Aloha! A luau, or Hawaiian hula party, is a great way to celebrate summer or add a little warmth to the winter months. A great Hawaiian party is all about the atmosphere--lots of bright colors, traditional Hawaiian music and plenty of food and drink infused with the flavors of the islands, especially coconut and pineapple. Flowers, seashells, and of course hula skirts will complete the look and feel and have your guests feeling transported to a tropical paradise.
Instructions
1. Decide on a date and venue for your party. Hosting your luau around the pool will lend the tropical atmosphere, but if that is not an option just about any location can be adapted. Keep your guest list count in mind when deciding. Ideally your location will allow enough room for plenty of mingling space and a spot for limbo and hula hooping.
2. Find some fun, festive Hawaiian-themed invitations to send to your guests. Party stores, online retailers, or stationery stores will offer a nice variety. Specify if you would like your guests to dress for the party in the invitation. "Hawaiian dress requested" is a way to word this on the invites.
3. Shop for decorations. Silk flower leis are readily available online or in party stores. Have enough so that you can "lei" each guest. Fill several vases with tropical real or artificial flowers like birds of paradise, hibiscus or orchids and place throughout the venue. Purchase some palm trees from a garden shop or nursery if available or find inflatable palm trees from a party store. Large conch shells and other shells can be used as decorations on tables. Large, colorful Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling will add splashes of color and whimsy. Tiki torches with battery-operated or real flames can also be scattered throughout. Colorful sarongs can serve as table cloths.
4. Serve cocktails like blue Hawaiians, pineapple martinis, tequila sunrises, and hurricanes. Make sure to have a variety of non-alcoholic drinks for guests as well. Garnish drinks with colorful little umbrellas. A buffet-style food table is true to island style. Offer foods like fresh fruit, grilled fish, macaroni salad, rice, and poi.
5. Offer each guest a lei as they arrive; the ladies get grass skirts. Play Hawaiian and beach theme music to set the mood.
6. Enlist two people to hold the limbo stick and host a limbo contest. Provide guests with hula hoops and see who can hula the longest. Give Hawaiian-themed prizes like sunblock or snorkel sets to the winners.
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