This post is all about Luau Graduation Party ideas.
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Hello and aloha! If you've ever been to a luau-themed party before, you know how much fun these are. You're immediately transported to a tropical island, leaving your worries behind and creating beautiful memories with family and friends. If you're looking for a way to celebrate your new graduate and make the most out of the beautiful summer weather, an outdoor luau graduation party is absolutely perfect.
In this post, we'll be sharing all the inspiration you need to throw the ultimate tropical Hawaiian graduation party. We cover everything from decor, food, drinks, party games, and more, and give our best advice on how to throw a luau that your graduate and your guests will talk about for years to come!
Here are 30+ ideas for a Hawaiian-style luau graduation party.
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the ultimate luau graduation party:
1. Decor
The first step in planning your luau graduation party is planning your decorations! Focus on bright and bold colors with lots of florals for your decor and styling.
Invitations
If you're going to throw a luau graduation party, you need a cute and stylish way to let your guests know when and where the party will take place. For that, we recommend a beautiful tropical Hawaiian-themed party invitation like this one.
Image: Pinterest
Balloon arch
Balloon arches are a surefire way to level up any graduation party! For some inspiration, we found this image of a beautiful tropical colored pink and gold balloon arch. We absolutely love how the decorator stuck fake ferns and tropical flowers in between balloons to really add to the Hawaiian vibe.
We found an arch set on Amazon that comes with all of the pieces ready to go:
Image: Etsy
garland
Nothing says tropical or tiki like pineapples and flamingos! This set of hanging colorful lanterns and garlands is a super cute and easy decor idea to add some color to your luau graduation party.
Image: Pinterest
PALM TREE CENTERPIECE
You didn't think we forgot about palm trees, did you? When you think of Hawaii, you probably picture lush, green landscapes filled with palm trees, flowers, and ferns, so any sort of plant-themed decor works beautifully for a tropical luau graduation party.
Table Skirts
To dress up the tables where your guests sit or the food and beverage tables, we recommend a really cute grass skirt like this one. The flower decals around the border of the skirt are super bright and colorful and work really well with a tiki luau theme.
Image: Pinterest
String Lights
Of course string lights are a necessity! These pineapple string lights are super unique and will add a lot of warmth and vibrancy to an outdoor party space. They're beautiful during the daytime, but even more so in the evening when they’re all lit up!
Drink Umbrellas
These tropical umbrella drink picks are a luau tiki essential! Stick these in any beverage to elevate your guests’ drinking experience. You can also stick these in foods like cupcakes, fruit, and other desserts.
tissue paper pineapples
If you love DIYing your party decor, try making these tissue paper pineapples! These work great as table centerpieces or decor for your food and beverage table.
Image: Frog Prince Paperie
Confetti PINEAPPLE
We'll bet you haven't seen a confetti pineapple before! Here's another DIY luau party decoration that's both easy and super beautiful as well as festive. All you need is a pineapple, confetti, mod podge, and an application tool like a sponge brush. You can decorate these however you want and get super creative with it!
Image: Mod Podge Rocks
2. Food
Our next section in this article on luau graduation party inspiration is all about food! There are so many creative ways to use food and drink to give a taste of the islands and conjure up tantalizing tropical flavors. Here are a few of our favorite ideas.
Tropical Fruit
When you think of a luau, one of the things you might think of is a beautiful tropical fruit salad like these! These are so fun to DIY and put together on your own, or you can easily find pre-made ones at many grocery stores or at a specialized shop like Edible Arrangements. For a slightly quicker and easier option, you can also make fruit kabobs!
Image: Tu Casa
Cupcake Toppers
A really easy way to elevate your food decor with a tropical theme is by using cute cupcake toppers like these ones! You can find so many different sets online that have a tiki vibe and include things like flamingos, pineapples, flowers, coconuts, and palm trees.
Image: Pinterest
Luau Rice Krispie Treats
These Hawaiian grass skirt Rice Krispie treats are absolutely adorable and we just had to include them in our luau graduation party post! There are a ton of different ways to put these together. You can make Rice Krispie treats from scratch or buy them at your grocery store. Use green frosting to make the grass skirts and either colored frosting or flower-shaped sprinkles for added decor.
Image: Pinterest
Sand Cups
Another really cute dessert idea is these adorable Hawaiian sand cups! These consist of cake and pudding topped with gummy candy. These are a perfect place to use the tiki umbrella drink pics that we mentioned earlier.
