Category: Events

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Hukilau returns to June, historic ‘Yankee Clipper’ in 2013

Next year’s Hukilau will feature several changes that will return the annual gathering of the Tiki tribe in Fort Lauderdale to its roots: The 12th annual event will move from April to June, and it also will be centered around the Sheraton Beach Hotel, better known as the Yankee Clipper.

Hukilau 2013

Tickets are on sale now for the June 6-9 event at TheHukilau.com, and “passengers” are also being encouraged “book a stateroom aboard the Yankee Clipper” to ensure a prime spot at this extravaganza of vintage Polynesian Pop.

After five years in early June, the event was held in April last year and was centered at the Best Western Oceanside on the south end of Fort Lauderdale Beach. But with interest in mid-century culture still blooming, a move was made for 2013 to include the Sheraton, one of South Florida’s most iconic hotels. It will serve as the host hotel and will be the center of the action for most of the Hukilau activities. Guests will also receive perks for staying at this oceanfront classic, home of the legendary Wreck Bar and its enchanting mermaids, aka Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid’s Underwater Swim Show.

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A great pairing: The Mai-Kai to host premium rum tasting

The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale, one of the best places in the world to sip rum and tropical cocktails, will be the perfect site for a special tasting event on Thursday, Sept. 27.

Premium rum tasting at The Mai-Kai

From 7 to 9 p.m. in the legendary Polynesian restaurant’s Molokai lounge, guests will sample two top-shelf rums, served both neat and in vintage cocktails. The featured rums are Fortuna 8 from Nicaragua, and Dos Maderas PX from Barbados and Guyana. Of course, you also have the option of sampling other selections from The Mai-Kai’s premium rum list and acclaimed assortment of nearly 50 classic cocktails.

Presented by Robert A. Burr, organizer of the annual Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, this exclusive opportunity is limited to the first 40 guests. The cost is $20 per person in advance and $25 at the door. The price includes the four drinks: One cocktail and one neat featuring each of the two rums. Click here to make advance payment and reservations. Click here for the Facebook event.

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The Mai-Kai’s Hulaween rises from the dead for a fourth spooktacular on Oct. 26

Updated Nov. 2, 2012
NEW: Event recap, video and photos | UPDATE: Last Rites tribute recipe

Hulaween 2012 in The Mai-Kai's Molokai bar

The historic Mai-Kai Polynesian restaurant in Fort Lauderdale ghoulishly presents its fourth annual Hulaween party in the crypt of The Molokai bar on Friday, Oct. 26, from 5 p.m. into the witching hours.

Featuring special fiendish performances by South Florida’s rockabilly zombies, Slip and the Spinouts, the event will also scare up a costume contest, special cocktails, and a retro-themed throwback party during happy hour.

The Atomic Grog will host the pre-party from 5 to 7 p.m., with The Mai-Kai offering up an appropriate special “lost cocktail” for the occasion. Last Rites, which was on the bar’s original 1956 menu, will be resurrected for just this one night.
* See the poster artwork | Facebook event

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17 reasons to sink your teeth into Epcot’s 2012 International Food and Wine Festival

UPDATE: Our 2012 review
Disney raises the bar for cocktails, decadent dishes and desserts

The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, now in its 17th year, offers much more than the opportunity to eat and drink your way around the Disney theme park’s World Showcase promenade at some 30 food and beverage marketplaces. That’s the highlight, of course, but devotees have long known about the special events and distinctive touches that make a trip to Epcot a must-do every fall for foodies and Disneyphiles alike.

2012 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

The appetizer-sized portions at the marketplace booths are priced in the $4-$8 range, while drinks are $3-$6. The festival is included in the daily Epcot admission price, but most of the special events cost extra and tickets must be reserved in advance. Go to EpcotFoodFestival.com for more info. Click here to see menus and photos from all the participating marketplaces.

Spanning a record 46 days, from Sept. 28 through Nov. 12, this year’s festival will continue a recent trend toward a bigger and better event as guests become ever more demanding of what they expect from craft food and beverages. Beer and cocktails have a higher profile, and the event is also thriving on its association with celebrity chefs and the growing foodie culture in general. As a fan of television’s Food Network and other culinary programming, I have to count myself among that group.

Last year, The Atomic Grog’s experience at the festival was enjoyable beyond expectations. [Click here for the review] Look for even more extensive coverage in 2012. In preparation, here’s a list of 17 things that make this year’s International Food and Wine Festival distinctive and worth looking forward to.

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Six ways to celebrate Tiki, today and all year long

Updated Tuesday, Sept. 6

Over the past decade, the second Saturday of August has become an annual day of celebration in the world of Polynesian Pop culture: International Tiki Day.

The holiday was created in 2002 by Kevin Bullat, the steel guitar player for The Hula Girls, as a day of fasting and quiet prayer. No, wait. It’s a day dedicated to colorful aloha shirts, tropical drinks, and tribal revelry.

It’s touted as a great day to host your own backyard luau or visit a contemporary Tiki bar in your area. Most Tikiphiles need no special day to partake in such activities. It’s a year-round, 24-7 lifestyle for many. Newbies may need a little help, however.

