Hawaiian-themed parties or lūʻaus are among the most common themes of parties. Lūʻau is one of the most exciting parties to host – be it a birthday party, a kid’s party, a beach party, or just a nice get-together with friends. In addition to that, some people enjoy lūʻaus in the winter to help themselves get through the cold months.
These parties can vary depending on the Hawaiian customs; for example, things like shipping food from the Islands, while others settle for artificial lei, mountains, and a poolside atmosphere. For a traditional lūʻau-themed party, you need to have a wide-open area like a spacious backyard or beachside since they’re celebrated under large open tents in outdoor areas.
Planning a Hawaiian party does not have to be complicated. You can quickly put together a beautiful Hawaiian-themed party by selecting a few main elements and keeping it simple.
Things That You Need For a Hawaiian Themed Party
Leis or Flower Necklace
A lei is an essential and common item in lūʻau. It is a necklace of flowers, ferns, or kukui nuts that men and women of Hawaii wear around their neck, head, or arms as a bracelet. At Hawaiian-themed parties, you as a guest can make your necklace or buy it from a small nearby stall or a shop.
Hawaiian Clothes
You need to follow the Hawaiian dress code to make your parties portray a Hawaiian vibe. Even though grass skirts and leis are the default for women, they can also wear tropical style dresses in which they feel comfortable, such as bright florals, tropical palm leaves, summery patterns, etc. Boys need to wear a classic Hawaiian shirt with some plain shorts or chinos.
Flower Headbands
Flower headbands add a touch of the tropics to any outfit. You can even wear a plain dress with flowers on your hair. Moreover, you can make a DIY flower crown at your home, which is simple and easy to make and only needs few materials. Grab your floral tape, scissors, art thread or plastic twine, candles, and greenery, and you are good to go.
Hawaiian Party Decorations
When it comes to party decorations, think of a tropical beach. Most dollar stores and party supply stores have stock of lūʻaus. Choose a place for the party, like a pool or a lake or in a flower-filled backyard.
Hawaiian Party food
As lūʻau means food, you need a lot of food for the party. Following are some Hawaiian foods that you can prepare beforehand for the party. Make sure to consider how many people are attending so you don’t run out of food.
Main Courses
Fish
Fish like Salmon is excellent for the main course. Grilling it will be the most authentic way to cook it.
Pizza
If you don’t want to do much cooking, a Hawaiian pizza with pineapple is a good option. Pizza is an excellent choice, especially if you will be having lots of children at your party.
Kebabs
Kebabs taste delicious and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans alike. You can combine various meats like chicken, shrimp, vegetables, and fruits such as tomatoes, onions, squash, and pineapples to make mouthwatering kebabs.
Side Dishes
Fruit
A lūʻau’s food motto is “fruit, fruit, fruit.” You can fill up the trays with fresh pineapple, mango, bananas, papaya, and other tropical fruits and even make fruit salads or skewer them.
Nuts
You can add Macadamia nuts to fruit trays or place them in bowls for guests so that they can nibble on them.
Vegetables
Yams and potatoes are traditional Hawaiian lūʻaus foods. You can serve baked sweet potatoes or a sweet potato casserole to your guests.
Bread
You can also serve heated Hawaiian sweet rolls with the meal, and they will surely love it.
Traditional Poi
Poi is a starchy dish similar to mashed potatoes, made from ground Taro root. You can also buy it online in powdered or fresh form. To make poi, add water until it reaches the desired consistency. Many people season it with sugar, salt, and butter.
Hawaiian Lūʻaus Drinks
The drinks for lūʻaus should be fruity, refreshing, and tropical. Here are some drink suggestions:
Fruity drinks
Make a tropical punch using fresh fruit. On the side of the glasses, place a slice of pineapple or citrus fruit. Alternatively, you can place small pieces in the bottom of the cup.
Smoothies
You can make smoothies by mixing up fruits.
Hawaiian Coffee
You can serve Kona Hawaiian coffee after dessert.
Hawaiian Desserts
An upside-down pineapple cake or coconut creampie would look amazing on your party table. Grilled bananas are another delicious Hawaiian party treat. Open the banana and top with chocolate chips, coconut, almonds, or anything you think the guests will love.
Wrap the banana in foil and cook it for about ten minutes on a grill or in a fire. Another excellent dessert idea is to make a volcano cake. There are many ways to do this. You can make a smoking volcano cake with melted chocolate for lava or combine the ideas to produce your volcanic masterpiece.
Hawaiian Party Games
To ensure that your guests are entertained at the party, you can introduce some party games. Traditionally, lūʻau games are skill competitions or competitions to see who is best among everyone. Following are some methods to determine who the best player among all your guests is:
Hula Hoop Contest
In this game, you have to give prizes to the person who can perform the most hula hoops for the longest time or keep the most hula hoops going for the longest.
Tiki Torch Ring Toss
Tiki torch ring toss is the game of tossing rings on the torch. The winner is the one who tosses the most without missing any rings. You can set it up by placing the unlit tiki torches in the dirt. Mini tiki torches a foot or two high are also available and would be ideal for this game, and then you can start throwing rings.
Make inexpensive rings by cutting out the center of the paper plates. These ring toys are also available at most dollar stores. Place torches and connect them with points; if you get a ring on the closest torch, you get 10 points. The tiki torch that is the furthest away would be worth 50 or 100 points.
Limbo
Although this game is not precisely Hawaiian, it is a fun beach party-type game.
Obstacle Course
Make an obstacle course race and have guests compete to see who can complete it the quickest.
Tug of War
The ancient Hawaiians used to play the tug of war game. To play this game, you need a rope and a bunch of players.
Hawaiian Themed Music
No party is complete without music to set the mood. Lūʻaus party playlists are simple to find, or you can listen to Hawaiian radio online. Mix in a variety of energetic music that sounds fun. You want your guests to be entertained, dancing, and having a good time. You can try songs like Blue Hawaii, Wipeout, The Tide is high, etc.
Lūʻau – A Thrilling Event
In conclusion, Lūʻaus are Hawaiian-themed parties, perfect for celebrating different things and are a great way of gathering family members and spending quality time with them. They don’t require lots of planning and are easy to put together. Hence you’ll never go wrong with a Hawaiian-themed party, especially with lots of good food involved.