Saturday night, leis, grass skirts and puka shells dominated the HUB Ballroom as the UW's Hawaii Club, Hui Hoaloha Ulana, hosted its annual spring lu'au.

Decorations made the usually bland walls look like a scene from the Hawaiian Islands, while tables featured centerpieces made of sand and coconuts. The stage was covered in tea leaves, and many attendees were dressed head-to-toe in Hawaiian clothing.

About 800 people attended the event — one of the bigger school lu'aus, said junior Kristin Tomita, co-chair of the lu'au.

With her fellow co-chairs Geoff Arakawa and David Seriguchi, Tomita aimed to bring a piece of Hawaii to the Seattle audience with the lu'au.

"[We hope to] piece together all the memories, people, places and experiences that make Hawai'i the place we so lovingly call home," the program stated. This year's theme was "Na Mo'olelo O Hawai'i," meaning "Stories of Hawaii."

"Hawaii is full of stories," Tomita said.

The event showcased Hawaiian culture through song, dance and food. The Hawaiian Kingdom's national anthem began the evening. The dinner entertainment was several song performances, which continued until the evening's dance performance.

The dinner featured local foods such as chicken long rice, kalua pig, poi, lomi lomi salmon and haupia.

Hui Hoaloha Ulana's dancers told stories of road trips, relationships, moving to the mainland for college and missing home. Dancers performed Hawaiian, Tahitian and Samoan dances, showing off Hawaiian culture by wearing hula skirts, pareaus, and malos or traditional lu'au costumes.

Members of the Hawaii Club, as well as members of the Polynesian Student Alliance, performed 10 dances throughout the night.

"I really liked the food and music," sophomore Jasmin Lafradez said. "It makes me feel like I'm back home."

To make the night successful, many volunteers helped with the event, Tomita said. About 100 people volunteered in areas such as dance, decorations, food, lights, video, sound and advertising.

The event also had a "Country Store," which sold crafts, food and Hawaiian merchandise, and also featured a silent auction. The night's best sellers were homemade spam musubis, mochi and li hing mui gummy bears.

Businesses, alumni, family and friends donated everything in the Country Store, and a majority of the supplies used to make the food that was sold.

Natural Vibrations, a favorite Hawaiian band known as "Natty Vibes" among locals, also performed at the event.

Attendees rushed to the front of the stage and took the opportunity to sing and dance to the music.

"Natural Vibrations is one of my favorite bands from home," Lafradez said. "I like skanking and singing to it."

At one point during the concert, audience members crowded the band onstage and danced with the musicians while they played.

"There were a lot of local people, and we love coming out here," said Jehua Evans, a member of Natural Vibrations. "There is plenty of aloha in Seattle."

Reach reporter Shauna Nuckles at news@thedaily.washington.edu.