The Spirit of Tiki
When tiki bars emerged in 1930s America, rum was the spirit that fueled the fantasy. With Prohibition freshly repealed, whiskey and gin were expensive and slow to rebound. Rum, by contrast, was abundant, affordable, and easily sourced from the Caribbean, Latin America, and U.S. territories like Puerto Rico.
For Donn Beach, who opened the world’s first tiki bar in 1934, and later Trader Vic, rum was not only economical but was ideal for blending the flavorful and strong cocktails that became tiki classics.
Donn and Vic sourced rums from diverse origins. Jamaican pot stills, Cuban-style column distillates, and Demerara rums rich in character. Using these, they created layered flavor profiles that no single bottle could offer. Rum’s diversity, from high-ester funk to smooth Spanish-style lightness, made it the perfect foundation for the bold, flavorful drinks that defined tiki’s golden age.
At the Fiji Rum and Tiki Festival, we will showcase an exceptional selection of rums from globally recognized icons to rising stars across the Pacific Islands and Australia. Experience the spirit of tiki in its ancestral home.
Paradise Found. Legends Made.
For nearly a century, tiki has offered a fantasy of paradise. A dream shaped by art, music, cocktails, and stories of faraway islands. But paradise was never just an idea. It’s real. You’ll find it here, where the ocean meets the sky in endless blues and the cultures that inspired tiki are alive and thriving.
“If you can’t get to paradise, I’ll bring it to you,” Donn Beach once said. Now, we bring you to paradise.
This is Fiji. This is paradise found. The place that inspired Donn’s vision.
From iconic rum makers and master mixologists to cultural custodians and contemporary storytellers, this is where the next chapter of tiki is being written. The land that first sparked its flame.
Join us on the edge of the Pacific, where legends are made not by myth, but by craft, connection, and the courage to raise a glass to something greater.