Image: The Rebel Chick
MeatBalls
As much as everyone loves dessert, you'll need to have some “real food” at your luau graduation party. If you're looking for something that continues with our tropical theme, try these barbecue pineapple meatballs on a stick. These make for a perfect appetizer or side dish with dinner.
Image: Lil Luna
Hot Dogs
We found this recipe for Hawaiian hot dogs with pineapple mango salsa and just had to include it! Hot dogs are essential for any outdoor party, and these have a tropical Hawaiian twist to them!
Image: Mom Endeavors
CAKE POPS
Another adorable tropical-themed dessert idea is these pineapple cake pops! Why stop at pineapples? You can also try decorating them as coconuts or another Hawaiian-themed item as well.
Image: Pinterest
3. Drinks
Next up on our list of luau graduation party inspiration is our drinks category.
MANGO LEMONADE
Our first tropical Hawaiian drink inspiration is pineapple mango lemonade! You can get really creative with how you display this as well. Our inspiration image pairs it with purple mini umbrellas and flowers, which look absolutely beautiful together.
Image: Cooking Classy
Hula Bottle skirts
Here's a really cute way to elevate your drinking experience! These tiki grass drink skirts are shown on a bottle, but they'll work with any cup or round beverage holder.
Hawaiian Punch
For any Hawaiian-themed party, Hawaiian Punch is a classic! You can make this at home yourself or buy it at pretty much any grocery store, but either way, this fruity, refreshing drink is something that your guests will absolutely love.
Image: Dinner Dishes and Desserts
Blue Lemonade
This blue lemonade party punch is so pretty we just had to include it in our list of luau graduation party inspiration ideas! The bright tropical blue color is simply beautiful and we love the idea of another opportunity to incorporate it into our party’s color scheme.
Image: Good Cook
Tropical water
Water is a must for any party, especially outdoor parties like luaus, but that doesn't mean your water has to be boring. We recommend having a standard water option as well as a tropical-themed fancier option like these delicious orange and coconut water refreshers.
Image: Healthy Nibbles and Bits
Coconut Cups
There's nothing more Hawaiian than coconuts and flowers! These super pretty coconut and flower drink sets add to the ultimate outdoor luau experience. You'll feel like you're at a real Hawaiian luau!
4. Games
Your party space looks amazing and you've got killer food and drinks for your guests to munch on, so now you need some fun games for your luau graduation party.
Beach Balls
Who says you have to live near the beach to have fun with a beach ball? The options for super fun party games using a beach ball are endless, but our favorites include volleyball and a game of “don't let the ball touch the floor.” Another fun idea is to throw a couple of these out onto a crowded dance floor!
Image: Pinterest
Limbo
We're not sure if a luau graduation party would be a luau without a game of limbo! This is an absolute luau classic that's fun for kids and adults alike, and it's a party activity that you absolutely need for your tropical theme.
Hula Hoop Contest
Another super fun idea is to have a hula hoop contest! If you have a DJ at your party, they’ll be perfect to host the competition, but if not, you'll have a blast hosting it yourself! You can give out cute prizes for the winners, too.
Flamingo Ring Toss
If you have a decent amount of outdoor yard space at your disposal, a flamingo ring toss game makes for a really cute decoration and fun party game.
Image: Pinterest
Giant Jenga
Here's a luau graduation party game idea that's a little bit more unique. A game of giant Jenga is perfect for an outdoor party where you have lots of space and there's no chance of scratching your floors.
If you've never heard of Jenga before, this is a game where you start with a stack of wooden blocks, and players take turns removing one block from the stack while trying not to make the entire tower fall. This is a lot harder than it looks, so be prepared for a fun and challenging game!
Bean Bag Toss
Another great outdoor tropical party idea that's also super chill and relaxing is a bean bag toss. Try finding a game online that fits with your luau party theme like this one from Amazon!
That wraps up our luau graduation party inspiration post.
We covered pretty much everything that you'll need to throw the ultimate tropical Hawaiian party from games, cute tropical drinks, appetizers, balloons, decor, and more.
A luau graduation party is one of the most fun ways to celebrate a graduation, and we hope our article got you excited to start your tropical party planning experience!
This post showed you 30+ ideas for a luau graduation party.
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