Edited on Friday, 19ᵗʰ February 2021

Food and drink

Speaking of pineapple, it’s tropical fruit season... so you will have no shortage of options for Hawaiian-style recipes.

Consider a selection of virgin pina coladas made with coconut milk, pineapple juice and fresh pineapple with a glacé cherry garnish. Other crowd-pleasing tropical drinks such as mango slushies and frozen lychee mocktails will make the most of other fruits ripe for the picking right now.

Some Hawaiian themed catering ideas include:

Snacks and hors d'oeuvres

Crackers or chips with mango salsa
Hawaiian pizza squares
Mini hamburger sliders
Curried eggs

Main dishes

Aloha Fish Taco
Roast Chicken with Sweet Mango Gravy
Steamed sweet potato mashed with coconut milk
Pureed snapper with brown rice and ginger
BBQ vegetable skewers using in-season capsicum, mushrooms and zucchini
Prawn cocktails (who doesn’t love a prawn cocktail?)
Green bean salad (or pureed green beans)
Fresh potato and mint salad

For dessert, fruit salad is a must. Try a combination of pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit, passionfruit and some finely chopped mint for a refreshing end to the meal.

Cheesecake Passion is another all-time-favorite in summer!

Get into the mood

There is nothing like music to set a scene, so tune into some classic Elvis and Beach Boys. Blue Hawaii, Little Surfer Girl… there are plenty of tracks to evoke the cool surf and the majestic Hawaiian sunsets.

Aged Care residents in Hawaiian themed attire

Decorating for a Hawaiian afternoon is easy. Most party stores will have a wide selection of adornments for tropical surroundings. You can blow up some palm trees (life-size or smaller), add luau style table covers and string up paper pineapple garlands. Frangipani and hibiscus flowers in all colours will make effective centre-pieces for the tables.

Dress up

Take the party a step further with easy and fun costume ideas.

Welcome residents with Leis, have some grass skirts handy, and hibiscus corsages are a simple way to add to the theme. Many residents may have their own outfits to add to the vibrant mood and fun of the afternoon.

So say “Aloha” to a Hawaiian theme and enjoy colourful and tasty afternoon with residents and their guests!