Give a prize for the best costume and you won't need to buy grass skirts!
Linda C

Liz have you tried the Oriental Trading Company catalog? Their merchandise is reasonably priced. And they have a variety of Luau party items to choose from. If you start now and buy a few items each week or so it won't seem so bad.

Scorpian bowls, Mai Tais, Blue Hawaiians, and a big bowl of virgin fruity punch is what was served at a luau party we attended years ago. They also roasted a whole pig in a pit they dug in their yard. Fresh fruit kobobs with a lime/yogurt dipping sauce were available to guests to nibble on along with pot stickers, and coconut fish balls. That's all I can remember about the food. Our friends didn't have a pool so they put out a couple of those large plastic kiddie pools filled with water. They had tropical music playing in the background. Just a few ideas to get you started. Have fun! NancyLouise

I have been collecting things for about 3 or 4 years now for a luau party, I want to have on also ........An Idea I came up with was if you have a deck lay down a tarp or plastic and buy some bags of sand to put down for everyone to run their feet through.I would not worry about grass skirts,have everyone wear hawaiian attire, you could buy lei's alot cheaper from oriental trading co. You can find ton's of recipes on line for smoothies . you could make pineapple and ham cabobs too. make sure to check all the dollar stores and good wills for decorations!!! I wish ya luck ! It sound's fun!!!

I second Oriental Trading Company for party stuff on the cheap. They have stuff for nearly any occasion you wish to celebrate. Beware, tho, I ordered 3 dozen baby rubber ducks with patriotic hats so I could put them in the pool, and the doggone things float face down!

A few other ideas for you:
Place palm fronds or banana leaves on top of your table covering, before placing food on the luau board...or cover with fishnet

There's a website that you can enter your guests' first names and you'll see the Hawaiian name for that. I made pendants out of a flat scallop shell & placed each Hawaiian name on a shell. Laid them all out on a table & the guests had to guess which was their name. Fun! (Just use cording to thread the shell on. I drilled a hole in the top of the shell).

Place fruit dips or veggie dips in hollowed out whole green peppers, melon halves, etc.

Have a Hula contest-one for the men & one for the gals. You can make grass skirts simply by using garbage bags. Cut them along the 2 long sides-fold over a hem which you can hot glue & run thin cording thru them to gather & tie. Then using scissors-cut thin strips from the bottom up to 2" before the waist.

Ask guests to come dressed in Hawaiian colors, outfits. Have a prize for Best Dressed guy & gal.

Menu ideas:
Hawaiian Ham slices with pineapple sauce
sweet & sour meatballs
candied sweet potatoes
Chicken Terriyaki
pineapple macademia nut cookies
fresh coconut cake
Hawaiian salad w/hearts of palm, artichokes, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, diced ham,sprouts, tomatoes, pineapple in a Catalina dressing

There are some luau party ideas and recipes here:

Here is a link that might be useful: The Hawaiian Home

Try Big Lots or Dollar Stores for party items -- they usually have tropical themed party stuff! And far less expensive!

And a pineapple-and-ham pizza always works at these parties too!

How about a Coconut Cake? Or Pineapple Upside-down cake?

Notice that the question was asked more than 2 years ago...I'll bet that party has happened by now.