Travel to Paradise for a Luau Themed Homecoming Dance

Bring summer fun into the school year with a Luau Homecoming theme! Our decorations make it easy to transform any location into a tropical paradise. ALOHA Homecoming!

Our Luau theme kits will add an authentic atmosphere to your event. They come filled with everything you need to create your island utopia. Add unique and festive touches to your Luau with our dance tips below!

Invitations
Now is the time to choose theme wording, so you can carry your theme through your decorating and your favors. A few of our favorites…”Lost in Paradise,” “Maui Magic,” “Paradise Found,” or a simple “Island Luau.” If you are sending out traditional paper or imprinted invites, consider sprinkling some palm tree or tropical fish confetti inside.

Music
Never underestimate the power of music to set the tone. CD’s and tapes with a “Best Of” Hawaii theme are available at most music stores, and are quite inexpensive ($4.99 – $7.99). Look for one with familiar tropical “hits” such as…”Blue Hawaii,” “Aloha Oe,” “On the Beach at Waikiki” and the “Hawaiian Wedding Song.” You’ll almost feel the warm ocean breeze. If that type of music is not to your taste, try some Jimmy Buffet or Bob Marley. If dancing is in your plans, try Drew’s Famous Luau Party Music™…lots of Beach Boys and Reggae!

Greeting
When your Homecoming guests arrive, greet them the traditional Hawaiian way by hanging a lei around their necks.

Attire
In the invitation, encourage students to come dressed tropical style – grass skirt, Hawaiian shirt, sundress, beachcomber hat, or an exotic flower tucked behind an ear.

Decorations
Stumps carries lots of great props, centerpieces, tableware, favors and more in the Luau section. Here are a few extra tips for pulling your tropical look together for the biggest impact.

Start out with palm trees as your focal point. The palm horizon backdrop makes a great backdrop for individual or group photos, which makes the perfect souvenir from a Luau event.

For maximum effect, put your palm tree into a wading pool, fill it with sand, and add some real shells, starfish, and a coconut to the base of the tree. Add a little dark blue water gossamer and some little white balloon “bubbles”(instant Pacific Ocean) to hide the sides of the pool.

Use large props that Homecoming Dance committee members can bring from home, or rent from a sporting goods store. A kayak, a small sailboat, a beach umbrella, a windsurfing board, or a surfboard all make great props.

Place large round glass fish bowls on your tables, fill with water, and add either floating candles, large blossoms of tropical flowers, or some live goldfish or tropical fish. Raffle off the fish bowls at the end of the night.

When decorating a large area, transform your room by covering walls with rolls of seamless paper, corrugated paper, or poly vinyl. Use the blue paper or poly vinyl to create a tropical paradise (recruit some creative helpers to paint various beach scenes-waves, palm trees, the sun, beach towels, etc.) To cover entire walls, we also offer a variety of tropical photo murals.

Start with a color theme, and carry it all the way from your invites, to the tableware, balloons, favor bags, etc. For a luau, green and yellow together make a striking combination. Adding little splashes of bright color in flowers, parrots, and other accent pieces will give you a very dramatic effect.

Food Ideas

Using a fresh pineapple, slice a thin piece off the bottom, so that it stands level on a plate. Skewer various pieces of bite-sized fruit (watermelon chunks or balls, grapes, pineapple pieces, strawberries, etc.) on wooden shish-ka-bob sticks, or long toothpicks. Stick evenly spaced skewers into the pineapple. This makes a delicious and very easy centerpiece!

Fill a plastic or metal tub with ice and add canned, bottled or boxed tropical beverages. Tie palm thatching or a raffia table skirt to the top edge of the tub, and scatter a few silk or real flowers among the beverages.

Look for unusual tropical fruits such as mangoes, kiwis, pomegranates, star fruit and papayas at the grocery store, and add them as accents to more traditional fruit trays, to cheese trays, or as garnish on other serving platters.

Turn a beachcomber hat upside down, line it with plastic wrap, and use it as a serving dish for chips, pretzels, crackers, or other “dry” food.

Favors

Give students favors they can use during the dance … this will add color and fun!

Have plenty of leis on hand – they are inexpensive, and add a great splash of color.

Give students frames imprinted with special Homecoming Dance details, or glue small shells onto a simple frame. Try inexpensive acrylic frames.

Pass out inexpensive plastic sunglasses.

Fill plastic shell nut cups with breath mints, nuts or candies.