Costumes- Think grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts. Handing out flower leis to guests as they arrive is a traditional Hawaiian symbol of friendship.

Props- A few well placed props, such as inflatable palm trees, parrots and sharks will give your party that little something extra, and can double up as toys to keep any attending children occupied.

Drinks- Tropical cocktails, such as the ‘Blue Hawaiian’ and the ‘Banana Lover’, are perfect for getting your party going. For those guests who don’t drink alcohol, exotic fruit juices, such as pineapple or mango, will go down a treat.

Games- Hawaiian party games, such as limbo competitions or hula dancing can help to liven things up. You could also have a competition for the best, and the worst, Hawaiian costumes.

Music- Play some Hawaiian steel guitar music to get everyone into the Hawaiian mood, or alternatively throw on some Hawaiian era Elvis.

Pick an appropriate party soundtrack – Selecting music with links to Hawaii can enhance the atmosphere of the occasion and help your guests really get into the aloha spirit. Ideas include Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii soundtrack album, and traditional Hawaiian music featuring lots of steel guitar and ukulele.

Serve Hawaiian food – With the good weather finally making an appearance, a traditional Hawaiian barbecue is an ideal way to feed your party guests. The ‘plate lunch’ is at the centre of Hawaiian culinary efforts, and usually combines a mixture of rice and pasta salad with beef, chicken, pork or fish.

Plan some Hawaiian party games – Grab some hula hoops for your Hawaiian fancy dress party and see who can keep going the longest. Limbo dancing is also popularly linked to the Hawaiian islands, though it actually originates from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. But hey, we won’t tell if you don’t.

Decorate with Hawaiian props – Inflatable palm trees, sharks and parrots are great cost effective ways to liven things up at your Hawaiian party. Tikki decorations and cut outs can also add an extra touch of authenticity to the event.

Hand out flower garlands – Presenting guests with flower leis or garlands has long been a Hawaiian tradition and is a sign of friendship and respect. It’s also something your guests can keep as a memento of a great night.

1 – Serve cocktails to your guests in coconut shaped cups. If you really want to push the boat out you could even try using real coconuts.

2 – If the climate in your home isn’t suitable for actual palm trees, try decorating with inflatable and cut out palms. Further recreate the tropical ambience of the sun-kissed islands of Hawaii by adding some indigenous wildlife, such as inflatable dolphins, sharks and parrots.

3 – Get your guests dancing to some traditional island music. You can buy CD’s with Hawaiian themed music on, or if you’re musically gifted you could always make your own!

4 – Play some Hawaiian themed party games, such as limbo dancing or whack the piñata.

5 – Hand out homemade flower leis as you greet your guests at the door. You can quite easily make your own with just a needle and thread, and either real flowers or artificial ones made from crate paper or even origami paper. The giving of flower garlands is considered a sign of affection and friendship in Hawaii.

6 – Bring along a few hula hoops and find out which of your guests has the best island rhythm. If indoors, be sure to remove any breakables from the room beforehand!

7 – Serve traditional Hawaiian food, such as rice with barbecued meat or fish. For desert, try banana or coconut cake.

Hawaiian pinata

We all need something to enliven us during these dark winter months, to distract us from the seemingly endless barrage of snow and frozen roads, so how about some Hawaiian style fancy dress party games?

Hawaiians are well known for their sense of fun and enthusiastic attitude towards life, and this shines through in the games that are associated with the island state.

Start off by donning your grass skirts and Bermuda shorts and then grab some hula hoops and get twirling! There’s a certain knack to getting the hoop spinning just right, and you could even hold competitions amongst your guests to see who can hula the longest, or twirl the most hoops at one time.

While limbo dancing actually has the island of Trinidad to thank for its origins, it has nonetheless become a staple of Hawaiian themed fancy dress parties. When it’s time to find out which one of your party guests is the most flexible and agile, bring out the limbo pole and put some island grooves on the hi-fi.

Another great Hawaiian party game is the piñata, whereby guests attempt to break open a papier-mâché figure while blindfolded. Just make sure to remove any fragile valuables from the scene beforehand!

You will of course want to decorate your house or party hall to look the part, and you can do this with inflatable palm trees, pineapples and parrots, Hawaiian garlands and Tiki god ornaments. Mix your guests up some tropical cocktails and the grim winter outside will soon be forgotten.