Arizona Tiki Oasis brings island culture to Scottsdale

On Phoenix's packed events calendar, certain annual occurrences stand out. Though they may not be new, the creativity and fun make them hotly anticipated year after year.

Case in point: Arizona Tiki Oasis, a four-day celebration of midcentury modern style and tiki culture, which takes over Scottsdale’s Hotel Valley Ho April 24 through 27.

For six of the past seven years (thanks, COVID), ATO has provided a full-blown infusion of fashion, food and drink, music and education for tiki enthusiasts, the tiki curious and everyone in between.

One of the great things about this annual event, the desert sibling of the annual (and legendary) Tiki Oasis event in San Diego, is that everyone is welcome, with or without a Hawaiian shirt or floral caftan. Arizona Tiki Oasis is delightfully inclusive.

Well, except for those under 21.

“People love to describe the event to us, and I love it when they do, but they often say things like, ‘I love Arizona Tiki Oasis because it is sophisticated, and I can dress up and have cocktails and it’s 21 and over.’ It’s like an adult playground,” says Baby Doe Von Stroheim, co-founder of the event.

Along with husband, Otto, Von Stroheim helps curate a truly memorable event. She mentions the programming that, in her words, “really leans into” the idea of an adult playground.

“We have the Glam-O-Rama dinner that is hosted by the Hotel Valley Ho, and it now has a fashion show. All the models work at the Valley Ho, so they aren’t professional models, but they're having such a great time that people often feel like they want to be in the fashion show, as well. It’s a nod to the '50s and '60s, so it's all vintage clothing, for the most part, but it gives you a sense of glamor and stepping back in time,” says Von Stroheim.

In addition to Glam-O-Rama, which will feature live music from The Martini Kings, special tiki cocktails and dinner under the stars, there are a wide variety of seminars starting on Friday morning and continuing through to the Arizona Tiki Oasis Bartender Battle at 2 p.m. Sunday, the final event of the weekend.

This year’s seminars are well-rounded and provide a little something for everyone.

Scottsdale’s Ace Bailey offers a daily Hotel Valley Ho Magical History Tour, for example, and there are multiple seminars on music, fashion, architecture and even Disneyland. For those who love a good tropical drink, there are no fewer than eight seminars revolving around tiki drinks and tastings.


One of the events on Friday that is completely new to Arizona Tiki Oasis this year comes from Cambridge, Massachusetts-based chef and owner of the Wusong Tiki Bar, Jason Doo. After working in Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as in Asia, Doo opened Wusong Tiki Bar in February  2022 in Harvard Square. The establishment was named one of People Magazine’s 50 most beautiful restaurants in 2024.

For Doo, the opportunity to share his seminar, "Pathways to the Pacific: Asian American Tiki Culture," is nothing short of fantastic.

‘Growing up in a small, suburban Chinese-American restaurant serving mai tais with pineapple juice, you just sort of get exposed to (tiki). Being a kid, you’re cleaning tables, picking string beans in the corner, like any true Chinese restaurant in the suburbs. I just fell in love with the scorpion bowls coming out on fire for guests, the pineapple-shaped mugs and all that bright and colorful décor you get in tropical themed bars,” Doo says.

For his seminar, Doo will cover more than just the history of tiki. He will be talking about the strong ties between tiki and Chinese restaurants in America.

“There was a period of time in the history of Tiki where it was essentially lost to most bars, but it changed to something that you would only find in Chinese restaurants. It’s my firm belief that because of that, it spread throughout the country again because of the Mai Tai. No matter where you go in the country, most of the time, Chinese restaurants often serve the same menu, including the beverage menus. We want to explore why that occurred and more geared to the beverage aspect,” says Doo, before adding, “It’s kind of amazing, how things like the scorpion bowl, Tiki mugs, and pineapple cups, as well as those same recipes, kind of spread across America.”

If Doo’s passion for the subject over the phone translates even half as well in the seminar, it will be an excellent way to spend the time from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday.


There are a couple of things to remember if you're planning to visit Arizona Tiki Oasis. You can purchase tickets for all the seminars a la carte on their website, as well as event passes and hotel rooms. There is limited parking at the hotel for those who are not staying for the weekend, but street parking is available in the surrounding area.

If you just want to stop in and check out what the event is all about, the people-watching is excellent, and the marketplace is open to everyone. Each year, Arizona Tiki Oasis has an excellent variety of vendors who bring every aspect of tiki fashion, culture and collectibles. There are local folks like Witchdoctor’s Den, fashions from MT Kahuna Vintage and handcrafted cocktail mixers from Alpenglow Cocktail Company out of Washington, just to name a few.

“We love to make sure everyone has a good time, including our artisans in our marketplace. We offer an opportunity for escapism and people can come to Arizona Tiki Oasis and know that it is going to be ‘their’ time. They can forget the world, put on a really fun outfit, a tropical dress or an aloha shirt, get a flower in their hair, have a tropical cocktail and forget about the chaos. I think people are really hungry for that right now,” says Von Stroheim.

Arizona Tiki Oasis. April 24-27. Hotel Valley Ho, 6850 E. Main St., Scottsdale. Get tickets and info at aztikioasis.com.