I was disappointed with the free Maui hula show at the Lahaina Cannery Mall.
It was the mall's fault, not the dancers. My expectations were raised to a high level by the the pictures on their website, which has young adult dancers in elaborate costumes which looked similar to a Maui luau show.
So I didn't expect the performance by young children and grandmotherly types. I was at the weeknight show - not the weekend keiki (kids) show.
Lahaina Cannery Mall
Images Displayed on Lahaina Cannery Mall Website
What We Saw at the Show
I enjoyed similar hula dancers at the free show at Lahaina Center, but they delivered what they led me to expect there. We spend a lot of money to travel and stay in Maui, and each evening is valuable to us. I realize this is a free show - but I don't want to be misled, even for free.
Free Hula Show
The professionalism of the show was at the level of one of my kid's elementary school shows - wrong prerecorded songs which stopped the performance until the correct song was located, the lone accompanist admonishing the children performers to always smile, the accompanist beginning the wrong song on his ukelele before being stared down by the child hula dancer.
In the video below, you may notice that the accompanist is playing the same song in every performance.
Unless you happen to be wandering through the mall and notice the show at the food court, I recommend skipping this free Maui hula show.
Free Show Schedule
The free hula show is scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7PM. To view a show schedule, click here (opens a web page in a new browser window on the Lahaina Cannery Mall website).
When I attended there was no one on the stage at 7PM, so I wandered off to Longs Drugs and bought some suntan lotion. The show started soon after I returned 15 minutes later. Their mission was accomplished - I made a purchase at the mall - but I felt manipulated.
Lahaina Cannery Mall Directions
The Lahaina Cannery mall in Maui is located between Front Street and the Honoapiilani Highway (the road between Lahaina and Kaanapali) in north Lahaina. This is the mall that has Safeway and Longs Drugs.
Lots of free parking is available in the large lot surrounding the mall.