Luau Party Ideas - For a Tropical Birthday Party with Island Flair!

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Transport everyone to the tropics with this complete guide to throw a Hawaiian luau party for your next big birthday event!

For more information on colorful birthday party games, birthday invitations and kids party supplies, we've compared all the products sold online and these are the best items that can save your centuries of time.

Invitations

No one will want to miss this kids luau party, so make sure you send out invitations in plenty of time!

Here are some fun luau party ideas for invitations.

• Create a postcard! Check with the postal service for size guidelines before cutting a card out of heavy cardstock. Decorate the front with palm trees, flamingos, or flowers. Write "It's a luau party for (name)!" on the front. Turn the card over and, on the half reserved for you to write on, pen "Wish you were here…and you can be! On (date). Time (time). Location: (address)." Put each item on a different line of writing to make it easier to read in the small space.
• They'll have a ball with this creative kids luau party invitation idea! Just write your party details on an inflatable beach ball for hand delivery, or to mail, deflate the ball first. Let them in on the fun with a message such as this: "Come have a ball with us! Wear your best Hawaiian for a party in the tropics to celebrate (name)'s birthday!" Add time, date, and location information.
• It'll be fun in the sun when you send this cheery invitation! Cut a round sun shape out of yellow or orange paper. Then cut triangular rays out of a second sheet of paper – matching or contrasting colors will both work – and tape them around the edge of the orb so that they'll fold flat to cover the sun. Open the rays back up to reveal the face of the sun, where you'll write the invitation. "It's a luau! Put on your shades and help us celebrate (name)'s birthday! We're partying Hawaiian-style at (location) on (date) at (time). Don't miss it!" Fold the rays back over the sun and slip into an envelope to mail.

Costumes

Invite guests to arrive in their best tropical gear! Hawaiian shirts, board shorts, flip flops, and straw hats are all ideas to get them in the luau spirit! Upon arrival, give each guest a Silk Flower Lei in the spirit of Hawaiian luau tradition.

Kids will feel like stars when you give them Star Sunglasses. Create "grass" skirts from streamers for a lively way to get the party started.

Luau Party Ideas for Decorations

Island music wafting from the party will let guests know they are in the right place! Make a few rustic signs pointing the way. "Luau this way!" and "Hawaii: (birthday kid's age) miles ahead!" are great directional displays.

Welcome guests to your Hawaiian luau party with a Hawaiian Ukulele Stand-In. At six feet tall, you can take truly hilarious pictures of the kids at the party in these faux grownup bodies, but even adults can get in on this fun!

Create a lush tropical atmosphere with plenty of balloons and streamers. Use green streamers at ceiling height to get a jungle-look, or use bright blue balloons for a cloudless blue sky. Yellow, orange, and red will mimic a blazing sun. For a fun sunset effect, group citrus-hued balloons near the floor with rays of matching streamers streaking across the sky from the ball of fire.

Invite a Parrot 20" Piñata to the party! Situate him in the lush greenery (made from green balloons or streamers) until it's time to break open the piñata.

Hang a banner so everyone will know who the party is for! Choose from the Hula! personalized birthday banner in pink or the Luau personalized birthday banner in the bright colors of the tropics.

For luau party ideas of the table, choose between Hula! party pack for the birthday girl, or for a gender-neutral theme that boys and girls will love, check out the Luau party supplies. Each pack comes with settings for eight guests, including activity placemats, cups, napkins, plates, and cutlery. Also included are a centerpiece, tablecloth, balloons, streamers, and more. Be sure to order extra supplies for additional guests!

Food & Recipes

Need easy and delicious luau party recipe ideas? From drinks through dessert, you'll find everything you need for your Hawaiian luau party right here!

It's hot out there, so beat the sultry heat with one of these icy concoctions!

• Give a nod to the tropics with fruit coolers. Mix tropical punch with crushed ice and garnish with pieces of fresh fruit. Kiwi and mango are popular exotic choices.
• Make this easy variation of a smoothie – it's a real crowd pleaser! Blend fresh or frozen fruit with milk to the desired consistency, and serve frothy.
• Serve a tall, frosty glass of ginger ale or sparkling water. Garnish with fresh citrus such as lemon, lime, or orange slices.
• Cool blue coconut shakes are easy and delicious! Blend coconut ice cream with blue kool-aid for this island treat. If you can't find coconut ice cream, mix shredded coconut and vanilla ice cream instead.
• For any island fare, freeze ice cubes with small pieces of fruit or berries inside. As they thaw, guests will discover a luscious treat – the perfect addition to any tropical drink!

Luau party ideas abound when it's time to set the food table. Serve up some of these easy favorites next time you need a Hawaiian luau party idea!

• Tropical Fruit Salad – Serve this cool treat in the hull of a watermelon! Use a melon-baller to cue up small round balls of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Mix in grapes, cut pineapple, and citrus for an exciting display with a tropical flair!
• Meat Kabobs – Marinade stew beef overnight in pineapple juice. Layer on skewers with pineapple, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Grill over charcoal for amazing flavor.
• Chicken Kabobs – Marinade chicken in jerk sauce overnight, then grill on skewers with apples, pineapple, tomatoes, and orange slices.
• Burgers and dogs – Make it an all-American party with these traditional cookout favorites.
• The Big Kahuna – Ready to go all out? Ask you butcher to butterfly a pig for you, and slow cook it over charcoal for several hours prior to the party. Serve with plenty of buns, BBQ sauce, coleslaw, and hot sauce! This is a popular luau party idea with parents, so plan for them to stay for the bar-be-que!

Every birthday party needs a cake, so try one of these luau party ideas packed with tropical flair!

• Avoid heavy icing and keep it light and refreshing with a pineapple upside down cake! You'll need pineapple rings packed in juice, cherries, brown sugar, butter, and yellow cake mix. Drain the pineapples, reserving the juice. Arrange the pineapples on the bottom of a greased cake pan so that the rings touch. Insert a cherry in the center of each ring. Melt two sticks of butter into two cups of brown sugar and pour over the pineapples and cherries. Prepare cake mix as directed in the box, substituting pineapple juice for all or part of the water. Pour carefully into the pan, and bake at 350 until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Cool for 15 minutes, and then carefully flip the cake over onto a serving dish. No decoration needed – the cake is stunning as-is!
• Bake 2-4 round cakes, then stack layers with icing in between. Then trim the whole stack for a slightly rounded shape to create a 3D half-ball shape. Give it a splotchy icing job with brown dyed frosting and you've got a very tasty coconut cake! For an alternative luau party idea, decorated the rounded shape to resemble a pineapple with brown and gold icing. Don't forget to add the leafy green top!
• For a splash of the tropics, try these Hawaiian Luau party ideas! Use white or yellow cake mix and prepare batter as directed. Before baking, thoroughly drain a can of crushed pineapple and add the pineapple to the batter, stirring well. Bake and cool completely. Then add shredded coconut to white icing to complete this sweet treat.

Luau Party Favors

Luau favor boxes are a sun-sational way to thank your guests for joining in on your Hawaiian luau birthday party! Easy to assemble kids are ideal for boys or girls. Each colorful box includes a tropical shirt notepad with crayons, a parrot bean bag, a sticker sheet, and a fish water squirter for fun that will last long after the sun goes down!

Thank You Notes

Take a lot of pictures during this impromptu trip to the tropics. Try to catch guests in the spirit of luau or in a moment of laughter for a great souvenir picture of their "trip". Enclose the best pictures in the envelope when you send thank you notes.

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