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Mai-Kai parties are a festive cure for the summer doldrums

The Mai-Kai's bar features classic Tiki cocktails served by The Molokai Girls
The Mai-Kai's bar features classic Tiki cocktails served by The Molokai Girls. (Photo courtesy of The Mai-Kai)

Updated Aug. 15, 2012

Got those sweltering August blues yet? Even if you don’t, you’ll want to get in the Tiki spirit this month within the cool, dark confines of The Mai-Kai’s Molokai bar with a couple of special events.

The two parties – set for Sunday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 18 – promise to serve up two radically different experiences in the legendary Fort Lauderdale restaurant’s vintage shipwreck-themed lounge.

We urge you to sample one, or both:

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Pick up some Hukilau glassware for your summer Tiki party

The annual gathering of Tikiphiles in Fort Lauderdale is still more than 10 months away, but organizers of The Hukilau event know that some of us are always seeking out cool new mugs and glasses.

The original Florida Tiki History Glass, released in 2009
The original Florida Tiki History Glass, released in 2009. (Photo from TheHukilau.com)

This summer, they’ve re-released a classic and introduced something new in their Tiki Icon Series of glassware designs.

The Florida Tiki History Glass debuted at Hukilau 2009 and later sold out. This high-quality double old-fashioned glass features the the original logos and artwork from many current and defunct bars and restaurants, including The Mai-Kai and Julian’s in Ormond Beach, which unfortunately just closed.

This glass has been reissued in a special edition “exotic red” color (the original was brown). It’s just $40 for a set of four glasses. We’ve put our original set to great use over the years and highly recommend it. You’ll find a Hukilau cocktail recipe to fill your new glass below. Check out the artwork:

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Craft cocktail bar goes ‘swankadelic’ this Saturday

Sweetwater Goes Swankadelic
Click on the image for the Facebook event

Boynton Beach’s Sweetwater Bar and Grill, one of the cool off-the-beaten-path treasures of the South Florida cocktail scene, will vastly expand its scope of entertainment this Saturday when DJ Mike “Jetsetter” Jones spins some out-of-this-world “retro-active” tunes.

“Sweetwater Goes Swankadelic” starts around 9 p.m. and will likely continue into the wee hours at the small, year-old speakeasy on Federal Highway, just south of Woolbright Road. Sweetwater’s classic and inventive cocktails and decadent small-bites menu have garnered rave reviews from many critics, including The Palm Beach Post and New Times.

Liz Balmaseda wrote in The Post in early June that Sweetwater “exalts its boozy identity, wraps itself up in a speakeasy aesthetic, and defies its unexpected location in a Boynton Beach plaza. Yes, rarely thrilling Boynton Beach is home to Sweetwater Bar & Grill, one of the county’s funkiest bars.” She praised the “fresh and wild infusions, barrel-aged rum, mad assortment of bitters and homemade syrups, extensive craft beer menu and nicely curated wine list.”

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Nekromantix, the kings of psychobilly, roll back into Miami

Show info: Advance tickets, more | Facebook event | Tour Facebook page

The “Tonight We Unite” tour, which hits South Florida for a date at Miami’s Grand Central next Friday (July 27), is billed as a union of the psychobilly and punk rock worlds. Though under-represented by having just one band on the bill, the psychobilly genre nevertheless stands almost equal by virtue of the tour’s co-headliner, the mighty Nekromantix.

Kim Nekroman of Nekromantix at Churchill's in Miami on July 20, 2010
Kim Nekroman of Nekromantix at Churchill's in Miami on July 20, 2010. (Photo by Moe)

Nekromantix is perhaps psychobilly’s most popular and prolific band of the past decade. As co-headliners, the band is joining forces with thrash-punk icons The Casualties for this summer tour that offers a great underground alternative to Warped and other corporate packages. No stranger to South Florida (they played a jam-packed Monterey Club last September), Nekromantix appeal to punks and rockabilly fans of all ages with an incredibly tight array of fast-paced original songs with a macabre twist.

Just one look at the song titles and you know you’re in for a tongue-in-cheek good time: Bats in My Pants, I Kissed a Ghoul, and Bela Lugosi’s Star are just three of the catchy tunes on the band’s most recent album, What Happens in Hell, Stays in Hell (2011, Hellcat Records).

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Harold Golen Gallery isn’t monkeying around with this art show

The monthly Second Saturday Art Walk in the Wynwood Art District of Miami can be a somewhat daunting affair, with more than 60 galleries showcasing works than run the gamut from brilliant to dubious at best.

Simian Spectacle at Harold Golen Gallery

As such, it can also be somewhat snooty – in that Miami fashionista sort of way. Amid this sea of pretension stands the Harold Golen Gallery, a down-to-earth beacon that showcases the best in pop surrealism and mid-century culture.

This month, the gallery continues to thumb its nose at the nearby artsy elite with a show that’s sure to warm the hearts of South Florida’s lowbrow art fans: “Simian Spectacle,” billed as “a show with teeth … and fur!” The show’s opening night coincides with July’s art walk this Saturday and runs from 6 to 11 p.m. It continues through Aug. 4.

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