Want your Hawaiian luau party to be the talk of the town? To throw a good Hawaiian luau party, one should first learn a bit of history about Hawaii and its cultural traditions. HawaiiHistory.com and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau are both good places to learn more about Hawaii, present and past. Another good website for info on Hawaii is ehawaii.gov, Hawaii’s official government website. Hawaiian traditions offer some great ideas for Hawaiian luau party games. Here are some fun Hawaiian luau party games I have come up with, based on Hawaiian tradition and culture.
Unique Party Games for a Hawaiian Luau: Spear Throwing
Hawaiian Natives would use spears to catch their prey, but spear-throwing was also used as a game of skill. For a Hawaiian luau party, a fun spear-wielding game can be used. For this game, mark a starting line and for the finish line, place two bamboo sticks parallel to one another, about 3 feet apart. Players will slide a bamboo stick and attempt to get it in between the other two bamboo sticks. Whoever can do this most accurately and the most times is the winner. Possible prizes could be a Hawaiian lei, sand dollars, or Niihau shells.
Unique Party Games for a Hawaiian Luau: Mock Fishing Game
Hawaiian tradition and culture involves fishing. Fishing is done for food, but also as a skilled sport or for fun and leisure. To make a mock fishing game for a Hawaiian luau party, you’ll need bamboo sticks, string, magnets, and paper fish. This game is geared toward children, but some adults may enjoy it as well. The mock fishing game should be created before the Hawaiian luau party guests arrive. To make the game, tie a small magnet to one end of a foot long piece of string. Then, tie the other end of the string to a bamboo stick. Repeat this process until there are enough bamboo stick fishing poles for all party guests.
Cut out plenty of fish shapes from construction paper or card stock and center a stick-on magnet on one side of each one. There should be much more fish than fishing poles. To play the game, put all the mock fish in a large bowl or bucket and allow party guests to dip their poles in until they catch one. They should remove any they catch and set them aside. Whoever has caught the most after there are no more fish left is the winner. Possible prizes include a Hawaiian lei, an authentic bamboo fishing pole (one that will catch real fish), or a coupon for a free homemade Hawaiian meal, courtesy of the party host (on another night, of course).
Unique Party Games for a Hawaiian Luau: Leaf Sledding
If your party location has a hill, this is a fun addition to a Hawaiian luau party. Some grocery stores (and possibly flower shops) sell banana leaves. If you’re actually in Hawaii, they will be more accessible. Other big U.S. Cities, such as Houston, sometimes have them as well. They also can be ordered online. Everyone sits on a leaf at the top of the hill, grips the side of their leaf, and slides down. It’s like winter sledding, but without the snow. Just like with sledding, be safe.
Unique Party Games for a Hawaiian Luau: Races
Footraces have long been a Hawaiian tradition that was meant to be played by both amateurs and professionals. There were racers that trained to be especially fast. These were called kukini and Hawaiians would put wagers on who, of the kukini would win. For a fun Hawaiian luau game, hold mock wager races like that of the kukini. Other races done by the ancient Hawaiians include cartwheel racing and somersault racing. In a Hawaiian luau party, leis can be given as race prizes.
