Hazel started asking for a Luau Birthday several months prior to her birthday and I absolutely loved the idea! So often nowadays I feel like these classic party themes are overlooked but there’s a reason they’re timeless - they’re SO MUCH FUN!

We’ve hosted a Luau a few times before - one for my mom’s 49th birthday. That was her last birthday on earth before she passed away so it was a special one. Maybe I’ll find the time to post on it here but if you’re interested you can preview that party on Zachary and I’s old travel blog - The Mosbys in China.

Zachary and I used to be a CARES team at our old apartment complex which meant that our role was to throw a few parties a month for residents at the apartment. Our big event every year was a Luau around the apartment pool. For that party, we had hula dancers that we loved so I knew exactly who to call when Hazel said she wanted a Luau party!

Borrowing ideas from both of the past Luaus we hosted, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted this party to entail decoration-wise but it was so fun to resurrect those ideas & add to them! All those ideas came together into a beautiful, colorful party that I think our little girl felt super loved by & all of our guests enjoyed. See all the fun details below!

ACTIVITIES:

For kids parties, I think providing fun crafts that triple as 1. a party activity, 2. a party favor, and 3. Add to the decor and aesthetic of the party are a must! It’s a TRIPLE THREAT and a win, win, win!

For this party, I got these beautiful, large sea shells from Amazon and provided paint for the kids to paint and decorate them. Looking back, I wish I would have grabbed a couple sheets of these jewels to let the kiddos bedazzle them, too. That would have been an inexpensive, beautiful, and fun addition to the activity.

I also drew from my 90s Childhood Crafting Love and got these little cork stopper bottles and some colorful sand for each guest to make a sand art bottle. SO fun! I had grabbed an extra box of the sand by accident and had planned to return it but boy, oh, boy I am glad I didnt! The kids made their way through the sand so quickly and I had to pull out the extra box of sand within the first 30 minutes of the party. Ha. Lesson learned - the more colorful sand the better!

We got our usual white bounce house from Upscale Social. We’ve found that it’s the perfect size, 13’ by 13’, to fit in our side yard. We have this bounce house but always find it too small for these bigger parties. This time we also added the XL Round Ballpit and slide which was a HUGE hit. We moved things around and let the ball pit be the center of the outdoor patio space which spread out the larger activities and was a good move. Let this be your reminder to try new things and new set ups!

For the big activity, that served as unique entertainment & an activity for the kids, we had our favorite hula dancers out, Island Rhythms. They are so good at what they do! They performed a beautiful show and taught the audience how to do some dances, too. Hazel loved this!

ACTIVITY LINKS:

Bounce House & Ball Pit Vendor - Upscale Social

Our Personal Bounce House

FAVORS:

As favors, I attached these palm leaves from Amazon and these tags I made on Canva with these adorable hibiscus flower clips to a simple brown bag. This made things so easy! No hole punching, ribbon tying, or gluing needed. Those little short cuts make a difference when you’re making bags for 45 kids! Inside, we put these colorful sunglasses, some Luau Playdoh Jars from Busy Bug Dough Shop, and some Annie’s Gummies because I always love adding a fun treat but don’t love food coloring. Win, win.

Check out my reel to see how the favor bags came together here.

FAVOR LINKS:

Luau Tags

DECOR

When planning decor for a party I always shop our house FIRST. I guarantee you with a little imagination you could furnish most parties with items you already have in your house. Some of the items I “shopped” from my house were these rattan placemats we’ve had for a few years and have used at most parties!

We also used our go-to party piece - the stand Zachary made for Hazel’s second birthday party. I’ve made it a little challenge to myself to try and use it at every theme party. I love how it’s a huge, interactive decor piece! For the luau, we made it “Hazel’s Roadside Stand.” Oh my goodness, I loved how this turned out! I got these palm leaves and stapled them to the sides of the stand and this thatch piece for the top. I made little signs with card board and permanent marker. So easy, big impact! My favorite was decorating this stand with baskets from around the house filled with fun “Luau” theme stuff like these mini guitars, ukeleles, rattan fans, bananas, pineapples, other treats for the kids to grab, and coconuts for fresh coconut juice!

Another one of my favorite decor adds were these colorful pineapples. I spray painted the leaves with neon spray paint a few days prior and loved how they made a big statement & made for a fun DIY for me.

I found this huge vase out our local grocery store and knew it would be a beautiful addition to our 12’ table. The orange orchids were icing on the cake!

For colors, I kept with the bright, neons, that I think were really beautiful. The tapestry below also made a huge impact and was less than $15 on Amazon.

DECOR LINKS:

Tapestry

Balloon garland

“Let’s Party” Neon Sign

Similar Vase

Rattan Placemats

Palm Leaf Table Runner

FOOD

For the food, we catered some really delicious meats, shrimp, and roast veggies from a local grocery we have here - Central Market. They came with amazing dipping sauces that was chef’s kiss. I wanted something heavier to eat, since the party was during dinner time, and also wanted food that had a Luau nod so I think these meats hit the mark. I also dressed the table with a giant grazing board. Though it was finger food/buffet style, it ended up being enough food to feed the whole crowd.

We had some yummy cocktails for the adults and some fresh coconuts for the kids. So Fun!

For dessert, I went with the classic plain cake and cupcakes, that I then decorated myself with these edible flowers. I have found that this is the cheapest way to have on theme cake and cup cakes!

As a fun, end of party treat, we had a local Austin favorite, Bananarchy, out. They served frozen bananas dipped in your choice of chocolate or peanut butter and then rolled in a topping of your choice. They were so delicious!

FOOD LINKS:

Central Market Catering

Edible Flowers

Edible Tropical Leaves

Edible Glitter

Coconut Opener for fresh Coconut Water

Bananarchy

INTENTION

I always love to include some easy ideas to be more intentional with your parties because these times are not just about fun decor they’re about really loving on your Guest of Honor, blessing your guests, and worshipping the Lord in your labors & heart. It’s important to get the heart right, otherwise, it’s easy to succumb to stress, perfectionism, or “keeping up with the influencers.” < Am I right?! The Influencers are the new Joneses.

Pray - It’s so important to take the time to center your heart on God and remember what matters most. Take time to pray for the party, for your guests to feel welcomed, for your Guest of Honor to feel loved. Pray over the details and submit anything worrying you to Him. This invites Him into this space, acknowledges that He is in control and that He is God, and it brings a PEACE into the process.

Bless your Guest of Honor - One of the things we do every birthday party is to take a moment to pray over our birthday kid. We love the opportunity to bless them with our community. It’s powerful and it’s important that our kiddo hears and sees how loved and supported they are.

Let your kids help - I especially love to have them help with putting together the party favors. This allows a time for them to think about how they’re going to bless their friends and takes the focus off of just receiving.