Do you remember Kahunaville, the 'biggest, baddest nightclub in the Mid-Atlantic region'?

Do you remember Kahnuaville?

It's been 17 years since the cavernous, rollicking nightclub on Wilmington's Riverfront with its landmark 65-foot fake volcano that could be seen from I-95 abruptly closed its doors on Nov. 27, 2006.

The sudden shutdown of Delaware's largest nightclub, just days after Thanksgiving, shocked patrons, developers and city officials.

"It was surprising and bewildering for us to hear that they closed," John Rago, the city's communication director told News Journal reporter Ryan Cormier in 2006.

What was Kahunaville?

Kahunaville, which could hold at least 5,000 people and likely more, was the epicenter of the region's party scene from 1995 to 2006.

Kahunaville's predecessor, The Big Kahuna, opened in 1994 in an abandoned 35,000-square-foot warehouse off South Madison Street and was one of the first businesses to appear on the Riverfront as part of the multimillion-dollar redevelopment effort. The area had been mostly desolate until Frawley Stadium was built there in 1993.

Big Kahuna was targeted at 21- to 30-year-olds and quickly became a playground for adults with its tropical island theme, island hut, palm trees, waterfalls and surfboards on walls.

People waited in line for 30 minutes and more to get inside. Bikini contests were held on Wednesdays. Ladies' nights were Thursdays.

(In 2002, the more upscale Red Room, known as a "luxe lounge," opened in the space formerly occupied by the Big Kahuna.)

A 220-seat restaurant and riverside deck were opened under the Kahunaville name in 1996, and the customer base was broadened to include families. At least during the day.

But at night, what happened in Kahunaville didn't always stay in Kahunaville.

What was special about Kahunaville?

The volcano spewed smoke through colored lights at night. Singles dancing, mingling and flirting on the sprawling deck along the Christina River, weather permitting, was the norm.

Bare-bellied servers worked the crowd and sold glowing vodka and schnapps shots. Women would sometimes climb on top of the bars and show off questionable moves. Shirts might or might not have come off.

The music thumped but guests who didn't want to dance could play billiards or go to the arcade and play virtual-reality boxing and auto-racing games.

The club's stage hosted musicians ranging from Bob Dylan to K.C. & the Sunshine Band to Kanye West. The Philadelphia Eagles hosted a draft party there in 2005.

"We weren't just the biggest, baddest nightclub in Wilmington," owner David Tuttleman told The News Journal in 2018 at a Kahunaville reunion held at Delaware Park. "We were the biggest, baddest nightclub in the Mid-Atlantic region for a long time."

Why did Kahunaville close?

Tuttleman blamed an increase in noise complaints from owners of newly built condos in the area and parking problems as some of the reasons.

He also said he decided to close Kahunaville in 2006 shortly after the death of his father, Stanley, a philanthropist and Philadelphia clothing manufacturer, who sold his company to The Limited in the late 1970s. Tuttleman was taking care of his father as he fought cancer and had stepped away from the day-to-day Kahunaville operations.

"Caring for my father is really what drove me from the business," he said. "It was just time for me to call it quits."

When a deal to sell the business fell through, Tuttleman decided to close. The club's 135 employees were suddenly out of work.

The building sat empty until a fire in 2008 ravaged the old wooden deck and gazebo, where the large concerts had once been held. Witnesses reported seeing flames shooting out 50 feet from the structure. Firefighters from the city, with assistance from Elsmere and Five Points fire companies, kept flames from spreading and limited the damage inside the building.

Later, it was announced that a portion of the building would be converted into the Delaware Children's Museum. It opened in the 2010.

The volcano on the corner of the old Kahunaville club and the restaurant was demolished in September 2009. There was some talk about keeping it as a museum science exhibit, but the volcano, made of foam set over a steel structure, was disintegrating and unsafe.

At the Kahunaville reunion party in 2018, attendees got misty-eyed remembering the nightclub.

"They always had bands or DJs or something going on, plus you knew everyone was going to be there," said Saul Machinton. "Kahunaville back in the day, nobody could touch it."

At the Kahunaville reunion, some also hoped Tuttleman would be inspired to open another big club again in Delaware.

Tuttleman, a father of four, seemed content to leave Kahunaville as a happy memory. For him, the party was over.

"I had my chance at the wheel," Tuttleman told The News Journal "and it was amazing."

"Do you remember?" is an occasional News Journal/Delaware Online feature that looks at the history behind long-gone Delaware buildings, objects, businesses, and places.  

News Journal Ryan Cormier contributed to this article. Contact Patricia Talorico at [email protected] or 302-324-2861 and follow her on X (Twitter) @pattytalorico Sign up for her Delaware Eats newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: At Delaware's Kahunaville, 'you knew everyone was going to be there'