Look around your house or back patio / Lanai / yard. Do you have an empty space or just a space you would love to entertain in and do it in style? Have you even longed to have your own tiki bar? It may not be as expensive or as hard as you think. There are all kinds of places you can go to get a bar or supplies to build one yourself and then decorate it to get it ready for friends to come over and throw a tiki party grass skirts and all.

Step one – Look around for sales. Garage sales are a good place to start. If you live in Florida it is possible to find whole set ups on sale at garage sales and estate sales. I once had a friend who found a whole bunch of Trader Vic stuff at a garage sale held by an ex-bartender.If not there try to hit up Lowe’s, Home Depot and Target for off season sales. I got my bar on clearance at Lowe’s for under $150 for the bar, stools and glass top. Supplies and a plan to build one are a little less at any of the the hardware stores. Later when you have more money you can add a mini fridge and or rolling cooler / steel tub.

Step two – go hunting. Now if the time to look for Tiki’s, coconuts, pineapples and tropical stuff. Most grocery stores carry the little umbrella’s for your drinks now, and stores like Old Time Pottery can help you go broke at a discount price for just about anything tiki you might need. If you are really lucky you will know someone at the local Budweiser distributor and they can hook you up with some Corona or Landshark swag as a buddy of mine did. Other places are Target, just about any beach shop, beaches, Pier One and online.

Step Three – this will be the most expensive part….stocking the tiki bar. Depending on what you drink you should begin to stock with the basics, rum, sour mix, a blender, margarita mix, tequila, and whatever else you might want to add to the party like Landshark beeror Corona.

Step Four – Invite your friends and drink responsibly. Have a nice wicker basket ready for car keys and hit the party store for Lei’s and or grass skirts and have fun.

Some other more expensive outlets for Tiki Parties are Tommy Bahama, and Ron Jon for barware.The possibilities are endless and lately tiki things seem to pop up everywhere. The biggest hint is keep your eyes open and have fun looking, then be ready to buy when opportunity presents itself.

If you decide to get really fancy you may decide to add a Margaritaville margarita machine or a fridge with a tap if you know you will be going through a lot of beer. These are fairly inexpensive and easy to find as well.

Now crank up the Jimmy Buffett and island music and relax enjoying your long weekend life with your friends and family.

If you want more ideas just drop me a note and I will be glad to share what we use for music and entertainment to set the mood.