Table of contents

• Introduction
• Hawaiian Luau Party Invitations
• Hawaiian Leis
• The Luau Coconut
• Miniature Surfboard
• Hawaiian Luau Party Dress Code
• Hawaiian Luau Party Decorations
• Hawaiian Luau Party Guest Arrival & Announcement
• Hawaiian Luau Party Favors
• Hawaiian Luau Party Activities
• Hula Musical Chairs Dancing
• Limbo Dancing
• Coconut Bowling
• Hawaiian Target Practice
• Food & Drink

Introduction

Ever been to Hawaii? Well, if you have, then consider yourself lucky! It is in fact one of those place that remain a dream destination for many. And just in case some of your friends have never been (or if you haven't gone either), then a Hawaiian party would be just the thing to host. Below you will find some of our special tips and tricks which you can use to organize your Halloween party. But before we start, just a little information on our party theme, which is the Hawaiian Luau.

Now the Hawaiians themselves never used to call it a Luau. They called it a "paina" or a "ahaaina". Our name for Hawaiian festivities originally comes from one of their dishes which was made with taro tops baked in Coconut milk with some chicken or octopus. The name "Luau" was first used by the Pacific Commercial Advertiser in 1856 and from there became widely used, even by Hawaiians to such a degree that they now celebrate wedding Luaus, graduation Luaus, etc.

To ensure that the luau is as authentic as possible, there are certain events that have to feature at such a party. First off, Polynesian dancing is a must as this is one of the traditions of Hawaii. In addition to the dancing, however, there are certain foods that need to be present for the successful luau. Here's a list of some of the most popular:

• Poke: Made from raw fish with salt, seaweed, and crushed roasted kukui nuts. "Poke" is Hawaiian for "slice".

• Lomilomi salmon: Raw salmon mixed with chopped tomatoes, onions and seasalt.

• Laulau: ti leaves or banana leaves filled with pork, beef, seasoned fish and baked in a ground oven. These can also be steamed or broiled.

• Kalua pig:A pig (known in Hawaii as a "pua‘a") is seasoned, wrapped, and put into a ground oven and then covered.

• Chicken long rice: These are cellophane noodles which have been simmered in chicken broth. When done, it is served with pieces of chicken.

And that being said, it's time to get the party organization started, so be sure to get yourself a clipboard and a pen to take some notes.

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Hawaiian Luau Party Invitations

It's time for the ultimate island party! Below you will find some of our ideas for invitations which you can use if you are stuck for some ideas. If you require any of the items or materials , ask your parents for help to get them from the appropriate retail stores in your area or the Internet. And remember, include the following details on your invitations so that your friends will have all the information they need:

• Party Name: Give your party a fitting name, for example “Lee’s Luau Fiesta” or “Susan's Hawaiian Chillout”

• Salutation

• Date & Time

• Venue/Location

• Dress Code

• Contact Details

• Additional information…

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Hawaiian Leis

Just in case you didn't know, the word "Lei" is Hawaiian for "wreath" which is usually made of flowers (but can be anything really) and hung around the neck. For this invitation, we'll simply use flowers.

Typically you will be needing some flowers (these needn't be Hawaiian and can be fake as real flowers might wither too quickly), some string or vine or softened plant fiber.

Now, when you have everything, simply braid the strings together and decorate with flowers and shells or any other Hawaiian items of your choice in each wrap.

When your leis are done, all you'll need to create a little paper invitation to go with the leis. Again, be original with these and use some big banana leaves as the paper.

Once everything is done, simply put the leis and the invitations together and get ready to deliver.

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The Luau Coconut

For the Luau Coconut invitation you will be needing coconuts, one for each friend you plant to invite. These can be purchased from your local fruit & vegetable store or even the local supermarket.

Now, you will want to remove the hair on the outside of the coconut, but only for the patch on which you want to write the invitation details. Try using some sandpaper and see how it works. But do take care to leave the rest of the coconut in tact with all the hair so that your friends will be able to see it's a coconut.

When your coconuts are ready, use a paintbrush and decorate the bare area of your coconut with some Hawaiian designs and the party invitation details.

Finally, you are probably wondering what's going to happen with the insides of the coconut, right? Well, you can either remove a portion of the bottom of the coconut and drain the milk and scrape out the flesh so that your mom or dad can use it to prepare a dish, or you can give it to your friends if you think they can use it at their home.

When you're done, slip into your coolest island gear and get ready to deliver!

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Miniature Surfboard

For the miniature surfboard invitation, you will need to get your hands on a miniature surfboard for each of the guests you are planning to invite. These can be bought from the appropriate store in your area or from the Internet.

When you have the miniature surfboards, you can make your own invitation using a computer and a printer. If you don't have either of these or are having trouble with them, ask someone who you think might know to help you. These invitations need only be basic, but it will help if you decorate them with images of Hawaiian flowers, etc.

