Luau Party Ideas: How to plan the perfect luau theme party!

 Luaus are one of our favorite parties here at Party411.com--they are colorful and fun, and the food is fabulous (what more is there to a luau, except cool tropical drinks?). So, if you ask me, I think planning a luau is a great way to have a party. Limbo on down the page and check out these fun luau party ideas...

Luau invites: wording ideas and more
Luau Party Decorations and Party Supplies: welcome your guests and decorate the party room

• Make it easy for people to spot your house with balloons and a luau personalized banner out front. To make a grand entrance, place inflatable palm trees outside your door as the first indication to your guests that this is going to be the luau to remember. You may even want to adorn your porch rail or doorway with palm tree luminaries and/or luau lights for a festive effect.
• Hollowed out pineapples, coconuts and oranges make great votive and tealight holders. You can use them to decorate your tables, or line them along a mantle, or a porch railing.
  
• Colorful beach towels draped over chairs, tables, the fence, or even hanging on the wall will bring color to the party room.
  
• Add a CD player with island music to create the perfect atmosphere. If you are really adventurous and can stand the ridicule and neighbor gossip, use pink flamingos to adorn your front yard or line them up the driveway or front sidewalk.
• For a very memorable greeting, set up a female or male life-sized luau cutout of you (or your friends!) with a speech bubble welcoming your guests to the party.
• Have a big basket of multi-color leis inside the door where people can help themselves to a few. I would plan on a few per person so that they can be creative and festive with their leis. Here are a few of our favorites:
• Silk Flower Leis
• Thick Plastic Leis
• Glow Necklace Leis
• If you think you have the time, stand at the door and greet everyone with a lei--this is always a nice gesture and a traditional way of saying aloha. If you are really talented, have a ukulele on hand to serenade your guests as they enter. Maybe put a note on the basket urging your guests to wear them wherever they please. This will make for fun photo opportunities (you can send them later as a thank you for attending the party).
• Tropical scene setters make great decorations for your party.  These things are great and given how big they are they add real value. Or you can do things yourself. Use netting as your backdrop and fill it with inflatable sealife!
  
• You can dress up the rest of the party room with bright garland and ceiling dangles. These area few of our favorites -
• Luau Ceiling Dangles - We LOVE these fun dangles. Dress up any room or covered porch easily!
• Palm Tree Decoration - Great for flanking tables and decorating corners.
• Luau Flower Fringe - A giant lei/grass skirt combo to decorate tables, banisters, decks and doorways.

The backyard is just as fun to decorate as the rest of the house, so don't neglect this space if weather permits or if you plan to expand the party outside. Paper lanterns might be a nice touch, whether inside or in the back yard. A tiki bubble machine is also very fun!

Luau theme table Decorations; ideas for centerpieces, the tables and the bufftet
Use a raffia table skirt around the buffet table to bring Hawaii right inside your home.  Use a green plastic or linen tablecloth over the buffet and pin the skirting to the edges. Add fabulous tropical Mylar balloons (all you need is some helium) in the shape of tikis, sun, and hula girls so buffets can be seen from anywhere at the party.

Use beachcomber hats (multi-color or plain) upside down to hold different snacks and munchies. Throw a mixture of fabulous foil-wrapped chocolate fish and tropical confetti across your table. Your guests will really WOW at your thoughtfulness and carry-through. Provide tropical toothpicks as a final touch. Use baskets on each buffet to hold Luau theme paper goods, cutlery and cups.

Other ideas include adding some luau lights and tiki candles to the bar area. Luau confetti is easy sprinkled on the tables, or break apart a silk flower lei and scatter the flowers. Make sure to use tropical colors for your tablecloths--yellow, green, hot pink, melon, orange and bright blue. Add your own seashells, maracas and sand. Another great ideas is to use piñatas as your centerpieces, or if you prefer, hang them above the tables.

If you are assigning seats or if you want to give out nametags (and this is wise when you have a lot of friends that don't know each other), here's a thought: thongs. You know, the rubber kind you wear on your feet with a flower in the center? They make for a great nametag or seating card. Just write the name in magic marker, add a 25¢ chain or ribbon (necklace) and voila--a humorous way to get people talking about your creativity and their thongs. Line them up alphabetically on a table near the entrance.

Another thought on this is to use starfish or sand dollars and write the name of the person on it. For name tags, string some ribbon around it.

Luau theme Party Bar: glasses, decoration ideas and drink ideas

• For a cute addition to your drinks, freeze gummy fish and sharks in ice cubes!
  
• Rent a slushie machine and serve frozen drinks with tiny umbrellas!
• If you can't swing a drink machine, buy the tubs of pre-mixed margaritas and then serve the drinks in fantastic luau themed glasses. You have lots of choices, these are the ones we think are super fabulous -

• LED Glasses
• Tiki Cups
• Coconut Cup With Straw
• Glow Margarita Cup
• Drink Hula Skirts
  

Luau Party Music, Luau Party Games and Luau Party Activities
Luau Party Music. Good luau music not only sets the mood but you learn to do the Hula or the Limbo.

Luau Party Games and Luau Party Activities. The Game Girl has the “rules” for Limbo, Mai Tai Limbo, The Tacky Tourist Relay and the Hula Hoop Spin Off. Just visit our Luau Game Page. Or there is always fun to be had with a piñata.

Luau Party Favors
A big part of any luau is letting your guests dress up. You have plenty of costumes and accessories to choose from including leis, hula skirts, and even coconut tops. (My buddy John puts on this coconut top at every luau and beach party and we laugh every single time.)

So pass out the wearables and get everyone ready to party! These will work for anyone -

• Hula Skirts
  
• Glow Luau Literopes
• Parrot Hat
  

Your guests can't help but have a great time in a pair of fun glasses and a glow necklace! The best part is that these fun wearables double as great party favors.

Bubbles and squirt fish are great fun favors for the kids. Put them in a pail with a shovel, along with a pack of sidewalk chalk and some candy.

If you want a more traditional party favor to hand out as your guests leave, try a personalized luau candy bar wrapper or personalized luau candy or mint tin! It is a sweet way to thank all of your guests for coming. Though I am sure everyone will be thanking you for the great time they had at your luau party!