08/11/2026
Now that we’ve finally had a chance to catch our breath after Raft Off weekend, there’s really only one place to start — THANK YOU.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by, tied up, danced with us, laughed with us, helped out with or on the Tiki Barge, looked out for one another and brought such incredible energy to the greatest weekend of the year for our boating community.
Friday night’s Glow Party is something we’ll never forget. Seeing a record-breaking amount of boats lined up and glowing across the bay was absolutely surreal. Between the music, the lights, the fireworks over the water and that view in every direction, it was one of those nights you just wish you could freeze for a minute and take in.
And to everyone who let us provide some of the soundtrack to your weekend — thank you. Huge shoutout to DJ Chad Bod, Jake Allen, DJ Moskal, Garrett Curtis and Blunts & Blondes for bringing the energy. On behalf of all of us — myself (Bobby) included — we want to thank you for letting us do what we love to do. 🫶🎶
Big thank you to Pinnacle Events Group and JARS Cannabis for helping put together our guest performance from Blunts & Blondes. We truly appreciate everyone who helped make that happen.
We obviously had our share of challenges too. Friday afternoon an amplifier failure took out all four of our main subwoofers just hours before the Glow Party. What followed was a mad dash across the lake, an hour drive across town and eventually back to the boat carrying a literal wall of rental subs back to the barge. We managed to keep the music going, although a little more tame than usual to protect the rentals and make it through the weekend. Trust us, keeping the volume down hurt our hearts just as much as it hurt yours. Thank you to everyone who dropped what they were doing and helped us pull it off.
And that really represents what we’re most grateful for.
Our friends, families, crew, security and everyone behind the scenes give an incredible amount of their own time, energy and heart to the Tiki Barge. We do it because we genuinely love entertaining people, bringing people together and creating memories on this lake. Seeing all of you enjoying yourselves makes every ridiculous hour behind the scenes worth it.
But we’d be doing a disservice to this weekend if we only talked about the good.
There were several very serious incidents, most of which were very avoidable and today came the heartbreaking news that the young man who had been missing was found and had tragically lost his life. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and everyone affected by an unimaginable loss. That last sentence needs to really sink in.
We’re also incredibly relieved that another young man who was seriously injured this weekend is doing OK, and we’re beyond thankful to everyone who responded and helped.
As much as we all love this lake and the incredible times we have on it, we have to respect how quickly things can become dangerous. Especially during weekends like this, when many people may not be familiar with the water, it’s up to all of us to take safety seriously and look out for each other.
Know where your people are. Control your people, Pay attention. Look out for the stranger next to you. Wear a life jacket when you should. And when something doesn’t seem right, don’t assume somebody else will handle it. There are consequences that unfortunately don’t seem to register with some people until it’s too late.
There will always be some craziness when this many people get together, in the sun all day, juices flowing, you name it…. but having a good time can never become more important than common sense, respect for the water, respect for other people and caring about the people around us. Some consequences can’t be undone the next morning.
We are incredibly thankful to everyone who helped keep the access lanes on both sides of the Barge clear when emergencies occurred, and to the Coast Guard, Sheriff, EMS, first responders and everyone who stepped up when someone needed help. You help us all stay safe, and we cannot thank you enough.
Thousands upon thousands of good people came together this weekend, helped each other and made some amazing memories. Unfortunately, tragedy and bad news will always travel faster and farther than those stories.
It’s up to all of us to help tip those scales.
Have fun. Get a little crazy. Make memories you’ll laugh about for years.
But please — take care of yourselves and take care of each other.
Most of all, thank you to everyone who continues to support the Tiki Barge, our crew and everything we put into doing what we love.
Raft Off may be over, but there’s still a whole lot of summer left. ☀️🌴
We’ll see you on the water.
We love you all. 💚
