How to Throw a Luau

Bring a taste of the islands to your backyard by throwing your own luau. It's not as difficult as you might think.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic Flatware
• Citronella Candles
• Luau Supplies
• Tiki Lamps
• Paper Plates
• Hawaiian Music
• Folding Tables
• Paper plates

1. Hold your luau outdoors.

2. Set up a few tiki lamps and citronella candles around your yard to brighten your event and ward off insects.

3. Play Hawaiian music on your stereo to set the mood.

4. Greet your guests with shell or flower leis. Shell and synthetic flower leis are inexpensive and can be purchased at most party supply stores. Though a bit costlier, real flower leis are quite simple to make and add elegance as well as authenticity to your luau.

5. Serve a traditional luau menu, including kalua pig, chicken long rice, lomi lomi salmon and haupia. (See Related eHows for recipes.) Try your hand at making poi, or pounded taro root, if you want to be adventurous.

6. Make tropical drinks, such as mai tais, piña coladas and daiquiris. Have pineapple juice on hand for a nonalcoholic alternative.

7. Set up a single large table for your entrées, and decorate it with centerpieces of coconuts and tropical flowers. Serve the entrées buffet-style, not in courses.

8. Use paper plates and plastic flatware, and encourage your guests to eat with their hands. Luaus are incredibly casual affairs.

9. Place large grass mats on the ground and encourage your guests to sit on them.

Tips & Warnings

• Let your guests know well in advance that your party is a luau so that they may dress appropriately in grass skirts or Hawaiian shirts.
• You can find all the necessary basics in a luau kit, which provides everything you need for a traditional luau - from decorations to hula skirts to music.

[hullcutie]

on 6/13/2008 I like the idea of having hawian names !

[wlaxton]

on 7/26/2007 Has anyone actually made a Tiki Hut on the cheap. How did you hold it together? How did you structure it? Thanks!

on 8/8/2006 Comparing prices and buying the cheapest helped me get more things and have a bigger and better Luau! I also found Hawaiian names on the Internet for extra fun!

on 6/30/2006 For my son's Luau themed rehearsal dinner, I made the center pieces for the dining tables by cutting down large bamboo stalks, cutting pieces at different heights right above the joints (enough to hold a tea lite), and one smaller than the others but deeper to make a cup. Using a glue gun I glued them together in a cluster, them tied three-ply jute rope around the bottom. I put them in the center of the tables, surrounding them with fronds of silk ferns (I found these on sale 50% off at Hobby Lobby) with seashells and silk hibiscus flowers scattered around and on top of the ferns. The cups were filled with water and springs of live bamboo leaves were placed inside. They look great and are fairly inexpensive if you can find someone that has bamboo they will let you take some, like I did.

on 6/30/2006 Be sure to go with the theme, but hang loose and go with it, leave some wiggle room. As people in Hawaii say, halaa!