After more than four decades in Ko Olina, Paradise Cove Lū‘au will take its final bow this week, but those who want to take a piece of the history home with them can.
Items from the lū‘au are being sold in an online auction that opened last week. Managed by O‘ahu Auctions, bidding ends at 6 p.m. Jan. 13.
Up for grabs are a variety of items, including signage; benches, chair and other furniture; plants; tiki statutes; golf carts and other vehicles; clothing, outrigger canoes and kayaks; instruments and audio equipment; cameras and photography equipment, and more.
“This is not your typical offering,” O‘ahu Auctions President Dave Brandt said in a statement. “We are taking bids on inventory from departments across this well-run and long-lived local company, from facilities maintenance to entertainment.”
(ICYMI: Aloha State Daily spoke to one of the lū‘au’s longtime musicians and entertainers ahead of its closure. You can read that here).
Paradise Cove’s Dec. 31 closure allows the landowner, James Campbell Co., to proceed with a planned redevelopment of the 10.9-acre oceanfront property.
The cove property — acquired by James Campbell in 1877 — has been used commercially since the 1970s and was last redeveloped in the early 1990s.
A final environmental impact statement published in January 2025 says that the project aims to "update the commercial lū‘au show and create an authentic Hawaiian outdoor recreation facility and community gathering place for kama‘āina and visitors that honors and reflects history, culture and connection to place."
According to the EIS, plans call for demolishing several existing dated structures at the site and existing concrete walls within the shoreline setback area, after which the site will be restored to pre-existing conditions before being redeveloped.
In addition to a new amphitheater and performing arts venue, other planned updates noted in the EIS include an improved main arrival area, retail shops hosting Hawai‘i-made goods, restaurants and a marketplace and common areas.
James Campbell Co., a Hawai‘i-based and nationally diversified real estate company, told ASD in an email earlier this month that it is advancing Waianiani at the Cove in partnership with Kobayashi Group and BlackSand Capital.
“The project is envisioned as a welcoming gathering place for both kama‘āina and visitors, featuring cultural entertainment and education alongside locally focused retail, restaurants, open spaces and beach-oriented gathering areas,” the company said, noting that the project, designed to support local businesses and artisans, is expected to generate close to 500 full-time jobs when complete.
“Waianiani at the Cove represents a generational opportunity to honor the site’s cultural legacy while creating a vibrant gathering place that brings together culture, dining, entertainment, and local businesses,” Kevin Penn, president and CEO of James Campbell Co., said in a statement provided to ASD. “We look forward to being underway with construction in the new year.”
Neither Penn nor the company specified a timeline for that construction.
Last month, Maui-based T S Restaurants announced plans for Duke’s at the Cove, which it says will anchor Waianiani at The Cove. This will be T S Restaurants’ second new location in the Islands in more than 15 years, after Duke’s Kona at the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa later in 2026, a November announcement noted.
“What makes this Duke’s so special is the West O’ahu community,” T S Restaurants CEO Jackie Reed said in that announcement. “We’ve always been rooted in Hawai‘i and inspired by its people and culture. This is our chance to bring the Duke’s experience closer to home for families who live, work and play on the Leeward Coast. Being more accessible to West O‘ahu residents makes this opening especially meaningful for our team.”
Family-owned T S Restaurants was founded in 1977 and owns and operates 13 restaurants in Hawai‘i and California, including Duke’s Waikiki and Hula Grill Waikiki on O‘ahu; Kimo’s, Leilani’s on the Beach, Hula Grill Kā‘anapali and Duke’s Beach House on Maui; and Duke’s Kaua‘i and Keoki’s Paradise on Kaua‘i.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
