Qualla: Polynesian Cultural Center

Polynesian Cultural Center: Introduction

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0. It started with a fish. In the 1940s and 1950s, members of the Latter-day Saints community in Laie, on Oahu's North Shore, hosted hukilau gatherings -- traditional communal fishing events followed by luaus on the beach -- to raise money to rebuild a local chapel destroyed by fire. These beachside celebrations drew such crowds that songwriter Jack Owens, visiting one of them, wrote "The Hukilau Song," later made famous by Hawaiian singer Alfred Apaka. The idea that Pacific Island culture could draw an audience, and that the audience could fund something lasting, took root right there on the sand.

Image: Famartin | CC BY-SA 4.0

Polynesian Cultural Center: From Beach Luaus to Living Museum

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Johnny Silvercloud, CC BY-SA 2.0. In early 1962, LDS Church president David O. McKay authorized construction of a nonprofit cultural center on 42 acres of land belonging to nearby Brigham Young University-Hawaii. The purpose was twofold: preserve Polynesian culture and provide employment and scholarships for BYU-...

Image: Johnny Silvercloud | CC BY-SA 2.0

Polynesian Cultural Center: Eight Villages, One Lagoon

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Johnny Silvercloud, CC BY-SA 2.0. The center is organized around eight simulated villages, each representing a major Polynesian culture: Hawaii, Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga, and the Marquesas Islands, along with a special exhibit dedicated to Rapa Nui -- Easter Island. Hourly performances b...

Image: Johnny Silvercloud | CC BY-SA 2.0

Polynesian Cultural Center: Students Behind the Spectacle

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0. What distinguishes the PCC from a typical theme park is its workforce. Roughly seventy percent of its approximately 1,300 employees are students at BYU-Hawaii, many from the very Pacific Island nations represented in the villages. They work up to 20 hours per week during school t...

Image: Farragutful | CC BY-SA 4.0

Polynesian Cultural Center: Fire and Breath

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0. Each evening, the center stages Ha -- Breath of Life, a large-scale production that The New York Times described as "a vivid, energetic production that highlights song and dance from the indigenous cultures of the South Pacific." With a cast of roughly 100 performers appearing si...

Image: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America | CC BY-SA 2.0