Categories: Beth Accomando, CULTURE GEEK, THE BUZZ

CULTURE GEEK: Tiki Oasis Returns to San Diego for 25 Years of Island Escapism

By Culture Geek Beth Accomando

August 6, 2025

Everyone needs an escape and Tiki Oasis is all about escape. Through this Sunday you can seek refuge at Town and Country Resort and enjoy live music, pool lounging, fashion shows, art exhibits, educational seminars, and tropical cocktails at the biggest Tiki weekender on the planet.

“We didn’t set out to create the largest and longest-running Tiki event in the world,”  noted event founders Baby Doe and Otto von Stroheim. “From the beginning, our aim was to craft an experience that would bring Tiki lovers together. Today, we are proud that through Tiki Oasis, so many have discovered not just a great party and fun festival, but a sense of family and community.”

When you arrive at Tiki Oasis, you are transported to another world where people are perfectly coiffed and impeccably dressed. Couples might be decked out in matching outfits, hats might feature an erupting volcano, and even the dogs wear Hawaiian shirts.

To outsiders, it is easy to look at Tiki Oasis and see cultural appropriation. But Tiki culture has its roots in World War II when young servicemen were stationed overseas and fell in love with island life and then wanted to celebrate that love stateside. So Tiki culture stems from love and appreciation.

Hollywood delivered a romanticized version of island cultures with films like Hurricane, Song of the Island, South Pacific, and Blue Hawaii. Tiki culture embraces both the kitschy escapism of tropical cultures as well as genuine Polynesian culture.

This year marks a quarter century for Tiki Oasis. It began in 2000 as an event to save the Tropics Motel in Palm Springs. Then in 2007, it  arrived San Diego at The Hanalei Hotel, with its opening night at Bali Hai. Then post pandemic, it took up residence at the newly renovated Town and Country Resort.

The weekend will feature seminars, tastings and an inspired bartender battle. Seminars will feature a Fire Eating Mermaid, lamp building, a history of beach party movies, Jamaica’s influence on tropical cocktails as well as a look at The Architecture of Mid-Century Bowling.

Attending seminars requires paid admission, but what the show boasts as “The Largest Tiki Marketplace on Planet Earth” as well as its art show are free to the public. There is also the LGBTiki meetup called Lavender Luau as well as Annual San Diego Tiki Oasis Caftan Meetup and a Pooch Parade. You can even book an appointment at Beauty BouTiki where you can be beautifully coiffed in vintage fashion.

The world may be a burning dumpster fire but Tiki Oasis provides much needed relief. And sadly, that dumpster fire will still be waiting for you on Monday. So grab a tropical cocktail, listen to some cool tunes, and relax. You deserve it.

Event: TIKI OASIS
Website: www.tikioasis.com
Date: August 6-11, 2025
Location: Town and Country Resort, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108

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Vanguard Culture

Vanguard Culture is an online media entity designed for culturally savvy, socially conscious individuals. We provide original interviews and reviews of the people, places, and events that make up San Diego’s thriving arts and culture community, as well as curated snapshots of the week’s best, most inspiring and unique cultural and culinary events. We believe in making a difference in the world, supporting San Diego’s vibrant visual and performing arts community and bringing awareness to important social and community causes.