Hawaiian Luau Party

The summers here in Texas are scorching hot! So if you're planning a party for the summer, why not throw a Hawaiian Luau to beat the summer heat.  Here's some cool ideas from a party that I co-hosted a few years ago to help inspire you to throw your own summer luau party!

With the help of my best friend's mother-in-law and another friend, we threw a surprise birthday party for my best friend Brandi.

The birthday girl Brandi with her fresh flower lei

Make sure to ask your guests in the invitation to dress in Hawaiian attire to really set the theme for the party.  A luau must-have is plenty of leis.  Make sure you have them for each of your guests and some extras to add to the decor.  You can also go all-out and have guests wear grass skirts and coconuts too!

My Sister-Laura and My Daughter-Amaris

The decor was a combination of Craigslist finds, party decor from Hobby Lobby, Party City and other Hawaiian decor we already owned.  I bought several of the party decorations from someone on Craigslist. This person had just thrown their own Luau party and wanted to get rid of all their party stuff, so I got a great deal on tons of stuff.

Birthday Gift Table

Hanging Palm Tree

The kitchen island wrapped with a grass skirt garland

I think I went a little fruit crazy and made several fruit trays, carved a watermelon whale and also carved a watermelon tiki mask. My sister, Laura helped me cut up all that fruit which took us several hours! Thankfully we had extra fridge space for all the fruit trays and watermelon carvings.  Keep that in mind when prepping for a party, that you must have fridge space for items that you will make ahead of time.

Carved Watermelon Whale

Carved Watermelon Tiki Mask

To carve the watermelons, I used a pumpkin carving kit and some other kitchen utensils.  This was my first attempt at carving a watermelon so I found a video tutorial on YouTube to help me.  I drew the design on the outside of the watermelon before I started to carve out anything.

Here are some video tutorials to help you carve your own watermelon:

• KJ's Watermelon Whale
• Watermelon Whale (How to Make)

Tiki Mask-Carved Watermelon

Carved Watermelon Whale with Fruit salad

Fresh Fruit Kabobs

Don't throw away pineapple crowns, use them to decorate your fruit platters. Then once the party is over, you can even regrow a pineapple plant from the pineapple crown.  If you go to my Instagram account, you can see my Pineapple Project where I have been regrowing a pineapple plant. Check hashtags: #regrowingpineapple #pineappleproject

A Hawaiian luau wouldn't be complete without a whole roasted pig! This giant pig was as big as the whole table.  It was delicious and we served it with Hawaiian rolls of course!

Here are some ideas for the luau party food that we served.

Coconut Shrimp

Chicken Salad with Hawaiian Rolls

Drinks anyone?! You can rent margarita machines from local party rental businesses. They are convenient if you are serving frozen adult beverages for several guests, instead of making frozen drinks one-by-one with a blender.

Tiki Bar

Me and my sister Laura

You can use this theme for any occasion such as birthdays for kids and adults, wedding showers, and pool parties.  I hope you are inspired to have your own Hawaiian Luau Party and make it a party to remember!

Mahalo!

~Anya