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You are sure to find some ideas for your own Luau Party to create an outdoor event everyone will remember.

Our backyard Luau party was in celebration of the end of the school year. Tiki torches, grass skirts, Hawaiian shirts and a beach scene photo booth set the mood.

My goal with party planning is always to make it as easy and painless as possible. Even the Host wants to be able to enjoy the party! That’s why I shop Oriental Trading for party supplies!

I am sharing with you all the details of our backyard Hawaiian Luau Party including the food, decorations, our photo booth and the games we played.

Luau Party Food Ideas

Let’s start with our menu for Luau party food. Planning the menu was a lot of fun. I made sure to incorporate Kabobs, pineapples and fruit.

Good news! We have make ahead food for the Luau party! Such a time save on the day of the actual party.

Day Before: Make the Hawaiian Pasta Salad, Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Luau Punch

Morning of the party: Crockpot Hawaiian Pork goes into the Crockpot. Get the chicken into the marinade. Make the Mixed Fruit Cups and allow to marinade in the refrigerator while you do other things.

Hawaiian Pasta Salad recipe here.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe here.

What To Wear For A Luau Party

All of the guys wore Hawaiian shirts which always make me think of vacation. For some reason, my hubby enjoys wearing that style shirt on vacation. It’s more cool and comfy.

The ladies were given a grass skirt which I had ordered plenty of while shopping for all the party decorations and supplies.

Everyone got to pick out multiple leis to wear upon arrival. I ordered plenty.

No floral pattern is off limits for a luau. Lots of floral for both men and women. Pair your colorful floral tops with bright solid color bottoms.

Luau Party Photo Booth

You simply must have a photo opp at a Luau Party.

We found this fabulous Tropical Cabana Backdrop which added to the fun Luau party decorations we were using. It is huge which means multiple people can crowd together for photos!

It actually clung to the outside brick wall long enough to allow using some painters tape around the edges to hold it in place.

Our Luau Photo Stick Props were the most fun! The Big Kahuna stick was quite popular!

I used a couple of tray tables to pile the photo props onto. Our props included; grass skirts from the Dollar store, lots more leis and the Photo Stick Props.

There simply must be a Coconut bra top, right! Thanks to those photo stick props!

Luau Party Decorations

Tiki torches
Tiki style tumblers
Faux Palm leaves
Pineapples
Bright colored paper straws
Bright colored plastic utensils
Bright color or floral paper plates and napkins
Pinata’
Outdoor lighting
Lots of bright colored faux flowers
Grass skirt style table skirt
Pink flamingos in the yard

Adding a few Tiki touches is essential for a Luau or Tropical themed party! I fell in love with these adorable Ceramic Tiki Tumblers and knew they were perfect for holding our utensils, straws and even the Photo Stick Props which added decor to our party table.

We used two of the Tabletop Bamboo Polynesian Torches with one on each end of the table.

Our Tiki Pinata served as table decor until time to play the game! He’s too cute not to use on the table, don’t you think!

The Tropical Flowered Table Skirt was attached using Glue Dots. Those are such handy little tools for removable decorations!

How To Make A Luau Party Table Back Drop

Plastic Tablecloths in bright colors
Streamers
Decorative Hibiscus Flowers
Tropical Leaves
Glue Dots

First we hung the tablecloths side by side, pinching a few pleats along the way. We used double sided tape.

Then the streamers were hung taking care to use a contrasting color for each tablecloth color.

Finally, Glue Dots were an easy solution to stick the flowers and leaves to the plastic for a finishing touch.

Luau Party Games

A candy filled Pinata’ was the most fun for everyone.

We have exactly one tree in our back yard and it is a very tall Pine. My hubby tied a string around a small scrap board and tossed it over the lowest limb to hang the Pinata. He then held the other end while the kids took turns trying to break the Pinata using a wooden baseball bat.

You need a whole lot of candy to fill a Pinata so we got that from Oriental Trading also. We knew they had candy in bulk from the time we hosted the Charlie Brown Trunk or Treat which you can see here.

Ring The Flamingo Game

A couple of Flamingo’s in the ground
A couple of Hula Hoops

We also played Ring The Flamingo Game which is super addicting. There is something about a ring toss game that brings out the competition in people! Everyone can play, even the youngest children get a turn.

The object of the game is to toss the ring over the Flamingo. Seems simple enough, right? It may be harder than we think. We used Hula Hoops for our rings.

A good Badminton set will keep the kiddos occupied all summer long. Everyone loves to play and we put this set up on Luau party day! A word of advise, buy good Rackets and extra Shuttlecock’s!

Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor string lights are a must for setting the mood as night falls. Even if you enjoy hosting a bonfire from time to time and roasting marshmallows, you need string lights! This set of Vintage Bulb String Lights will work for any party theme.

A combination of tropical decorations, a few well planned games and Luau themed party food will create the atmosphere you intend for your guests to enjoy.