Paradise Cove Luau, the oceanfront spectacle at Ko Olina in Kapolei, is set to stage its final performance on Dec. 31, 2025, closing the book on decades of nightly shows, imu ceremonies and sunset hulas. The shutdown will end one of Oʻahu’s best known visitor draws and push long-time performers, servers and production crews into job searches as developers move ahead with plans to redo the shoreline parcel.
Final Curtain Call And How Many Jobs Are On The Line
Operator PC Services Inc. has told staff that 167 employees will be terminated when the venue goes dark at the end of 2025, according to Pacific Business News. Local television coverage has painted an even starker picture, with Hawaii News Now reporting that about 172 employees received 60-day notices from management.
The operator runs Paradise Cove under a lease with landowner James Campbell Company, which is steering plans for a major new project on the site.
‘The Cove’ Project Aims To Remake The Waterfront
Developers have submitted a Final Environmental Impact Statement for a project dubbed "The Cove," which would replace the current luau grounds with restaurants, retail, cultural programming spaces and an oceanfront performing-arts amphitheater, according to the FEIS. Project documents describe a roughly $135 million redevelopment that would cut nightly luau seating from about 1,200 to roughly 650.
The filings also anticipate about 484 full-time jobs once the new complex is up and running, according to project materials. James Campbell Company, the property owner, says additional permits and reviews are still required before any construction can begin.
Workers Brace For Impact As Support Efforts Ramp Up
Employees told reporters they received 60-day notices and described operator and landowner representatives coordinating job fairs and other resources for displaced staff, Hawaii News Now reported. Musician Liuaki Taufa, who has spent decades performing at the leeward shore venue, summed up the mood simply: “I get two more months to do my best,” he told the station.
Staffers say the community has stepped up with support, but that the loss of the luau feels like losing a piece of a local cultural institution.
Tickets, Last-Chance Reservations And Refunds
Paradise Cove’s official site continues to list reservations through the end of December and provides customer contacts for packages and bookings, including information for guests hoping to snag a seat at one of the final shows. Travel coverage advising visitors notes that anyone holding tickets for dates after Dec. 31 should contact the venue or their point of purchase to arrange refunds or rebooking, and that demand for those year-end performances is running high.
Timeline, Neighborhood Worries And What Comes Next
Project materials and local reporting state that the redevelopment still needs city and state approvals and will require a multiyear construction period before the new complex opens. Developers have floated a roughly 24-month build once permits are secured.
Neighbors and board members have used the review process to raise concerns about traffic, parking, beach access and protections for cultural resources. Developers say they plan to continue community engagement as plans move ahead.
For now, the luau is set to keep running nightly through Dec. 31, 2025, even as the site edges toward its next chapter.
Readers can find more on staffing counts and developer filings in coverage by Pacific Business News, along with additional local reporting from Hawaii News Now, as well as in the project’s Final EIS.
