HOW TO HOST AN AMAZING BACKYARD LUAU
Aloha and mahalo for stopping in today. I can’t believe summer is nearly over, but as I feel summer slipping away it encouraged me to think that there’s still time to fit in one last soiree. And there’s nothing quite like a luau to enjoy everything that this sultry season brings: warm temperatures, tropical cocktails, and a bevy of tropical food items that will help us to celebrate the fleeting days of summer. Then it occurred to me that I never did share with you a great Luau Birthday Party that I hosted for my husband. Brad and I met in Hawaii where we both resided for a number of years after attending the University of Hawaii. As you might imagine, I’ve attended a few authentic Luaus in my day. So, I thought, what better time than the present to show you:
How to Host an Amazing Backyard Luau
Luau Table Decor
It takes a village to throw a large party so I always solicit the help of my family and friends to assist me with the party prep. Here my son Taylor can be seen rolling out burlap that we used to cover rented banquet tables.
It was very quick, easy and inexpensive to simply cut the burlap to fit the long table, no sewing involved.
I purchased a tropical print fabric at a local wholesale fabric outlet and bunched it up down the middle of the table as a table runner. Then I simply added fresh pineapples, coconuts, bananas, papayas & mangos on top as table decor and voila, I had a festive, tropical tablescape without a lot of expense and effort.
In addition, I purchased inexpensive sanctuary candles at the grocery store. I then bought a Hawaiian straw beach matt, cut it up and hot glued it around the candles to produce tropical looking candles for the tables.
Don’t Forget the Decorations
Since my party would extend into the nighttime hours I needed more than candles to light up the night. So, I lined the backyard terrace with Tiki torches that in addition to providing light, also gave my Luau the perfect tropical flare (pun intended). I picked them up very inexpensively here.
I also hung string lights and created some fun signage with corrugated cardboard, craft paper, some paint & marker pens.
We wished the birthday boy Happy Birthday on my large chalkboard.
I hung Hawaiian style buntings on the staircase and decorated a mantle as a place for the birthday gifts.
Festive Luau Attire
On the invitation I asked all of my guests to dress in Hawaiian attire for the Luau. Since Brad and I had long since done away with our Aloha attire from the old days living in Hawaii, I discovered an online source for Hawaiian wear called TipsyElves that covered all our needs. I ordered Hawaiian shirts for not only the birthday boy Brad, but for my 3 sons as well.
And, I got 6% off my purchase by activating Ebates. You can enjoy the same savings at TipsyElves and at hundreds of other stores by clicking on the image below and signing up for Ebates.
Make it a Buffet
Luaus are typically large events involving lots of guests and my luau was no exception. So for large parties I always serve the food buffet style. Rather than using paper napkins I purchased inexpensive fabric and sewed cloth napkins for my luau.
I added bamboo cutlery & chopsticks and tied it all up with twine and black raffia.
I then placed them on a tropical tray at the beginning of my buffet table.
In keeping with the tropical theme I used rectangular shaped bamboo plates.
For an added decorative touch I bought exotic blooming anthurium plants and wrapped them in burlap tied in twine. I also wrote the menu on a small chalkboard and placed it on a easel.
I used grass skirts to line my buffet table and added bunched up fishing nets for yet further Hawaiian flare.
Luau Libations
My parties always start in our bar so I crafted a couple of signs for the bar out of cardboard that invited my guests to come on in and enjoy a tropical beverage. Those are acorns I used to simulate coconuts on the trees.
On the Tiki Lounge sign you can see I used a straw beach mat for the background and cut corrugated cardboard to form the letters which were then painted.
Our signature drink for the night was none other than the Mai Tai, which I placed in a self-serve beverage dispenser so my guests could help themselves. I fished cherries and pineapple onto long bamboo cocktail picks that became a tropical beverage garnish.
PuPus Anyone?
In Hawaii an appetizer is called a PuPu. So for my Luau I hired a local sushi chef who both entertained the guests with his skills and fed them delicious fresh sushi & sashimi as a starter dish.
Hawaiian Style Plate Lunch
When it was time for dinner our guests lined up at the buffet for what is called “Plate Lunch” in Hawaii. I served Tropical Fruit Salad, Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad, Napa Cabbage Salad, Sticky Rice, Hawaiian Fried Rice and BBQ’d Teriyaki Chicken.
Time for Dessert
For a Luau style birthday dessert we made a variety of tropical cupcakes and displayed them on a decorative dessert table that I draped with burlap and fishing nets.
Music Makes the Party
For background music during dinner we placed our Bose Bluetooth Speakers outside on the terrace and played Hawaiian music to set the mood. After dinner the band we had hired helped us rock the night away on a rented dance floor.
Luau Style Party Favors
Don’t let your guests leave without a Luau style party favor. I had sugar cookies made in the shape of sunglasses, placed them in cellophane bags and tied them up with a little tag thanking them with a Hawaiian “Mahalo” for helping us celebrate Brad’s birthday with an amazing backyard Luau.
So there you have it: HOW TO HOST AN AMAZING BACKYARD LUAU
Mahalo for dropping in today!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. All photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission. This post contains affiliate links that help to make this blog possible.
