Aloha! Sail Over to Our Luau!

Everybody loves a luau and with this party plan you’ll be able to throw a great party whether it’s on the beach, in your backyard or in your living room. Aloha!

Invitations:

• Remove the leaves from a silk tropical flower stem. Cut leaf shapes from green construction paper. Write your invitation wording on the leaves and attach to the flower stem and mail.
• Pen your invitation on the inside of a large clam shell. Wrap it in colorful tissue paper or bubble wrap to keep it from breaking and mail in a box or cushioned envelope.
• Write your invitation details on a large label and attach it to a plastic bottle of sunscreen or and mail in a small box or padded envelope.
• Write your invitation on a large label and attach it to a packet of a dry tropical punch mix.
• Encourage guests to come dressed in luau attire or costumes so they’ll become part of your décor and get into a luau mood more quickly.

Décor:

• Line your walkway with tiki torches.
• For indoor luaus, line your walls with beach towels or straw beach mats. Dress up the mats with leis, cardboard tropical fishes and/or paper flowers.
• Give each guest a lei upon arrival to add to the atmosphere.
• If you have a pool, float flowers and floating candles in your pool that are made for this purpose.
• Dress your table with tropical-patterned tablecloths or recycle plain, brightly-colored tablecloths (and paper goods) from past parties.
• Fill plain glass bowls, vases or glasses with colored water and float candles to add a tropical glow to your luau. (Here’s a tip. Votive candles float! Just pop them out of their metal holder.)
• Go to your library and take out touring videos of Hawaii to play on your TV sets without the sound for added atmosphere.

Refreshments:

• A Pina Colada or any tropical, coconut or pineapple-based rum punch or cocktail will work. For the kids, how about a Hawaiian Punch? Simply mix orange juice, lemonade, a fruity sherbert and ginger ale.
• Add pineapple chunks and/or macadamia nuts to pork fried rice and you have a perfect luau side dish.
• Baste chicken wings or pork ribs with a pineapple-based sauce for affordable fare with a Polynesian flair.
• Coconut shrimp is always a crowd-pleaser.
• Serve dry snacks in the brim of a beachcomber hat.
• Crab Rangoon is a great Polynesian-style hors d’oeuvre.
• Use a surfboard propped on sawhorses as a thematic buffet table or bar.
• Serve fresh coconut pieces, pineapple sherbert and macaroons for dessert.

Entertainment:

• Bring in a hula dancer or just get everyone up to try their doing the hula.
• What’s a luau without ukulele music? Download Hawaiian favorites or pick up some luau CDs and soon your guests will feel they’re on the beach at Waikiki.
• Are your guests limber enough to limbo?
• Line whole pineapples on a table. Have guests try to toss leis over the pineapples for prizes.

Favors/Prizes

• Leis
• Shell necklaces
• Sunglasses
• Natural grass skirts
• Beach towels
• Beachcomber hats
• Jars of macadamia nuts

Watch my video on creating a Luau theme party!