Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel and Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group have teamed up to bring Honolulu residents and visitors a bespoke new multi-year resident show, exclusive to Hawai‘i.
Executives from both organizations were joined by Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi to make the exciting announcement.
Anticipated to open in late 2024, the show will fuse the world-renowned acrobatics and innovation that Cirque du Soleil is known for with the natural beauty and unique culture of the islands. Native Hawaiian Aaron J. Salā, PhD has been retained as the creative cultural producer to assist in creating this show’s storyline along with other prominent Hawaiian artists, musicians and dancers.
A joint venture is being made by both parties to create this opportunity and transform the 20,000 sq. ft. showroom venue at Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel, previously used by Magic of Polynesia. The necessary permits for renovation work to commence and create the nearly 800-seat theater with state-of-the-art audio-visual system are now in the process of being submitted. The venue architect is Hawai‘i-based G70 with project estimating done by RLB in Honolulu.
“Cirque du Soleil is an iconic company at the apex of entertainment; we are confident that the show created for Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel will delight and astound our guests and residents. This collaboration with Cirque was years in the making and perfectly aligns with Outrigger’s brand elevation strategy, which includes a promise to provide authentic live music and signature experiences in renowned beach locations,” said Jeff Wagoner, president and CEO of Outrigger Hospitality Group.
“We are thrilled to partner with a company as prominent as Outrigger to bring a brand new world-class immersive experience to life in Honolulu,” said Eric Grilly, Cirque du Soleil president of resident and affiliate shows.
“We look forward to having a new home in Hawai’i and drawing on the rich culture of the islands as inspiration for the show.”
“In addition to bringing new vibrancy to Waikīkī, this project will produce significant economic impact through job creations in redeveloping the theater space and ongoing show operations; I’m honored and excited to welcome Cirque du Soleil as the newest Honolulu resident,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
Cirque du Soleil now has 4,000 employees from 80 nationalities that contribute to 32 shows presented around the world and 9.5 million tickets are sold annually.
More details will be shared in the coming months regarding the partnership, the show’s name and creative concept as well as on-sale dates, with a target of December 2024 for the show’s debut.
Photo credit: Cirque du Soleil
