Create a tropical environment with Hawaiian luau games.
The tradition of the Hawaiian luau goes back to the early 1800s when a Hawaiian King broke from convention and feasted with both men and women. The festivities included mostly dancing and eating on the ground outdoors, with large numbers of people attending. Replicate the spirit of the Hawaiian luau in your own backyard with palm frond, hula skirts, finger foods, leis and fun summer games to keep guests entertained. Does this Spark an idea?
Musical Beach Towels
When you think of Hawaii, you think of the beach. To bring the beach closer to your own backyard, you can play the game "Musical Beach Towels." Before your party guests arrive, line up some beach towels (one for every guest, minus one) on the ground of your party area, suggests TopPartyIdeas.com. Place a pair of sunglasses on top of each towel. Have your guests line up behind each other on one side of the line of towels. Then, when you start playing some Hawaiian music, your guests follow the leader and circle the line of towels. At a random moment, stop the music. Each player then has to find a towel to sit on and quickly put on the pair of sunglasses. Similar to musical chairs, whoever does not find a towel to sit on is disqualified from the game and one towel is then removed. Play continues until only one towel and one person---the winner---remains.
Pineapple Relay
No Hawaiian party would be complete without the state's popular tropical fruit, the pineapple. In this game suggested by DLTK-Kids.com, players are divided into two teams and given a pineapple. After the two teams line up side by side, the first two players from each team have to place the pineapple between each other. This could mean placing the pineapple between their backs or their stomachs. Either way, they cannot touch the pineapple with their hands. Each pair has to run to a finish line at the opposite side of the yard and head back towards their team with the pineapple still between them. If the pineapple falls, they have to put it between their bodies again and continue with the race. Once the first pair has completed their run, the second pair from their team does the same. The game ends when the members of one team have all paired up and made it back to the starting line before the other team. This fun competition will get the party going and have everyone in stitches by the end of it.
Tacky Tourist Relay
You can spot most tourists pretty easily in Hawaii as they wear the Hawaiian-print shirts, leis, sunglasses, flip-flops and beach hats. This game suggested by Party411.com celebrates this unique fashion sense by letting your guests play a game of dress-up with these touristy clothing items. Gather some of these items, making sure you have two of each, before the start of the game.
Divide the players into two teams, lining them up behind a starting point. Place two piles of clothing items somewhere near the starting points for each team. The first person in each team has to quickly put on the clothing and race against the other team to a designated finish line. The person must then rush back to his team's line and take off the tourist items so that the next player can put on the ensemble and race to the finish line and back. The game ends when all the players from one team---the winners---have finished this task before the other team.
Tags: each team, finish line, Hawaiian luau, other team, your guests, Beach Towels, before other