Cirque du Soleil's only show in Hawaii: acrobats, hula and island music
telling Hawaiian legends in an intimate 784-seat theater on Kalakaua Avenue. Every seat
tier compared, so you pick the right one.
Independent guideNot affiliated with Cirque du Soleil or OUTRIGGER; we compare so you book the right seat
80 minNo intermission
784 seatsThree-sided thrust stage
Wed-SunShows at 5:30 & 8 PM
4.9/5822 Viator & Tripadvisor reviews
8 chaptersHawaiian legends in acrobatics
All ages2 & under free on a lap
Tickets
Choose your Auana tickets
Booked through Viator: instant confirmation, mobile ticket, every tax and
fee included in the price. Like all Auana tickets, sales are final, so pick your night with care.
Best value80 min
Category Seats (1, 2 & 3)
★ 4.9/5(822 reviews on Viator & Tripadvisor)
Instant confirmationMobile ticketFees & taxes included
The side and upper sections, the cheapest way in. With only 784 seats nothing is far away, and several reviewers rate the 200s above the front rows because you see the whole stage and the acts in the air.
Instant confirmationMobile ticketFees & taxes included
The center block facing the stage head-on, far enough back to follow the aerial acts overhead without craning your neck. It is where reviewers who have seen the show twice say they would sit again.
View full details
Assigned seat in the center section, picked at checkout
All fees and taxes included
Mobile ticket, instant confirmation
Ages 3 to 11 pay the child rate; 2 and under free on a lap
Instant confirmationMobile ticketFees & taxes included
Rows A to C around the thrust stage, close enough to see every expression and catch the cast's asides. The trade-off: some aerial acts happen above and behind you, so you will be looking up.
All three seat tiers are sold on the same Viator listing; you choose the tier and
exact seats at checkout. Ratings are for that listing as of September 2026; tier prices move by night.
The theater is inside the OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber, in the heart of Waikiki. Most hotels are a short walk away.
Doors ~45 min before
2Photos and a drink
Photo spots in the lobby and a lanai bar upstairs. Show your mobile ticket, find your seat, settle in.
~20 min
3Eight Hawaiian chapters
Voyaging swings, a moon-goddess hoop, a water bowl and a fiery wheel, tied together by hula, live music and a comic host.
80 min, no break
4Look up, too
The whole room is the stage: some acts fly above the audience, which is why mid-rows and the 200s see the most.
Every seat
5Out into Waikiki
You are back on Kalakaua by 7 PM or about 9:30 PM, with the beach, dinner and live music a block away.
Steps away
The Voyaging SwingsHula woven through every chapterThe water bowl actShowtime on Kalakaua Avenue
Plan Your Visit
Plan your Auana night
Getting there, show times, tickets and what to wear: the practical details, one tab each.
On foot: the OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel sits at 2300 Kalakaua Avenue, between the Royal Hawaiian Center and the International Market Place. From most Waikiki hotels it is a 5 to 15 minute walk.
By car: the hotel does not validate show parking. The International Market Place garage across the street charges about $4 for three hours with a $25 purchase; hotel valet is far more.
By rideshare or TheBus: ask for the Beachcomber on Kalakaua Avenue; many bus routes stop within a block.
Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early. Reviewers who parked in the wrong garage made it with a minute to spare.
Wednesday to Sunday, two shows a night: 5:30 PM and a later show at 8:00 PM (8:30 PM on some dates; your ticket shows the exact time).
No shows on Mondays and Tuesdays, plus a few dark dates around holidays.
Running time about 80 minutes with no intermission; doors open about 45 minutes before.
The box office in the hotel is open 10 AM to 5:30 PM on Monday and Tuesday and 10 AM to 9 PM from Wednesday to Sunday.
Seat tiers from cheapest: Category 4, 3, 2 and 1, Golden Circle, Preferred, Premier and Front Row. Prices change night by night.
Box office entry price: from $69 plus about $16 in taxes and fees. On Viator: from $102 with every fee included.
