaiian experience.

“Ulupalakua” is more than a song—it’s a living memory, especially for Michael Miller, a partner at Tiki’s. “Growing up in upcountry Maui, I rode horses beneath the shadow of Haleakalā, and some of my classmates are still paniolo, just like their parents,” Michael recalls. “Over fifty years ago, I first learned ‘Ulupalakua’—we danced hula to it at Kula Elementary. The melody always brings me back to the mountain air, the cowboys, the gentle strum of guitars echoing aloha through the ranch lands.”

As Kimo Kahoano sang and danced “Ulupalakua” at Tiki’s, Michael was swept back to those formative moments. “Hearing Kimo breathe new life into the song here at Tiki’s… it was like the bridge between past and present was right before my eyes. All those pieces—place, music, memory—woven together, reminding me why the culture of Hawai‘i inspires every day at Tiki’s Grill & Bar.”