Hawaiian Party Food and Decor to Create a Beautiful Tropical Soiree

Hosting a luau or a tropical themed dinner is a perfect way to celebrate a special occasion in the warmer months. But what should the menu be? How do you decorate? With so many options, maybe you’re overwhelmed by the choices of what Hawaiian party food you could serve? Similarly, there is no shortage of tropical decorations – but what direction should you take your event?

I faced similar dilemmas when planning my daughter’s 9th birthday luau dinner. Instead of a kids birthday party, we decided to keep the event to family only and host a sit-down meal outdoors. We dined al fresco on a perfectly balmy late summer evening and created a happy family memory I still cherish to this day!

In this post, I’ll share with you how I set up a tropical-themed table, the Hawaiian party food that was served, and tips on how you can easily add special details to take your luau over the top!

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(A special thank you to my sweet sister in-law who, per usual, captured the moment beautifully in these photos!)

Tropical Table Decor

Firstly, I decided to choose a palette of pink, green, and gold. Since the occasion was for my young daughter, I wanted the decor to feel youthful but still sophisticated.

To strike this balance, we went with bright pink ombre dyed napkins and table runners (which she and I did together as a DIY) for the youthful touch, and then balanced it with more formal place settings.

PALM LEAF PLACE SETTINGS

For the place settings, we started with straw chargers as the base. Next, a faux monstera palm leaf was placed on top of the straw chargers. I positioned them slightly off center so that they would peak out from the dinner plates, which were placed on top of them. To finish the layers, a folded napkin with gold cutlery was placed on top of the plates. Since spoons were not needed, we saved ourselves some dishes and only laid out forks and knives.

tropical theme decor — Hawaiian party place settings

Straw chargers
Palm leaf accents
White dinner plates
Square salad bowls
Pink and white tie dye cloth napkins (DIY)
Gold cutlery
Wine glasses
Water glasses
Gold place card holders

Next, a square bowl was preset with a tropical salad (see below for the yummy recipe!) was positioned to the top left of the plates. Sometimes it’s nice to preset salad, especially when you’re serving a sit-down meal for a crowd because it gets everyone eating it at the same time.

For glassware, I used wine and water glasses, both from Ikea. I love these, especially for large events, because I can have a lot on hand for a reasonable price. Plus, there’s no tears if one of them breaks!

That does it for the tropical place settings. Let’s move on to the centerpieces!

PINEAPPLE CENTERPIECES

The crown jewel of this Hawaiian party table were pineapple floral arrangements.

Honestly, these were so much fun to put together. Each one took about 30 minutes from start to finish. So, not a quick project. But the impact I think was worth it.

After hollowing out the pineapple, I lined it with a plastic bag to hold a little bit of water to keep the flowers fresh.

For the flowers, I just used an assortment of a few different tropical inspired bouquets from Trader Joe’s. I just looked for bold, bright flowers in the party color palette.

To add a tropical touch, I stuck a palm leaf in each arrangement.

The pineapple floral arrangements were placed on a pink ombre table runner, which we dyed in the same color as the napkins. The table runner was actually a sheet cut into strips. Layered on top of a linen table cloth, it added a punch of brightness. For a finishing touch, plan leaves and clear votive holders with sand and tea candles were placed near the floral arrangements.

Linen tablecloths (similar)
Pink and white tie dye table runners
Pineapple floral arrangements
Clear votive holders with sand and tea candles
Palm leafs

Hawaiian Party Food Menu

Now, on to what to serve at a tropical party. Not only did I want the meal to coordinate with the tropical party theme, but my guests also had a few dietary needs.

tropical party food ideas — Hawaiian party food

With all of that in mind, I scoured the internet for Hawaiian party foods and menu ideas. Here is what we served:

Tropical spinach salad with creamy coconut lime dressing
Pineapple rice
Jackfruit carnitas
Jerk chicken skewers
Mango salsa and chips

The mango salsa we purchased pre-made from the store. All other recipes were very easy to make ahead, and keep warm until it was time to serve. While all the recipes were yummy, the pineapple rice was by far the dish everyone raved over. In fact, it has been on repeat at our house ever since!

Keep reading to get my tip on Hawaiian party beverages!

Tropical Theme Decor & Tips

Thoughtful touches that make guests more comfortable and that bring the entire look and feel of your party together are what MAKE the experience.

Here are a few ideas to help you take a tropical birthday party – or any party for that matter – over the top.

Coordinate your beverages with the theme. There are so many cute wine and beer labels available, you’re bound to find something that ties into your theme. For this party, we served Kona Brewing Co. beer – and the labels looked so cute on ice in our beverage container!
If you cannot find the exact right thing to go with your event, DIY. That’s what I did for the napkins and table runners. I wanted tie dye/ombre in pink and white but couldn’t find the right thing ANYWHERE. Using inexpensive white napkins and a sheet cut into strips for the runner, I followed a tutorial for tie dying and was pretty happy with the results.
Say the theme without SAYING the theme. Not every paper good needs to state the party theme in words. Instead, go a little more subtle but coordinated. For this party, I used pink plates and palm leaf printed napkins for birthday cake.
Find ways to infuse the party theme in unexpected places. These thoughtful touches will go a long way to create a memorable experience. For this party, I coordinated the gift wrap using palm print paper. Additionally, at the bar, we had pineapple wine stoppers and pineapple bottle openers.