Fun Luau Activities

Luau activities can make or break your Hawaiian party. The best way to make sure your party is enjoyed by everyone is to make sure you have a variety of things to do for every guest, both young and old.

Know Your Guests
Not every guest will appreciate the hard work you put into planning a scavenger hunt. Likewise, not everyone will want to be involved in an activity. And that's okay. As long as you realized, long before the party, that some people are watchers and some people are doers, you've already paved the way for a successful event. If you have people who might be too shy to participate or who are physically constricted, don't worry about it. Let each guest choose what activities they'd like to participate in and let the rest watch. For your guests who are interested in luau activities, give them plenty to do.

Blind Dates and Leis
Start by providing a table at the entrance where your guests can make their own leis. A dozen needles already threaded and waiting for guests is a nice way to make this task less daunting and more fun. To make the project less expensive, buy leis at the dollar store or yard sales and dismantle them. This gives your guest the opportunity to create their own colors and styles. After the lei is made, use them for a game later in the day called Blind Date.

The game Blind Date allows the men and women to get a little more intimate. The women stand in a circle with blindfolds on, and their husbands or partners stand in a circle around them. The women are then instructed to feel their way around the circle, hands above the waist, and place their lei around their significant other's neck. The men cannot make any sounds or help in any way.

Party Cups
Forget about wine glasses and wine glass identification tags. If your party is into do-it-yourself projects, they can also make their own cups out of pineapples. Have your guests wash their hands or wear plastic gloves to keep things sanitary.

Cut the top off a pineapple and then allow each guest to carve out the inside of the pineapple without breaking through the outer skin. Carve a spot large enough for a plastic cup to fit inside, or just pour the drink directly into the pineapple. The pineapple pieces that are removed can be placed in the punch bowl or added to the fruit tray.

How Low Can You Go?
Limbo is a great luau activity. Make sure you have reggae music or surfer music from the Beach Boys to keep the momentum up while you continually lower the broomstick. For a lot more fun, make the limbo stick with the water from a hose, or wait until dark and use the beam of a flashlight or tape glow-in-the-dark necklaces in a spiral around the broomstick.

Other games that can keep the party entertaining include pinning the coconut on the palm tree and hula-hoop contests.

Build a Sandcastle
If your luau is on the beach, don't overlook the beach itself for an activity. You can always play beach volleyball, but what about building sandcastles and handing out prizes for the best designs? Let everyone know in advance that there will be a sandcastle-making contest, and allow each team to bring along whatever tools they feel are necessary. Shovels, sandcastle molds, a handmade or toy drawbridge, flags, marbles and colored stones for decoration all should be encouraged. You may have some individuals who bring along miniature horses and knights as well as the king and queen. Include stones and shells from the beach in the construction of the castle and give points for the best moat.

Water Balloon Fight
A water balloon fight is another fun way to spend a hot afternoon, especially for the children in the group. Either set up teams or just have a free for all. Before you start, however, make sure everyone has the same amount of balloons. Mark off an area to play and let the participants know that no balloons can be thrown outside of this area.

Piñata Fun
A great idea for both children and adults is a piñata. Fill a piñata with candy for the youngsters. If the party is adults only, fill the piñata with exotic chocolates and imported specialty candy filled with brandy and rum. The piñata can be created out of a balloon that is then covered with papier mache, or you can buy a premade piñata at a party store.

Papier mache is made by dipping newspaper strips in a thin water-and-flour paste. Soak the strips in water that is saturated with the paste. Pull the strips out of the water one at a time, remove the excess paste, and layer them over the balloon. Cover the balloon in several layers; two to three is usually enough. After the papier mache has dried, pop the balloon and cut a hole in the top of the piñata so that you can insert the candy. Add accessories to the balloon to create whatever shape or animal you prefer. Tape the legs and head on to the piñata and then paint it.

Insert the candy and tie a rope or ribbon to the top of the piñata. Toss the rope or ribbon over a tree limb and pull the piñata off the ground. Each person can take turns being blindfolded and taking a swipe at the piñata with a plastic bat. Make sure guests stand back far enough so that they don't get hit by the bat or by flying candy.