Question by Mary Jane: I’m a classroom teacher interested in throwing a Bali theme end of year party. What are some ideas?
At first it was a Hawaiian Luau, and it’s easy to find ideas for that – Hawaiian t-shirts, leis, pineapple and coconut snacks, cardboard surfboards, hawaiian music, etc. but that’s such a common party theme.

Since I’m going to Bali this summer myself, I think it’d be fun to to a Bali theme, instead. What are some ideas for a Baliense party? What are some foods/snacks the kids could bring in? What kind of music? Are there any traditional games from Bali the kids could play? What’s the traditional dress – they still have leis, right? Common animals – elephants? I wish I could find a party themed site that has Bali theme ideas, but I can’t find any, so I’m open for your suggestions.

Best answer:

Answer by economiss
First of all, let me just say this is a great question and I hope I can answer yours.

Bali, it is called the island of the gods, aside from the beach, I find little similarities between Hawaii and Bali.
Here are some ideas:
- What to wear
Leis are usually made of orchids, and it’s very common to see both guys and girls wear a single orchid (usually white) tucked in their ears (like how you would put a pen). Both guys and girls also wear sarongs that are wrapped around their waists, but for the motifs, they are different, like more masculine colors for the guys and softer tones for the girls. There are Balinese costumes but they might be hard to find where you come from, so the above would be something that’s more practical. Click this link to see pictures of traditional Balinese costumes http://library.thinkquest.org/26300/costume_bali.html

- What to eat
Well, Bali has its own local food and some are different from the traditional Indonesian food. For example, the Balinese (since most of them are Hindus and not Moslems) eat roast pork (babi panggang). But there are so many different kinds of food that you can prepare, and here’s a site that can help you pick. http://www.baliguide.com/balifood/basic_recipes.html
Satay is pretty popular and easy to prepare.

- What to play
For music, gamelan and angklung are pretty common instruments.
For games, please click here with their descriptions http://www.expat.or.id/info/games.html

- What to decorate
Obviously, the usual surfboards and beach theme would work well with a Bali theme, but you can also add thatched-roof huts for the juice bar for example and tiki torches. Batik motif is also a good addition, it can be something for the table cloths for example. For the plates, you can cover them with pandan leaves and let the guests eat with their hands, cause it’s a common way to eat here in Indonesia. If you have carvings like wooden masks, it would make a great addition. And of course gamelan music in the background would be the right touch. Pineapples are not common in Bali, try for tropical fruits like Durians, Rambutans and Markisa instead. Monkey is a common animal in Bali, elephants are mostly imported from neighboring Thailand.

Okay, hope the above helps. Goodluck!

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