TIKIPALOOZA: The Start of Tiki Season!

Early last February, Kevin (The Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai) Crossman alerted me to something called Tikipalooza that was coming to Seattle in early March. It was going to be held at a place called Tim’s Tavern. Tikipalooza? And right here close to home? How had I not heard of it before? Tim’s Tavern? If that was a tiki establishment, how had I not been aware of that either?

I looked it up online. While there have been other events called Tikipalooza here and there over the years, this was apparently the first Tikipalooza to hit Seattle. After the demise of Tiki Kon in 2023, a new tiki event was just what the Pacific Northwest needed. And this was the first one? How could I not attend the inaugural shindig? I quickly bought my ticket.

March 9^th, the day of Tikipalooza, arrived wet and very cool—typical of the Pacific Northwest for a good portion of the year.  I had wondered why the organizers had planned it then instead of later in the summer, but I wasn’t going to let a little rain deter me. I was, however, having strange stomach issues that day. UGH! Still, I made the drive and was looking forward to the evening.

Tikipalooza was planned as a one-night-only event. After checking into my hotel, I headed over to Tom’s Tavern. It looked far more honky tonk than tiki, but what did I know?

The event stated off with a tiki marketplace.  Marketplaces are always my favorite thing at any tiki shindig. There were vendors set up on the patio area and along the porch of the bar. Paintings, jewelry, aloha wear, and mugs were among the items up for grabs. While poking around, I ran into Kevin Crossman and David Gambale (both of which I hadn’t seen in nearly a year). I also ran into (Tiki With) Ray Wyland and his pal Jason Craig. Awesome!

The marketplace opened at 4 p.m. and was to run for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, I needed to watch my spending, but I didn’t really see anything I absolutely had to have anyway.

Instead of hanging out and socializing, I decided to maximize my time in West Seattle and check out another tiki venue I’d not visited before (Three 9 Lounge). I’d be back in time for the symposium (Stephen Curran and his photo-illustrated tales of his trip to Papua New Guinea) at 6 p.m.

I was late getting back. I felt bad, but I had seen Stephen’s presentation the summer before. However, before heading into the main bar for the show, I stopped and bought a drink from the Air Stream trailer bar on the patio.

I said hello to Ken and Heather Pleasant—and how delightful it was to see them again. I ran into Kevin Fenton. It was good to see him as well, and we chatted a bit before heading inside. I hadn’t seen him in a long while either.

Inside the bar, Steven’s talk hadn’t started yet. Apparently there had been several technical glitches that had hindered things. They finally got things worked out and the symposium began.

During his presentation, Geneen Sparks spotted me from a corner table and gave me a wave. David Gambale was hanging out in the back of the room, sipping a drink while watching Stephen’s show. My stomach issues were leaving me increasingly uncomfortable, but I stood next to David, leaning against a railing, absorbing Stephen’s fascinating photos and story while slowly sipping my beverage.

When the talk was over, I socialized a little bit. I sat with Ray, Jason, and Kevin for a while.

We eventually moved to the patio, where one of the bands (The Tikigraphs, Tropical Itch, and Astropherian were all scheduled to play. I was unfortunately not familiar with any of them.) was performing for a very enthusiastic crowd.

I was chatting with Ray and one of his tiki friends, Alexa McCabe, came over to say hello. It was great to meet her, as I had spoken to her a bit on Facebook and had sent her one of my mail art envelopes. It was good putting a face with the name.

Although I hated to be a party pooper, my GI issues were really being bothersome. I finished up my one drink and started to head out. On the way, I ran into Kevin Fenton again. Geneen had joined him, and it was wonderful to have a quick conversation with her. I also bumped into David Gambale and Heather Pleasant again near the entrance. They were on the way to get something out of a car, but it was nice to have a chance to say goodnight to them as well.

Although I wasn’t in the best space to experience Tikpalooza, I hope it becomes an annual thing. The idea of a marketplace, symposium, and tiki-themed bands is a winner. But the thing I really loved about the experience was getting to see many tiki friends after such a long winter away from them. For that reason, Tikipalooza was like the start of the tiki season.