Luau party!
 

I'm helping a friend plan a luau birthday party...and I need some ideas because, frankly, I suck at planning parties.

I've seen you all give some other TFP'ers some good party idea suggestions, so I'm hoping you all can give me some ideas...food, drinks, activities...anything. There are some somewhat reserved people that will be attending, so somewhat sexual connotations are ok, but really risque is out.

Any suggestions?

I would call on Lurkette for advice. She knows tiki. :)

Is this a full luau, pig cooked in the ground, type party?

Not a full luau...no pig, just more of a tropical type atmosphere. I'm not a spectacular cook, so I'm looking for some relatively easy foods to contribute.

Pin the flower in the Native's Hair

Hula dancing contest or just for fun

For food... my parents throw a luau every year, I can bug my mom for recipes that work.

One I know for sure is Hawaiian meatballs - meatballs seasoned in a tropical sauce with pineapples, served with toothpicks.

Are you providing all the food, or are the guests helping? My mom would use her book that had very basic, simple recipes - then the guests could sign up for the category of food they wanted - ie appetizer, dessert, etc. She would then give them a recipe to follow and bring, to ensure there was a balance in the eats. You REALLY don't want 12 upside down pineapple cakes, believe me.

No fucking of pies and then eating them...

Definitely serve tropical cocktails with tiny umbrellas. Star fruit also makes an incredibly irresistable garnish on cocktails. Don't forget to think about what kind of glassware or plasticware to serve these in.

Go look at a party store for ideas. They'll have a whole section of tropical/tiki stuff that you can then copy with cheaper stuff from somewhere else--although sometimes the party stores have really good prices too.

Grilling makes tropical-themed foods easy. There are lots of meats you can serve with a Polynesian sort of marinade, and pineapple is easy to grill, as is mango. Think about making grilled tropical fruit skewers for a dessert.

:lol:

I'm helping with food, not providing all of it. There will be several people pitching in with food, but hubby and I have been specifically asked to help with the planning, hence my coming to you :)

Thanks for the ideas so far!

Boy, did you ask at the right time!

The party we just went to involved more drinking than tiki/luau-themed food (though I did make a hula girl cake, and the hosts roasted half a pig), but here are some activities:

Have everyone bring their own pineapple, and hollow them out and drink out of them! Get some fun straws with little umbrellas on them.

Have people come in grass skirts, and buy a bunch of leis.

Face painting (tiki faces especially!) was very popular at the tiki party we just had.

Limbo, of course.

Have a hula hoop contest - who can hula longest, for instance.

Make a tiki pinata

Get some bamboo stakes and have people do a ring toss using leis.

Have fun!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ephil/ribs.jpg

gotta have 'em...

Friends of mine just had a luau party and it just ended up in drunken debauchery. But they did scatter the random ukulele around the house and it made for great entertainment and photo opportunities. We also had peel-and-eat shrimp with pinapple-mango salsa, a few blenders and multiple juices, liquors, etc. to allow people to make their own alcoholic or non beverages and served them in pineapples with these straws that had umbrellas half-way down them. Leis and grass skirts were very popular and men had to wear hideous hawaiian shirts. Made for great contests. Have fun, but don't let anyone eat in a hot tub.

Thanks for the great ideas, everyone...I really, really appreciate it!