Children 3 to 11 pay a child price; children 2 and under are free on a lap. Hawaii residents get 30% off with ID.
Every Auana ticket is non-refundable and cannot be moved to another date, wherever you buy it.
Resort casual: aloha shirts, sundresses and shorts are all normal. No need to dress up.
Bring a light layer; the theater is air-conditioned and feels cool after the warm street.
Eat before you come. The bar sells drinks and snacks (around $6 for water and $17 for a cocktail).
No flash photos during the show; the lobby photo spots and the curtain call are the time for pictures.
The eight chapters of the show
Chapter 1Voyaging SwingsPolynesian voyagers crossing the Pacific: a troupe launched high off giant swings.
Chapter 2Lyra aerial hoopAn ode to Hina, goddess of the moon, spun some 20 feet above the stage.
Chapter 3Water bowlMamala, the chiefess of old Honolulu, swims and dives in a giant bowl of water.
Chapter 4Roller-skating duoThe Naupaka legend of separated lovers, told at dizzying speed.
Chapter 5Rola bolaHe'e nalu, the art of surfing, as balance stacked on rolling cylinders.
Chapter 6Foot jugglingA playful nod to the golden age of Waikiki tourism.
Chapter 7Sand paintingImages drawn live in sand: a quiet chapter about the bond with the land.
Chapter 8Wheel of LifeThe red-hot finale, inspired by the 'alae 'ula bird that brought fire.
Theater Location
Where Auana plays in Waikiki
OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel
2300 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
Auana has its own purpose-built theater inside the hotel, right on Waikiki's main
street. Walk in from Kalakaua Avenue and follow the show signs; staff at the doors scan
your mobile ticket. There is no hotel pickup on any ticket, but you will hardly need it.
Across the street from the International Market Place
One block from Waikiki Beach and the Duke Kahanamoku statue
The Auana kiosk on Kalakaua Avenue is open daily 4 to 9 PM
Where to sit, the small things that matter, what is nearby and the ticket fine print.
Front Row: Row A, wrapped around the stage
Premier & Preferred: Rows B and C, right behind the front row
Golden Circle: Best available seats in the center section
Category 1 & 2: Side and upper sections with a full view
Category 3 & 4: Outer and top rows, the cheapest seats
Schematic, not to scale. The stage (dark, bottom) is a thrust with the audience on three sides; exact rows and sections are shown when you pick seats at checkout.
Best overall: Golden Circle, center section, several rows back. You face the stage and still see the acts in the air.
Best value: the 200 sections. Reviewers who sat there say they caught more than the front rows did.
Closest: Premier and Front Row put you inches from the cast; expect to look up and behind for some aerial moments.
4.9822 reviews Viator & Tripadvisor, as of September 2026
★★★★★
One of the best shows I've seen in a while and I've seen quite a few in Las Vegas. This show encompasses the rich culture of Hawaii with the exciting acrobatics of the world famous Cirque du Soleil. A must see in Oahu!
★★★★★
This was an amazing show. The performers are outstanding and it was a beautiful story full of all the culture and history. My only suggestion is not to purchase the front seats. Our seats were in the 5th row, which meant seeing the stage was no problem.
★★★★★
An interesting and respectful take on the Hawaiian culture with loads of action combined with great music and acrobatics.
★★★★★
The entrance process was fast and easy. There were multiple areas for picture opportunities. There was not a bad seat anywhere you sat was a good view of the stage and performance. The performers were amazing, very talented and entertaining!
★★★★★
The show is exceptional. The theater is small so even if you don't get the more expensive tickets you are still close to the stage.
★★★★★
Great show for the whole family. Don't recommend sitting too close to the stage as you will have to try and look up.
Quotes from verified Viator bookings of the Auana listing, lightly trimmed for length.
Make a Night of It
A sunset sail before the 8 PM show
The Ke Kai catamaran boards on the beach across the street from the theater and is back
before dark, so a sunset sail and the late show fit neatly into one evening.
