Tiki Oasis History

History

The first Tiki convention ever in the U.S. Tiki Oasis is an exploration of Mid-Century style and design often referred to as “Polynesian Pop”. Tiki Oasis was originally launched in 2001 as a fundraiser event to save The Caliente tropics hotel (1964), Palm Springs, from getting a de-Tikified remodel. After five successful years at The Caliente Tropics, Tiki Oasis had grown too big for the tiny roadside motel. In 2006 Tiki Oasis relocated to the Crowne Plaza San Diego (originally The Hanalei Hotel, 1959) in Hotel Circle and the historic Bali Hai Restaurant (1954) on Shelter Island. In 2020 Tiki Oasis changed locations once again to the spectacular 44-acre island location of Paradise Point Resort (originally Vacation Village, 1962).

Over the years Tiki Oasis has become a beloved event that includes live entertainment, top mixologists, educational seminars, tiki carvers, aloha fashion and more, all to a tiki soundtrack. What makes the event unique is that it has a different theme each year. These themes are deeper explorations of ‘Polynesian Pop’ and Mid-Century Pop Culture such as Spies, Beatniks, or Space Age. While these themes would be considered tangential to Tiki, they are a great way to explore other aspects of Retro Culture in a fun and playful way. Below is a quick look at the past Tiki Oasis events we have hosted over the last 19 years!

2019 CATCH THE NEW WAVE Incorporating two ideas of the Second Wave Surf Music which started in 1980 and “80s Exotica” elements found in New Wave music such as The B-52s and Adam & The Ants, Tiki Oasis took a bold step outside the boundaries of Polynesian Pop imagery and style. 2018 SOUTH SEAS CINEMA We paid homage to “South Pacific” with the help of Los Angeles based group “South Seas Cinema.” South Seas Cinema is also a motion picture genre that is set on tropical islands of the Pacific.

The Domestic Tiki + Tiki Siren

2017 - INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE We delved deeper into the world of spies by exploring other countries’ espionage thrillers.

2016 - PARTY ON MONSTER ISLAND From rubber Godzillas tearing apart the South Seas to surfin’, Go Go dancing Frankenstein and Wolfman, creatures have always been lurking in paradise.

2015 - YESTERDAY’S FUTURE, TODAY! The Space Age ran parallel to the Modern Primitivism of Tiki Culture. Whether it was a World’s Fair or Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, It seemed that the interest in other worlds in outer space was equally as intriguing as our curiosity of primitive islander cultures.

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August 2022

AT THE

2014 BEAT-TIKI Like the Beat Generation, today’s Tiki aficionados are drawn to primitivism and thirst to reconnect with the primal past, celebrating it in a modern context. What do Beatniks and Tiki have in common you ask? They like bongos and flute-centric /Jazz music; weird facial hair; they are artistic; sunglasses and barefeet!

2013 HULABILLY Part Americana, part Hawaiiana, Hulabilly is an American music style derived from the blending of Rockabilly and Haole Hawaiian music.

2012 - EXOTIC ESPIONAGE & POLYNESIAN PULP The rise of Tiki bars was concurrent with the rise of interest in spies from the mid1940s to the mid-1970s. From “Mr. Moto”, “Adventures in Paradise” and “Hawaiian Eye” through the James Bond series and “Mission: Impossible”, spies/secret agents/private dicks have been intertwined with Exotica.

Tikiland Trading Co.

A cornerstone of Tiki Style is Exotica music, but almost all great Exotica tunes are built on Latin rhythms. That’s why the founders of Exotica went south of the border! – in the early 1960s Arthur Lyman released Aloha Amigo while Martin Denny released Latin Village and Spanish Village.

2010 - TIKI OASIS EXTRAVAGANZA! Our 10th Anniversary featured a lot of alumni entertainers and symposium presenters as part of a big gala weekend.

2009 - TIKI SURF CITY So Cal Beach Party movies and 1960s Surf music was the theme for this year celebrating the crowning of Huntington Beach as Surf City USA and the birthplace of Surfing, Hawaii celebrated its 50th anniversary of Statehood. 2008 - VOODOO VACATION ON ZOMBIE ISLAND What happens when you take two fringe elements of the Tiki movement such as Voodoo

(Caribbean rum is the inspiration for Tiki cocktails) and Zombies (The Zombie drink was Don the Beachcomber’s crowning achievement) and mix them together for a weekend? Loads of fun.

2007 - HAWAII A-GO-GO The Swingin’ Sixties didn’t skip Hawaii. Waikiki was the downtown of Honolulu and whether it was “Suck ‘Em Up!” or “Blue Hawaii”, Don Ho and Elvis Presley kept the party go-go-going!

2006 - THE MAGIC OF TIKI James Dimmare, the world’s only self-proclaimed Tiki magician, brought Las Vegas flare to Tiki Oasis. Throw in the theatrics of Las Vegas stage production “Shag With a Twist” and a Merlin the Magician bedecked live set by Exotica band Ape and this Tiki weekender was truly magic. 2005 - MAROONED AT TIKI OASIS The Beachcomber aesthetic is the foundation of Polynesian Pop. Put that together with

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Cargo Cults, Trader style, and Caribbean Seas pirates and you are ready to set sail for a weekend of island fun.

2004 - TIKI TOMORROWLAND! FUTURISTIC PRIMITIVES HERE TODAY! For our fourth year we took the theme one step beyond Modern

Primitives by going futuristic! The combination of Futurism Primitivism and Outer Space costumes made for great fun and incongruous scenes around the tropics hotel.

2003 - A MODERN PRIMITIVE WEEKEND The tropics motel was a sea of tropical shirts and dresses during the day and upscale evening wear at night as Sophisticated Savages imbibed and indulged at the newly remodeled Reef Bar.

2002 - SEEK THE TIKI OASIS

The summer heat of Palm Springs inspired the theme of “the oasis” which was the tropics motel at night when guests could come to life and put on their finest Aloha Wear and join the party. Artist Derek Yaniger provided the poster art which became the Tiki Oasis look.

2001 - MODERN PRIMITIVE FÊTE Modern Primitive festival was the theme for the first three Tiki Oasis and basically it still is: Friday night is Aloha Wear casual, Saturday night is semi-formal, upscale Tiki fashion. Founded by Pete Morruzzi and conceived and named by Sven Kirsten, Tiki Oasis’ beginnings were humble - we didn’t even sell out the 88 room hotel! Postcard collage art by Sven.