Although I am not a native of Hawaii, and I’ve never even visited the oh-so popular Hawaiian islands (although I’d jump at the chance to, and I welcome invitations!) I do know a few things about preparing for a Hawaiian Luau, mainly because most of my birthday parties as a child or luau-themed, including my Sweet 16. Here are five of the most crucial decorating elements that should be included to make any Hawaiian luau – whether indoors or outdoors – a real smash. Included are decoration ideas that can be used for bringing out these five elements.
Five Essential Luau Party Elements:
1) Fire
Luaus are all about bonfires and barbecues by the beach, Tiki torches, and even fire eaters, so it’s important to include some element of fire in your luau. Note that the fire element does not have to be a real fire, but can instead be a representation of fire.
For example, if you’re hosting an indoor luau, be sure to incorporate battery operated flickering “candles” as part of your decorating scheme. Dim the lights and scatter flameless candles around the room; all the flickering lights will give off a warm, bonfire like glow to the room.
If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace in your home, and a responsible trustworthy adult, a toasty fire would also help to set the luau mood.
Another great idea to incorporate the fire element at your indoor luau party is to create what I call a “fan fire”. To create a fan fire, you’ll need a small, round, portable fan, like any of these Vornado fans. The face of the fan will need to be able to be pointed so that it is facing the ceiling. You will also need yellow, orange, and red streamers.
To create the fire effect, I cut the streamers so that each piece is one foot to two feet long; it is okay if the length of the streamers varies. I cut several pieces of streamers, and then I either tie bits of streamers around the fan’s spokes or I tape the streamers with a heavy duty tape close to the fan’s spokes. I then take all of the streamers in one hand and hold the tips of the streamers above the fan’s face and with the other hand, turn on the fan to a medium or high setting. When the desired effect is reached, the fan blows the colored streamers straight up into the air, creating a phony fire. It should be noted though that it often takes some experimentation in order to get the streamers into the right place for this to work and that the fan should always be off and unplugged when attaching the streamers to avoid hurting fingers. The fan should also be completely turned off when removing the streamers.
Having a luau outdoors? If so, you’re in great luck! An easy way to incorporate fire into an outdoor luau is with real Tiki torches or a bonfire. Tiki torches can easily be purchased at most party stores and warehouses as well as online. Just stick a few of those bad boys around your yard and light them up and it will really feel like a party! An extreme word of caution though: whenever using real fire, be sure that there is a responsible adult to monitor the fire (in this case, the torches) and that the torches are away from anything flammable, as well as away from small children and pets.
If you have a backyard fire pit, setting up a bonfire is a must and would truly set the luau mood. Plus, it’s a very cheap and highly effective decoration; all you need is some scrap wood and perhaps some lighter fluid and a match or a lighter to get the fire going. Once again though, please only incorporate real fire into your luau setting if there is someone experienced with building an outdoors bonfire and a responsible adult who is capable of monitoring the fire.
2) Flowers
Luaus are all about beautiful floral accents, so be sure to include flowers and other sorts of plant life in your decoration planning.
A great way to add a splash of color to an indoor luau is to pick up some fake flowers from a craft store and to sprinkle the flowers on tables and counters, or to even create floral centerpieces to place on tables. An even better way to decorate is to stop by a florist shop and pick up fresh, tropical flowers like orchids to place in vases around the room.
Don’t forget to decorate your guests either! Plastic or cloth flower lei necklaces can also usually be picked up at any party store and are generally pretty cheap; for example, Oriental Trading sells these two tone flower leis for $2.49 per dozen.
Be sure to include Hawaiian leis at both indoor and outdoor parties, as they are essential to setting the right mood. Also, you may want to consider purchasing large strings of leis to hang in doorways and across patios.
Do you have a great backyard flower garden? Showcase it at your outdoor Hawaiian luau! Invest in outdoor pathway lights or flood lights and place them close to your garden so that the flowers can be admired even at night (if your luau will be taking place in the afternoon into the evening). Sitting outdoors close to a beautiful and highly visible garden of flowers will give your guests the feeling that they are truly somewhere special – and it’s also another easy and relatively cheap way to “decorate” for the party!
3) Palm trees and coconuts
It’s hard to think about Hawaii without thinking about palm trees and the coconuts that grow on them. Even if you can’t find a palm tree in say, New York, Ohio, or Wisconsin (or any of the other non tropical continental states), you can still create your own palm tree fun!
Creating three dimensional paper palm trees is a snap. First, collect a bunch of paper towel roll tubes, OR wrapping paper tubes. Make sure you have at least 4 to 8 paper towel rolls or 1 or 2 wrapping paper rolls, depending upon how tall you want your tree to be. You’ll also need brown construction paper or a large roll of butcher paper and green construction paper. Lastly, you’ll need a deep bucket or plant container and some sand or pebbles.