When everything has been done, attach the invitation to the surfboard with some thread. Finally, put on your shades, board shorts and Hawaiian shirt and get ready to deliver!

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Hawaiian Luau Party Dress Code

Hawaiian attire is as relaxed as you can possibly get! All you will need to put under the “Dress Code” section of your invitations are “Hawaiian” or “Island” or “Surfer”, etc.

Hawaiian Luau Party Decorations

As to the decoration of your Hawaiian here are a couple of things you’ll need to get your hands on to make your party as authentic as possible:

• Plastic or real flowers – you will have to ensure that they look colorful and, most importantly, that they look Hawaiian.

• Palm tree leaves and/or branches – these will add to the tropical feel of your venue. If you don't have any miniature potted palm trees, just ask your parents to buy some inflatable ones.

• Colorful streamers and balloons

• Fishing nets – hang them from the walls or even the ceilings (you can decorate them with flowers too). These are necessary as the Hawaiians are renowned fishermen with great skill.

• Tiki torches – you will have to ask your parents to buy these from the nearest appropriate retailer or from the Internet.
  

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Hawaiian Luau Party Guest Arrival & Announcement

Now, there isn't really any formal greeting for a Hawaiian Luau party, but why not make use of some Hawaiian greetings? Here are a couple you can use for your party:

• Aloha: We all know this one as a standard Hawaiian phrase, but it is actually a blessing. While “alo” means “presence”, “ha” means “divine breath”.

• Aloha kâkou: Aloha to everyone

• Aloha e : When you want to greet one friend.

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Hawaiian Luau Party Favors

Hawaiian Luau party favors are plentiful. If you can't find them in a shop in your area, just have a look on the Internet (be sure to ask your parents for help when buying them). Here are a couple of ideas which you can use: 

• grass skirts

• sunglasses

• Hawaiian keyrings

• Island hats

• Leis

• sarongs

• Hawaiian cups

• Tiki statuettes

• Sea shells

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Hawaiian Luau Party Activities

Believe it or not, but this is the part of the party that your guests look forward to most. As such, we’ve listed a couple of activities that you’ll all be able to enjoy the whole night long.

Hula Musical Chairs Dancing

There are actually two forms of the Hula dance as we know it: the "Hula kahiko" and the "Hula ʻauana". While the first of these is a sacred religious dance, the second is one that can be used during a party. Both of these are accompanied by a chant or a song which is called a "mele".

For this activity you will have to ask your parents to get a hula hoop for each of your friends. In addition, you will also be needing some chairs, one less than the amount of guests present at your party. These will have to be put in a circle in the center of the dancing area.

Now, when everything is ready, you and your friends will have to gather around the chairs and dance to the music with your hula hoops (be sure to remove any breakable items in the vicinity). Once the music stops, everyone has to make a dash for a chair! Now, as there is one less chair than the amount of guests present, someone will be eliminated from the current round. When the music starts again, one chair has to be removed to ensure that there is always one less chair than there are people dancing.

The winner is obviously the last person to get a chair.

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Limbo Dancing

For this activity you will have to ask your parents for some help. For this activity you (or your parents) will have to get three poles, each at least five to six feet long. Fasten small pegs or hooks on exactly the same places on two of the poles about a couple of inches apart – these will be used to support the third horizontal pole.

When all the pegs are in, two of the poles will have to be placed upright and the third one (which you can decorate if you want to) will have to be lain horizontally over the pegs.

Now, when the music starts, everyone will have to form a line and take turns to dance under the limbo stick without knocking it off. This can be done by bending over backwards. Once everyone has had a turn, the limbo stick has to be lowered after which everyone will get to go again.

The rules state that if someone knocks off the limbo stick, then they are out. And, naturally, the person who manages to dance under the limbo stick at the lowest point, wins. 

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Coconut Bowling

Did someone say Hawaiian Luau party? Well then there's one activity that you and your friends will love. It's called coconut bowling and, as you can imagine, it's bowling, but just with coconuts.

For this activity you will need some empty plastic soft drink bottles filled with sand and an hollowed-out coconut. Once you have all the items, simply arrange the sand-filled bottles into the tenpin bowling triangle, measure off about 10 to 20 feet from them and begin bowling!

If you want to make it interesting, make a couple of your own rules for the bowling game. These can include anything like requiring all participants to hula dance while they are bowling. 

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Hawaiian Target Practice

For this game you will need to get... a stick and a couple of small stones. When you have all the items, drive the stick firmly into the ground and measure a couple of paces away from it.

Once done, use the stones to try and get it as close as possible to the stick. Now you may think this is easy, but it could prove to be quite a challenge as it not only requires accuracy, but also the correct amount of force with which the stone is thrown (as a tip, remember that a lot of force might not always be the best thing).

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Food & Drink

As mentioned before in the introduction (see above), there are a couple of dishes unique to the Hawaiian Luau. For recipes, have a look on the Internet and ask your mom and dad to help you make them.

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