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How to Throw a Tiki Party
When it’s your turn to throw a party for your circle of friends, why not go Tiki? A tiki party allows a cool combination of retro chic, cocktails, and easy, luau-style foods. The best time to throw a Polynesian pop fete is in the summer, when the evenings are warm and the torches don’t need to be lit until 9 or 10 at night. But anytime can be tiki time if you set the mood with kitschy decorations and cool party favors.
It’s inexpensive to decorate your deck the tiki way. Your goal is to have Polynesian flavor, obtainable with fake or real tropical flowers, paper lanterns, bright party lights, bamboo, sand, totems, masks, candles, and torches. If you need to decorate on a budget, make tissue paper flowers, paint beach scene wall murals, create paper tiki masks, add bright blossoms to the garden, and stoke up the fire pit.
A great party has great music. If you want a lively soundtrack that inspires dancing, go for the drum-based over the ambient. Some suggestions include cuts by Tikiyaki Orchestra, Dew Drop Inn, Terotua and his Tahitians, Cave of Uldo, Akex Keack’s “Surfer’s Paradise,” and Martin Denny. A little less authentic but very upbeat is “Drew’s Famous Tiki Bar Party Music.” There are also abundant CD mixes from which to choose, such as “Vegas Vic’s Tiki Lounge,” “Mondo Exotica,” or “Tiki Lounge.”
Luau foods are easy, but make it relevant to today. Old school tiki menus of the 1950s are lost in the land of gelatin salads and ketchup-based marinades. Instead, stoke up the fire pit, hibachi, or barbecue and add sauces with island influence. Add a kick of spice to complement the cocktails, which tend toward the sweet side. Some tiki taste sensations include tamarind, sesame oil, coconut milk, mango, fish sauce, and tahini.
A tiki fete wouldn’t be the same without a variety of umbrella drinks. Go for a blender of margaritas or pina coladas, or make a pitcher of sangria. Mojitos are a little more labor-intensive because you have to crush mint. There’s always the tiki classic, the Mai Tai. The Trader Vic’s 1944 recipe calls for 2 ounces of rum, the juice of one fresh lime, 1/2 ounce of orange curacao, 1/4 ounce of rock candy syrup, 1/2 ounce of orgeat syrup. Shake vigorously and top with a sprig of mint.
If you want to make the party family-friendly, serve up the barbecue sans spices, or serve burgers and vegetarian burgers off the grill. Drinks can be as simple as punch with some sliced strawberries floating in it, or you can make virgin cocktails with a spritz of Italian soda in mineral water. Add a paper umbrella or bright bendy straw for a little pizzazz.
Limbo contests, hula-hoop contests, and simple lessons in hula dancing keeps your tiki party interesting and active. Other activities can be a piñata, shaped in a tropical motif like a sun, palm tree, or tiki. A game that is similar to hot potato, called “pass the coconut,” is frequently played at tropical theme parties. If you have the space, set up volleyball net and play a game or two of beach volleyball.
Other tips: If it’s mosquito season, add citronella candles to the lighting plan. Please check fire regulations for your property before going the fire pit route.
