HENDERSON, NEV. — Of the thousands of people who move from Hawai‘i to Las Vegas every year, about 100 are inside the Beach House Las Vegas on a Sunday afternoon.
Located about 15 miles southeast of the Las Vegas strip, the Beach House is a Hawai‘i-themed bar and grill owned by Kāne‘ohe natives Ona and Roz Souza. Dropped inside of it, and one would be more convinced they're in West O‘ahu rather than the Vegas suburbs. Plates of garlic chicken and pitchers of beer are being transported to multiple tables while Island reggae plays on the speakers.
It is estimated that the vast majority of the Beach House's customers are natives of the Aloha State who immigrated to the so-called ninth island. Whether they move to Las Vegas because of financial or family reasons, customers come to the Beach House in search of a taste of home. And on this day, they're certainly going to get it.
"Uncle Frank will be here in five minutes! Five Hawaiian minutes," an emcee jokes.
In January 2025, Hawai‘i comedy legend Frank De Lima became another member of the Island diaspora, relocating to a retirement home in Las Vegas after facing mounting health issues.
De Lima, who turned 77 on July 8, ended his birthday week with a show at the Beach House. One hundred tickets, priced at $20 apiece, were quickly sold out.
Emerging from a door and onto the stage, De Lima's presence drew rousing approval and applause from the crowd. Dressed in a sumo costume, he immediately broke into song, parodying Bruno Mars' "24K Magic," PSY's "Gangnam Style," and Silentó's "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)."
In De Lima's 90-minute 77th birthday show, he switched between dialogue and song. Following his opening number, he thanked the crowd for coming out. He then asked the Hawai‘i-heavy crowd how many had watched the UFC 329 fight the night before between Wai‘anae's Max Holloway and Ireland's Conor McGregor, referring to McGregor as "the babooze who wen broke his adda leg."
De Lima then went on to more songs, poking fun at seemingly every demographic in Hawai‘i, as he is wont to do. He welcomed and worked the crowd simultaneously, displaying he still has the wit at his age to make locals laugh.
De Lima: Any Chinese in here?
Audience member: Here!
De Lima: What's your last name?
Audience member: Ah-Hee
De Lima: Ahi? That's Hawaiian!
In the days following his 77th birthday, De Lima was in a reflective state of mind. He reminisced about being on the cheer team instead of the football team at Damien, then years later leaving the parish to pursue show business. He fondly looked back at his career beginnings, particularly shows at the Noodle Shop. He told a story about performing in front of 100 people, then 50,000 at the old Aloha Stadium.
"All these years later, here I am in front of 100 people," De Lima said, which drew more raucous laughter from the audience.
"Tita Turner" and "Filipino Christmas" were some of the hits De Lima played, but he also broke out some new material. A recently written song described how he went from 320 to 190 pounds thanks to swimming, walking, and most of all, Ozempic.
Following the show, the audience sang Happy Birthday to De Lima, and he stuck around for photos and autographs.
Frank De Lima breaks into song during his 77th birthday show at the Beach House Las Vegas on July 12, 2026. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Frank De Lima sings a song about losing over 100 pounds thanks to Ozempic. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Frank De Lima tells a crowd of about 100 about his upbringing and comedy career at the Beach House Las Vegas. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
A capacity crowd of about 100 at the Las Vegas Beach House awaits Frank De Lima on July 12, 2026. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Frank De Lima thanks the crowd at the Beach House Las Vegas for attending his 77th birthday show. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff)
Despite moving away from home, De Lima says he's comfortable and happy in Las Vegas.
"I enjoy it," De Lima told Aloha State Daily after the show. "I live in a brand new senior home, very reasonable. My family lives here. My sister, my cousins, and a lot of friends."
De Lima's relationship with Las Vegas began back in 1985. He had a big fan and friend in renowned casino developer and entrepreneur Sam Boyd, and he'd stay at one of this hotels, the California Hotel & Casino, every year for 25 years while he continued to sell out shows in Vegas.
As De Lima alluded to in his birthday show, his health issues, which include diabetes, forced him to retire from his all-time favorite gig: the Frank De Lima Student Enrichment Program, where over the course of over four decades, he visited with every school in the state multiple times.
Comedy keeps De Lima young, sharp, and happy. His day-to-day life in Las Vegas includes keeping up with the news back home and writing jokes on his computer. He's in good health and good spirits due to his recent weight loss, but it hasn't limited the doctor visits.
"Like every senior, we all gotta go doctor twice a month. We all get like eight doctors to go to, and that doesn't include X-ray and all that kind of stuff," he lamented.
Though De Lima hasn't stopped performing since moving to Las Vegas, his shows are far more spread out, both in time and location. He's done three shows at the Beach House, and a few more are on the way, but at the pace of about one a month. He's also performed in Utah and California. In November, he'll perform multiple shows in Hawai‘i for the first time since moving away, including a Nov. 21 show with Augie T and Andy Bumatai at the Hawai‘i Theatre.
Without a doubt, De Lima misses the people back in Hawai‘i. "But then there's plenty (of locals) up here, so, you know, hard to say," he joked.
Who does De Lima miss the most? The keiki.
"The number one thing I think I miss the most that I don't think I'll ever change if I had to go back and do it again, is assemblies. The students. That is the most wonderful thing that happened," De Lima said. "I miss the students the most."
After his birthday show, a long line of fans approached De Lima.
“You talked to my school when I was in the fourth grade," a woman told him.
De Lima's eyes glistened as he smiled and nodded.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
