How to Plan a Backyard Luau
Luaus are a Hawaiian tradition long enjoyed by Hawaiian kings. The word "luau" actually derives from a dish that is served at the event: chicken, beef or pork cooked in taro leaves and coconut milk. Planning a backyard luau may be a little less lavish, but no less enjoyable to the guests who attend. Use tropical flowers, decor and food to throw an entertaining party. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Invitations
- Tropical flowers
- Grass skirts
- Seashells
- Tiki torches
- Fresh fruits
- Seafood
- Fruit juice
- Iced tea
- Miniature umbrellas
- 1 thin pole
- 1 whole pig
- Leis
Instructions
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Mail invitations that clearly express the party's theme and plainly state the dress code: tropical casual. Design elements like palm trees, coconuts and tropical flowers, which are all appropriate for luau invitations.
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Make or purchase colorful tropical flowers, either silk or real, for female guests to wear in their hair. Married women wear a flower over their left ear; single women wear it on the right.
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Line the perimeter of the backyard with tiki torches, a traditional luau element.
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Decorate tables with grass skirts, sea shells and other tropical elements -- coconuts and flowers, for instance.
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Set up a buffet table with fresh fruits. Pineapples, kiwis, mangoes and melons add to the tropical luau theme.
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Grill tropical seafood to serve as an entree. Mahi mahi fish, shrimp and other seafood are all appropriate for a luau.
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Serve fruit drinks and tropical cocktails. Fruit juices, iced tea and lemonade add to the summery feeling of the party. Expand on the theme by serving drinks in tiki mugs or coconut cups and dress with miniature umbrellas.
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Get a long, thin pole to hold a limbo competition, a traditional luau game.
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Roast a whole pig for six to seven hours in a ground oven to create a traditional luau dish, or serve pulled pork as an alternative.
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Make or buy Hawaiian leis for each guest expected to attend the party. No luau is complete without this traditional Hawaiian accessory.
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References
Resources
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