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Summer Entertaining: Loving the Luau

If I have to see Party City’s TV commercial for cheap luau gear one.more.time…

If you’ve been living under a rock, news flash: Party City is having a massive sale on everything you need to throw a backyard summer luau, save for the poi, lomi salmon and Kalua pig.

I was born and raised in Hawaii, as such I’ve attended more than a few authentic Hawaiian luaus. They’ve all been memorable parties and I certainly see why people living outside of the 50th state would want to recreate the festivities. Unfortunately, unless you have a large budget and can ship in genuine Hawaiian food, you will likely have to make a few adjustments to your luau menu. However, when it comes to entertainment, the sky is the limit.

A traditional luau features Hawaiian music, hula dancing and fire dancing. However, don’t feel as though you need to take a crash course in spitting flames, when you can have just as much fun with your guests playing these luau-inspired games:

Fruit Bowl: Forget about traditional pins, and get your guests rolling for pineapples. Bowling for pineapples is a twist on the traditional game. All you need are 10 pineapples for pins and a coconut for the “bowling ball”.

Hot Coconut: When you are done bowling, recycle the coconut and use it for this silly game that takes its lead from the traditional “Hot Potato.” Assemble your guests in a circle and play some Hawaiian music. When you decide to stop the music, whoever is caught with the coconut is “out.” Continue the game until a winner is crowned.

Lei Toss: Have each guest select a partner. Create two lines of players, with partners facing each other standing about 20 feet away. Place a few dozen plastic leis behind one line of players. When you give the signal, players need to grab one of the leis and throw it around his partner’s neck. As soon as one of the leis has been placed on the partner’s neck, the player grabs another. Play continues until all of the leis are gone. The player who places the most leis on his or her partner first wins.

Related Articles:

Ways to Make Summer Entertaining Fun

Summer Party Fun

Fun Baby Shower Ideas

Tea Party Birthday Parties

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About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.