Mobile Tiki Week returns to downtown Mobile Aug. 17-22, bringing a week of island-inspired drinks, food and culture to bars, restaurants, coffee shops and breweries across the city. The event includes 43 official venues, each listed in a free “passport” that participants can get stamped at every stop.
Each participating venue creates its own specialty drink or menu for the week, ranging from small-batch pineapple beer to elaborate pu pu platters and shareable punch bowls. Several venues also lean into the aesthetic, decorating their interiors in South Seas décor; The Haberdasher transforms into a series of 1950s-style tiki huts complete with thatched roofs, while MOB City Rides turns its golf cart taxi fleet into rolling party barges for the week.
The tradition traces back to 2013, when Roy Clark, general manager of The Haberdasher, began showcasing tropical cocktails rooted in historical recipes during an annual “tiki week.” In 2017, he expanded what had been “Haberdasher Tiki Week” into the citywide “Mobile Tiki Week,” which has since grown into one of downtown’s most anticipated summer traditions. “I’m really happy how organically it’s grown,” Clark said, noting that most participating businesses have asked to join rather than being recruited.
The event has become a boon for downtown venues during a stretch when summer business typically slows as school starts back. Clark said visitors travel from as far as New Orleans, Birmingham and Pensacola to take part, with some booking hotel rooms to extend their stay. “It’s all about the drinks and food and dressing up festively to escape the muggy doldrums of late summer,” he said.
Preparing for the week requires significant behind-the-scenes work. At The Haberdasher, which sold more than 2,200 specialty cocktails during last year’s event, staff “batch” ingredients ahead of time, scaling recipes up to fill liter-sized containers so they can keep pace with demand throughout an eight-hour shift, while drinks are still shaken and garnished to order in front of customers.
At the close of Mobile Tiki Week, participating businesses donate a portion of their sales to Feeding the Gulf Coast, a local food bank; last year’s event raised $4,952 for the organization. Clark said he’d eventually like to add educational programming to the event, including talks on the history of tiki culture in America and the influences behind its aesthetic.