Moana Luau 6th Birthday Party

Our sweet little girl turned 6 years old a few days ago! She’s been planning her party and looking forward to seeing everyone for months now. She made it very clear that she wanted there to be water and that she wanted to wear her favorite Moana outfit. With a brand new baby we had to keep things simple. The party was inspired by summer, the islands, and Moana—all the birthday girl’s favorite!

How to Throw a Simple Moana Luau Birthday Party

• Invitations. I designed Moana inspired invitations so we could invite everyone quickly and easily.

• Food. The menu needed to be easy and able to feed a crowd. Entree: Crockpot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Slaw.​ Seashell Pasta Salad. Bananas (which Moana and Maui eat in the movie), and other cut up fruit.
• Drinks. We served lemonade, but you could also do something fruity or the obvious Hawaiian punch! A festive touch that was a hit with the kids were paper umbrellas for their drinks.

• Decor. We dressed the food table with a plain white table cloth and a green runner. A rustic wooden caddy held utensils, drink umbrellas, and tropical flowery napkins from the dollar store. I made food labels from brown kraft paper and did designs in black marker. We kept it simple with a few tropical plants we already had, including orchids we got for our birthdays. I could have done a lot more, believe me! For her birthday gift from us, she asked for Moana “stuff” and we ended up getting her a talking/singing Maui doll to go with her Moana one (both are a hit with all the kids). He had a place of honor at the food table to welcome guests with his “You’re Welcome” song!​

• Cake. Pineapple Angel Food Cupcakes. Or you could go with a pineapple angel food cake! I found cupcake wrappers at the dollar store that matched the napkins! I topped the cupcakes with a little slice of pineapple and arranged them in tiers. The birthday girl’s cupcake got neon candles to match her tropical theme.

• Outfits. We invited everyone to come in their best “island wear” and provided Hawaiian leis, which were a fun birthday favor. The birthday girl wore her Moana costume, and I made her a Moana crown with pink flowers and tropical leaves. She wore it every day until school started! ​

• Activities. So many fun outdoor water activities to choose from! Go to a pool, the beach, run through the sprinklers, or do what we did—create a homemade slip n’ slide! For indoors, play limbo and have a hula hoop competition, or sit everyone down for a hula lesson on video or in person!

We LOVE our little girl and are so happy she’s another year older!

Favorite color: Blue
Favorite things: Moana, swimming, art
When you grow up: Artist