Waikiki Beach Sunset Sail on Ke Kai with Drinks
★ 4.8/5 (474 reviews) · 1.5 hours · from $70
A 90-minute catamaran sail that boards on the sand in front of Duke's, directly across Kalakaua Avenue from the theater. It leaves at 5:30 PM with drinks included and is back by about 7 PM: time for a quick dinner and the 8 PM show.
Departs 5:30 PM from Waikiki BeachDrinks includedFree cancellation to 24h
Auana is the first Cirque du Soleil show to make Hawaii its permanent
home, and it was built for the islands rather than shipped in. Here is what you are
actually buying, what it costs, where to sit and how to fit it into a Waikiki evening.
What the show is
Auana opened on 17 December 2024 in a purpose-built, 784-seat theater inside the
OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel. Officially spelled ʻAuana, the name means "to
wander" and is also the word for modern hula, and the show wanders through eight chapters of
Hawaiian legend: Polynesian voyagers on giant swings, the moon goddess Hina on an aerial
hoop, the chiefess Mamala in a bowl of water, the origin of fire on a spinning wheel. A
Hawaiian creative team led the cultural side, from the costumes by Manaola Yap to the
choreography of kumu hula Hiwa Vaughan, and a live band plays island music throughout.
Reviewers keep coming back to the same word: respectful. It runs about 80 minutes with no
intermission, and USA TODAY 10Best readers voted it one of the best new attractions in the
country.
A three-sided thrust stage and only 784 seats: the room is small enough that nobody is far from the action.
The ticket math, honestly
Auana uses dynamic pricing, so each tier costs more on Fridays and Saturdays and less on
Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. At the box office the cheapest seats start at $69 plus
about $16 in taxes and fees, so around $85 all-in on a quiet night. Golden Circle sits around
$150, Premier about $170 and Front Row about $255. The Viator listing
starts at $102 with everything included and sells every tier from Category 3 up to Front
Row, but it does not beat the box office on price, and it does not carry the cheapest
Category 4 seats. What it gives you is a single USD price with no fees added at the end,
Viator's support and the same mobile ticket. Two groups should buy direct: Hawaii residents,
who get 30 percent off with ID, and groups of 10 or more. Everyone else can book wherever
checkout is easiest, because the ticket itself is identical.
The one rule to know: Auana tickets are non-refundable and cannot
be moved to another date, from any seller. Book once your Oahu dates are fixed, and choose
the night before you choose the seat.
Where to sit
The stage pushes out into the audience with seats on three sides, and several acts take
place in the air above the rows. That changes the usual logic of "closer is better". The
front rows are thrilling for faces and costumes, but reviewers warn that you spend the
aerial numbers looking up, and some performers end up behind you. The sweet spot is the
Golden Circle in the center section, around row five or further back, or the upper 200
sections, which several reviewers rated above the 100s. Because the room is so small, even
the cheapest Category seats feel close. The best seats guide has
a schematic seating chart.
The roller-skating duo tells the legend of the naupaka flower at full spin, on a platform barely wider than the skaters.
When to go
The theater runs Wednesday to Sunday with two shows a night. The 5:30 PM performance
is the one for families, first nights with jet lag and anyone who wants dinner afterwards;
the later show, at 8:00 PM (8:30 PM on some dates), leaves time for the beach and a sunset
first. Book a Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday if price matters. Seats on weekends and holiday
weeks sell out first, and because the theater has only 784 seats, it is worth booking before
you fly rather than on the day.
Making a night of it
The theater's location is its secret weapon: everything else about a Waikiki evening is
within a block. Book the Ke Kai sunset sail, which boards on the sand
across the street at 5:30 PM and is back around 7 PM, eat on Kalakaua Avenue and walk in for the
8 PM curtain. Or see the early show and head to the beach afterwards for live music and a
late mai tai. Kids? The 5:30 PM show finishes before 7, and children 2 and under ride free
on a lap. Whatever you plan, arrive 30 to 45 minutes early; the hotel does not validate
parking, and walking is faster than circling the garages.
