Posts Tagged ‘Hawaiian party’

Here comes the (Hawaiian) sun

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

garlandSummer is not quite here yet, but being British it’s only natural that with the first proper glimpses of sunlight in months our thoughts begin to drift towards the inevitable barbecue. If you’re feeling daring this weekend and are willing to risk a surprise downpour, why not be the first  in the neighbourhood to throw some meat on the barbie, and do it in style by making it a Hawaiian themed party.

Obviously the two most crucial elements of any barbecue are the food and the weather, and while you may not be able to do anything to influence the latter, at least you can do your best to ensure the food is the talk of the town. At the centre of Hawaiian culinary efforts is the ‘plate lunch’, consisting of a meat or fish main course, two scoops of rice and a salad. Chicken Katsu and beef teriyaki are both popular choices in Hawaii and go down a treat when served with noodles.

An outdoor Hawaiian themed party is ideal because it provides plenty of space and fresh air for island-inspired party games, such as limbo competitions and hula hoop. Get your guests to enter into the spirit by coming in fancy dress such as grass-skirts, Hawaiian shirts and coconut bikinis. You could even make your own leis out of thread and flower heads to hand out to guests as a traditional Hawaiian symbol of friendship.

While the weather in your back garden might not be quite tropical, you can always create the illusion of a sun-kissed island paradise by decorating the scene with inflatable palm trees, pineapples, and perhaps your very own tiki-hut.

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Elvis in Hawaiian fancy dress

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

hawaiianshirtIf you’re searching for that extra ingredient for your Hawaiian themed party, why not try adding a little inspiration from the undisputed king of rock ‘n roll, Elvis Presley?

Elvis fell in love with the islands after visiting for the first time in the fifties, and he would go on to star in three movies set in Hawaii. These were ‘Blue Hawaii’, ‘Girls Girls Girls’ and ‘Paradise Hawaiian Style’, which you might consider watching beforehand to warm up for your Hawaiian Elvis fancy dress party.

Central to the Elvis look is of course the hair, and this is perhaps best achieved with an Elvis wig, though if you are follicley gifted you could try adding copious amounts of product to your hair and combing it backwards before giving it a blast with hairspray. Sideburns are of course optional.

In ‘Blue Hawaii’, Elvis plays Chad Gates, a soldier returning to Hawaii after the war to become a guide for a tourist agency. Here Elvis is to be seen wearing iconic Hawaiian shirts, donning an acoustic guitar for impromptu sing-along’s.

If you have any degree of musical talent this will certainly aid this part of your Hawaiian party. Get in the mood by putting some of the king’s classics on the stereo, such as of course the title track of the movie of the same name, ‘Blue Hawaii’.

Of course if you really want to turn on the charm, you should really consider obtaining a sequinned jumpsuit similar to the one Elvis wore during his show-stopping ‘Aloha in Hawaii’ performance on the islands in the seventies. Just grab yourself some cool aviator glasses and a few flower garlands and you’re ready to rock n’ roll the night away!

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Hawaiian fancy dress party games

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Hawaiian pinata

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.

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Happy Hawaiian New Year

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

If you’re having a house party this New Year’s Eve, why not make it an occasion to remember by giving everything a Hawaiian fancy dress theme. As the snow continues to fall and festive travel plans for thousands of Britons are disrupted, bringing a little bit of tropical paradise to your own home is the perfect way to lift your guests’ spirits.

For fancy dress costumes think grass skirts, Bermuda shorts, Hawaiian shirts and flower garlands aplenty. You could even go as a man-eating shark!

If you’re feeling particularly brave this New Year’s Eve, you could even try holding a Hawaiian style barbecue amongst the snowmen in your back garden! Whether you choose to prepare your party food indoors or outdoors, Hawaiian cuisine offers a fine selection of tasty morsels for even the most conservative of party guests. Being a fusion of national dishes brought by immigrants to the island, notably Japanese, American, Chinese and Filipino, Hawaiian food is greatly varied and remarkably delicious. Barbecued fish is particularly popular and the ‘plate lunch’ is a staple of Hawaiian restaurants, consisting of two scoops of white rice, macaroni salad and an entree, such as Chicken Katsu, Beef Teriyaki or Hamburger Steak.

Give your home that typically Hawaiian feel by sprucing up the decor with a few palm trees, pineapple and coconut party decorations. A few Tiki god ornaments about the place also certainly couldn’t hurt your luck for the coming year. Round the night off with a bang in traditional Hawaiian style by setting off some firecrackers at midnight. Hau’ oli Makahiki Hou!

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