First, tape all of the cardboard tubes together, end to end. Next, wrap the brown construction paper or butcher paper around the cardboard tubes. If using construction paper, make sure the pieces of paper overlap so that all of the paper towel tubes are covered; the idea here is to use the construction paper to make it look like tree bark. Lastly, cut large palm leaves out of the green construction paper, or, if you wish to make bigger palm leaves, cut the leaves out of the butcher paper and then paint the leaves green. My suggestion, when using the construction paper, is to fold the paper in half lengthwise, and then cut out the leaf shape so the leaf is symmetrical when you are finished. Also, folding the paper will help create a leaf that has more “pop” to it. Then, unfold the leaf and cut slits into the side of the side of the paper to make it look more like a palm leaf. If you find it helpful, Google a picture of a palm leaf to help you figure it out just how it should look.
Attach the leaves to the top of the cardboard tree trunk either with tape or staples and sink the bottom of the trunk into a bucket filled with sand or stones and voila! You’ll have yourself a paper palm tree that can be placed indoors or outdoors for decoration. This is also a great project to complete with children (if there will be children at the shindig) on a rainy day.
Coconuts are another Hawaiian luau staple, and it’s plenty easy to decorate with coconuts since it is as simple as purchasing a few from the store and using them as table centerpieces or just as simple accents. Plus, as a sort of party perk, you can crack open the coconuts towards the end and let your guests sample the coconut milk in true Hawaiian style! Note that a responsible adult should be the one to crack open the coconut, and if without experience, should read some tips for opening a coconut.
If real coconuts aren’t your thing or cannot be found, decorate the party with plastic coconut cups! Plastic coconut cups are not only decorative, but are also practical as they can be used to hold your guests’ drinks. Plus, they’re a lot of fun and always add a little spunk to any luau. Coconut cups can also be purchased at some party stores and anytime at Oriental Trading.
4) Sand
No luau is complete without sand and surf, thus why essential decoration element number 4 is sand, and number 5 is surf. First, here are some easy ways to incorporate sand into your luau for that beach-y feeling!
Creating an indoor or outdoor temporary sandbox is a great way to bring the beach to your home or backyard. All you will need is a place to contain the sand, such as a plastic kiddie pool, and sand, of course!
Now (July/August) is the time of the year when blow up kiddie pools are available at toy stores, drug stores, Kmart, Walmart, and even dollar stores for cheap; summer items like kiddie pools always go on sale towards the end of the summer. So, whether you’re having your luau in August or February, pick up a plastic inflatable pool now so you’re ready for the party.
Sand can be bought at most home improvement stores and gardening stores, like Home Depot, for example.
Once you’re ready to party, blow up the pool and fill it with a few bags of sand, however much is necessary so that the pool is somewhat filled but the sand is not at risk of pouring over the edge. This serves as a nice decoration both indoors and outdoors, and it’s great if you fill the sand with sea shells, which can either be collected at the beach before the party or can be bought at craft stores, and even stores that sell other home décor, such as the Christmas Tree Shop. Allow guests to choose sea shells to take home, and you’ve created both a decoration and party favors for your luau!
Note that if children are invited to the party, this may not be the best decoration to have indoors. It is perfect for outdoor luaus, however, if children are present and are allowed to play in the sand.
Afraid of bringing sand indoors? Try setting up a beach Scene Setter! The easiest way to describe a Scene Setter is to say that it is a large roll of plastic like material that can be easily adhered to any wall; the roll depicts a scene, and in the case of the beach Scene Setter, makes it appear that there is a beach right in your living room. If you’re interested in setting the beach-y mood, you can check it out yourself here.
5) Surf
The last element is surf. Luaus usually take place near the ocean, so you want to be sure to include some decorations that help to create the ocean feel. Whether indoors or outdoors, consider purchasing a cheap fishing net and some plastic critters, such as plastic fish like swordfish, and plastic crabs or seahorses. Hang the fishing net up in a corner of the room or outdoors draped from the side of a house or from one side of an outdoor awning to the other and fill the net with the plastic sea critters. This is sure to make your guests feel like they are sitting down by the ocean for sure.
If you use these five elements when decorating for your luau, you’ll be well on your way to creating a great party setting. Of course, I’m sure there are other decorations that can be used when attempting to incorporate these elements, and I suppose there are other elements that may help to make a luau great as well, but these are some of the elements and decorations that I use when planning for a luau.
Okay, party planners! With these tips and your own imagination, you’re now ready to set out and create a fantastic luau party that will make you and your guests feel as if you had walked off a plane and found the real thing in Hawaii! Maika’I pomaika’i (that’s “good luck” in Hawaiian)!