A sunset sail from the beach across the street, then the late show: the classic Waikiki double.
For most visitors, yes. It holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating across 822 Viator and Tripadvisor reviews, and it is the only Cirque du Soleil show in Hawaii: world-class acrobatics woven through Hawaiian stories, hula and live island music, in a theater small enough that no seat is far from the stage. Budget travelers can sit in the Category sections from about $102 and still see everything.
How long is the Auana show in Waikiki?
About 80 minutes with no intermission. Doors open roughly 45 minutes before the curtain, so plan on about two hours door to door. There are two shows a night, Wednesday to Sunday: 5:30 PM and a later show at 8:00 PM (listed as 8:30 PM on some dates, so check your ticket). The theater is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays.
What does Auana mean?
Officially written ʻAuana, it is a Hawaiian word meaning "to wander" or "to veer off the beaten path", and it is also the name of modern hula (hula ʻauana), as opposed to ancient hula kahiko. The show uses it as a journey through Hawaiian legends, from Polynesian voyaging to the moon goddess Hina. More in the story and the acts.
How much does Auana cost?
At the box office, entry-level seats start at $69 plus about $16 in taxes and fees (roughly $85 all-in) on the cheapest nights. Golden Circle runs about $150, Premier about $170 and Front Row about $255. On Viator the listing starts at $102 with every fee included. Hawaii residents get 30 percent off with ID. Full breakdown in Auana ticket prices.
What are the best seats for Auana?
Center seats about five rows or more back, which is the Golden Circle block, or the upper 200 sections. The stage is a three-sided thrust and several acts fly above the audience, so the front rows put you close but looking up. Reviewers repeatedly say row 5 or the 200s were ideal. See the seating chart guide.
Is Auana kid-friendly?
Yes. It is a family show with comedy, music and nothing frightening. Children 3 to 11 pay a discounted child price, children 2 and under are free on a parent's lap, and guests under 18 must be with an adult. At 80 minutes without a break it suits kids who can sit through a movie; the 5:30 PM show is easier for little ones.
Where can I find discounted Auana tickets?
Prices move by night: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays are usually cheapest, and the official site sometimes runs Friday offers. Hawaii residents get 30 percent off at the box office with ID, and groups of 10 or more get group rates. Viator does not undercut the box office, but it lists every tier with all fees included in one USD price. How to pay less.
Where is Auana located?
In its own 784-seat theater inside the OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel, 2300 Kalakaua Avenue, in the middle of Waikiki. The hotel does not validate parking, so walking, a rideshare or the International Market Place garage across the street is easiest. Directions are in theater location.
What should I wear to a Cirque du Soleil show in Hawaii?
Resort casual. An aloha shirt or sundress fits right in, and shorts with a nice top are fine too; nobody dresses up. Bring a light layer because the air conditioning is cool after a warm Waikiki evening. More tips in know before you go.
Which Cirque du Soleil show is better, O or KA?
"O" at Bellagio is the most beautiful, a water show on a stage that turns into a pool. KA at MGM Grand is the most dramatic, a martial-arts epic on a stage that tilts vertical. Both are in Las Vegas. Auana is smaller, more intimate and the only one with Hawaiian culture at its heart. Compared side by side in Auana vs O vs KA.
Which Cirque du Soleil show is adults only?
Mad Apple at New York-New York in Las Vegas does not admit guests under 18 because of its adult comedy. Auana is the opposite: a family show open to all ages, with children 2 and under free on a lap.
Why are Cirque du Soleil tickets so expensive?
A resident show carries a large international cast, live musicians, custom rigging and a purpose-built theater, and Auana spreads those costs over only 784 seats a night. The upside is the view: even the cheapest Category seats are close to the stage. Choosing a Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday is the easiest way to pay less.
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Best value80 min
