Happy Birthday, Hula’s!

33 years, and counting

Almost eight years after surviving the loss of its original location in Waikiki, Hula's Bar and Lei Stand continues to serve as a beacon in the gay community for locals and visitors alike.

"We try to keep things familiar," said general manager Del Brooks, who has worked for Hula's owner Jack Law since 1991. "We're in Waikiki, but we're not a tourist trap."

'Hula's Bar and Lei Stand 33-year Anniversary' With special guests the Brothers Cazimero and Guy Cruz Place: 134 Kapahulu Ave., 2nd floor Time: 6 p.m. Thursday Cost: $10; includes show, pupus and two drinks Call: 923-0669

With a comfortable atmosphere, friendly staff and a number of extracurricular activities available for customers to enjoy, the bar remains the first stop for many who have just arrived in Honolulu. It has also enjoyed a steady increase in heterosexual clientele in recent years, according to Brooks.

Regardless of where you're from or what your sexual orientation is, Brooks expects a packed house on Thursday, when Hula's celebrates its 33rd anniversary with a party and live performances by the Brothers Cazimero and Guy Cruz.

"THE VISION of Hula's was to have a place reminiscent of the old Waikiki that was really for everybody," Law told the Star-Bulletin in 2004. "I always wanted to have a place where gays and non-gays could have fun. It's primarily known as a gay club, but it always was, and still is, a very mixed place."

On any given night, Hula's is home to DJs and drink specials. Volleyball on the grass across the street has grown into a Wednesday afternoon tradition, followed by a weekly pool tournament later in the evening at the bar. On Saturdays, Hula's hosts an exclusive sunset cruise that's only open to customers who purchase a ticket.

Those activities, in addition to a more visible location on Kapahulu Avenue, mean increased exposure to a more diverse range of customers than the bar enjoyed when it was housed under a banyan tree on Kuhio Avenue.

"It's developing into a more touristy (bar) as it's gone on," acknowledges Brooks. "We're getting more of a straight crowd at night ... from Lulu's.

"I see lots of straight couples."

BUT THE more things change, the more they stay the same.

Hula's might be located in a different spot, but it still has the same tables and bar stools that occupied its former location. Brooks even helped disassemble the 30-foot wooden bar top that sat at the old bar, rebuilding it in a slightly different shape to accomodate its new home on the second floor of the Waikiki Grand Hotel.

Of the bar's approximately 25 employees, about half a dozen are "long-timers" like Brooks. Some bartenders have been working there for more than a decade, while the bar's head bouncer has been part of the Hula's family for more than 20 years.

Fans of the Wave Waikiki will also be happy to note that two of its long-time resident deejays were able to find jobs at Hula's after the Wave closed for good in 2006. DJs KSM and AL-X continue to spin the same type of music that made them popular at the Wave.

"What we say now is that you don't have to be gay to have a good time," Brooks said. "We want everybody to know that they're welcome here ... the anniversary party is our way of giving something back to all our customers."