A classic menu item for a tropical party is barbecued pork.
Tropical themed parties are great for any age birthday celebration. You can make it have the feel of a luau, beach or tropical paradise. A tropical birthday party theme does not need to be expensive, in fact, you can make most of the components yourself. Start by getting your guests in the mood with your invitations. When they arrive, the decorations, games and food will keep them entertained and in a tropical spirit. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Make your own tropical theme invitations and mail them at least two weeks in advance of your birthday party. There are several methods to create a dynamic tropical invitation. Cut out palm trees, coconuts and surf boards from colored paper and glue them to a plain folded card. Embellish the card with colored markers and glitter. Glue sand on the card and do not forget to put a pinch or two of sand in the envelope. Use tropical-themed rubber stamps to make a postcard-type invitation. Hand delivered invitations can be paper leis with a colorful card attached with party details or a small bottle with sand and shells inside that has a rolled piece of paper stuck in it with the invitation information.
2. Decorate the area where the party will be held to give it a tropical atmosphere. If you are having the birthday party outdoors, tiki torches, colored paper lanterns, twinkle lights, umbrellas (either paper or cloth), pinatas in the shape of tropical birds, the sun and monkeys can change the area into a tropical paradise. Indoor decorations can include large palm trees cut out of appliance cardboard boxes and painted, tissue or crepe paper flowers in tropical colors of turquoise, pinks, yellow, and red. Drape fishnets with shells inside (or make painted cardboard shells). Tropical-colored crepe paper streamers and balloons are inexpensive and will add to the festive atmosphere.
3. Serve food and drinks that are associated with the tropics. Fruit is a must--particularly anything pineapple. Fruit salads, fruit kabobs, fruit-based drinks-both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and Hawaiian pineapple pizza are great treats at a tropical birthday party for any age group. Main dishes can have a sweet-and-sour taste to them, be it barbecued meats like chicken, ribs, fish, and kabobs, or grill a variety of vegetables and fruits. Have an array of finger food in bowls such as nuts, Hawaiian flavored chips, sweet potato chips, fish-shaped crackers and candy. Because it is a birthday party, dessert can be a cake, or cupcakes, decorated tropical with tiny paper umbrellas, tropical frosting flowers, or little miniature surfers, for example.
4. Play games like limbo, hula hoop contests, karaoke with Hawaiian songs, pineapple or coconut bowling, and musical beach towels (played like musical chairs). Be sure to play tropical and Hawaiian music for the games and throughout your party, in the background. If you can, find someone to give a hula lesson to your guests, or rent a DVD that instructs. Make hula skirts for your guests using large drawstring plastic trash bags that you have cut the bottom open, then cut the sides into strips that are 2 to 3 inches wide. Your guests can easily slip these on for their lesson, using the drawstring to tighten it around their waist. Be sure to add a few paper leis to their outfit. Make a contest out of it, give a prize to the most realistic, authentic hula dancer.
5. Send your guests home with a tropical favor-like bags of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, pineapple key chains, sunglasses, sunscreen tubes on a chain, tropical patterned sun-visors and tropical themed stickers or notepads.
Tags: birthday party, colored paper, crepe paper, palm trees, paper leis, shells inside