Hosting a successful teen luau party requires planning ahead to help the teens feel as if they are at the beach or another tropical location. Choosing the proper decorations, along with some games to carry out the theme, will make the party a success. Food options are numerous, and making a variety of grilled items will continue the luau party theme.
Decorations
The decorations will set the theme of the party. Start by purchasing leis for each of your guests. Along with this, purchase grass skirts for your guests to wear at the party over their clothing. Continuing with the theme, allow the teens to wear their swimsuits to the party. Use pineapples or other tropical fruit as centerpieces on the tables and cover the tables with colorful tablecloths. If you own a surfboard, have that standing up against a wall; if not, consider purchasing a few small boogie boards and have them in the yard for decorations. The final touch can be a small pool set up, either for decorative purposes or, if it is large enough, for the guests to swim in.
Games
A party should have a variety of games, and there are plenty you can choose from for a luau. If you have a small pool, you can make a teenage version of the old duck pond game that is common at carnivals. Purchase floating ducks, fish, turtles and other items. On the bottom of each write a number. This number should correspond with a prize bag that is filled with prizes of your choice. Then let each teenager take a turn leaning over the pool and catching one of the floating objects with his mouth. Award him the prize bag that corresponds with the number on the object he catches. Remember to remove that object from the game after it is caught to avoid the spread of germs.
How about a relay race? Divide the teens into teams of two. Start at one line and tell each team to hold a plastic coconut between their two bodies without using their hands. If the coconut drops to the ground, they must remain there until the end of the game. The goal is for a team to cross a finish line 200 feet away; if nobody crosses, the team that gets the closest to the finish without dropping the coconut wins.
Food
Cookout foods work well for a teen luau party. Grill the standard hamburgers and hot dogs, but also consider having kabobs that include grilled chicken or pork with fruits and peppers on the skewers. Pineapple grills well on these skewers. Use a sweet-and-sour marinade or barbecue sauce to flavor the meat and fruits. Make nonalcoholic versions of popular tropical drinks. For dessert, grill pineapple and serve it over ice cream, or allow the teens to toast marshmallows over the grill and use them to make s'mores.
Tags: luau party, allow teens, prize that, small pool, teen luau, teen luau party