Pirate Party

INVITATIONS

Ahoy me brave seamen, here’s an authentic looking Pirate Party no one will want to miss! A vintage map, old-time pirate imagery and a secret Pirate message written only to brave party-goers makes this invitation seem like a treasure of it’s own! Check out B.Nute’s Pirate Party invitations on etsy for details.

DECORATIONS

All things old, rusty and dusty are perfect for this authentic Pirate affair! Below are some more decorating ideas for your Pirate party.

Birthday Theme Party Ideas  >  Pirate Party

1. All Star Personalized Banner

Ahoy me brave lads - here’s a banner just right for that serious Pirate! Authentic looking treasure map background, with old-style pirate images and lettering with burlap effects-- this is a real Pirate’s banner! This banner is great for your boy’s bedroom, and also perfect for his Pirate party! Use the banner during the party, and move it into his room after for a great decoration long after the raucous festivities! This matching banner can be purchased on bnute.etsy.com.

Ahoy me mateys-- these ideas are all you’ll need to throw an authentic Pirate party, sure to delight your pirate at home.

Captain’s Diary 1791

We left port 9 months ago with high hopes to find riches. The crew was eager and brave to face the perils at sea. Since our departure, the conditions have deteriorated considerable. Too much grog and mayhem among the pirates, and no treasure in sight.

  Alas, a holler arrives from the crow’s nest...

“Land ho me’mateys!”

PICTURES FROM A PIRATE PARTY

If you throw a Pirate Party, send us the pictures! We’d love to include them on our website to show everyone the fun that was had!

FOOD & DRINK

Let’s just say, Pirates were not known for their table manners! A pirate feast will be a delight to the kids... lots of finger foods, raucous laughter, and I’m sure, a few belches or two! Below are some ideas of what to serve at your pirate feast.

Appetizers

• Bagel Chips or Pita Chips (could be thought of as a

“hard tack” biscuit often ate by pirates)

• Cheese Cubes

• Hummus

Main Course - Lunch or Dinner

• Ribs or BBQ Chicken Wings

• Biscuits

• Vegetable Platter (To kids delight, vegetables were

hard to come by on the ship!)

• Tropical Fruits - Pineapple, Mango, Passion Fruit

Drinks

• Rootbeer

• Cider

• Ginger Ale

• A “Virgin” Rum drink

like a Mai Tai.

To add to the mood: let the party know that beetles known as “weevils” often invaded the ship’s food supply. For your party, though, you’re tried to remove as many as possible!

ARTS & CRAFTS

GAMES

ENTERTAINMENT

TREATS

• If you’re up for making a cake on your own (home made or from a cake mix,) type in “Pirate Cake” into your favorite search website and many great pirate-themed cake ideas come up-- from a pirate ship and island, to a treasure chest.

• Looking for a simple option? Bake a sheet cake, and frost with blue frosting. Pour at least a cup of graham cracker crumbs in the middle to form a small mound/island. Place pirate figurines, plastic shark and other accessories like a treasure chest, cannon or raft on the cake (for figurines, see http://www.papo-france.com/).

• A tray of cookies covered in frosting may suit your party guests as much as a cake. Decorate the cookies with treasure chests, treasure maps, and jolly roger flags.

Inspiration Board

GOODIE BAG

Below are some ideas on what to give as goodie bag treats at your Pirate Party.

2. Pirate Ship

Designate an area of your yard (perhaps a jungle gym or lawn area) as the Pirate Ship. If you have a climbing structure, hang a large pirate flag at the top, then string rope from the top to the edges to simulate the ropes from the mast of a boat. The tanbark area surrounding the structure is a perfect ocean. No jungle gym? Inflate a kiddie wading pool and call it the boat! Place garden stakes around the pool, and hang pirate flags at the top. The lawn will make a perfect ocean. Is your party indoors? Bring the wading pool inside, and hang a flag above the wading pool from the ceiling. Lay sheets (preferably blue) around the boat to act as the ocean.

3. Treasure Island

Your patio area, garage, or if indoors, a room will may make a perfect deserted island. Pick up a few luau decorations (type in “Luau” in the search box at www.orientaltrading.com) such as: bamboo garland, sea shells, fish nets, coconuts, or simply cut out some green palm frons from construction paper, and a palm tree trunk or two. A treasure chest of dress ups would be perfect for this area (see Entertainment section for details.)

1. Make an Eye Patch

Cut out eye patch shapes from black construction paper. Punch a hole in either side and tie a piece of yarn through each hole. Set out on a table with stickers, pretend gems, glue, gel pens and let the kids decorate.

2. Decorate a Pirate’s Vest

Decorate a Pirate’s Vest

Gather several paper grocery bags for this project.  Cut the center of one side, and a round “neck hole” from the bottom of the bag. On either side of the bag, cut a circle for the arm. Either set out crayons or pens, or washable paints, and let the kids decorate. You can punch holes on the edges of the cut sides, and string yarn through the holes to tie the vest closed.

3. Design a Treasure Map

Buy some brown paper gift wrap, and tear into letter size pieces. Crumple the paper to give it a worn, authentic look. Set out some pens and let the kids decorate! You can also print out some samples from the web to give examples for the kids to see. Type in “Treasure Map” into your favorite search site and find some images to print.

4. Pirate Coloring Pages

Many different websites offer coloring pages that you can print from your own computer. In your favorite search engine type in “pirate coloring pages”. Pick and choose your favorite pages to print. At the party, just set up a small art table with crayons, glitter glue and the coloring pages.

1. Shark Infested Waters

This game is like the pool game, Sharks and Minnows, but you play this on a lawn area instead. Designate one side of your yard the pirate boat and the other side the island. The space in between is the ocean. (See Decorations section for details on boat and island ideas.) Have all the pirates stand near the boat. Have one party guest be the “head” shark. The shark tells the pirates to swim to the island. The pirates must pretend to swim from the boat to the island without getting tagged by the shark. If they are caught they become a shark and help the sharks catch more pirates. The last pirate left becomes the new “head” shark.

2. Treasure Hunt

Set up a scavenger hunt through your house, yard, or neighborhood to find a treasure. This game can be as elaborate or simple as you’d like. Party guests can be broken into teams, or work together as one team if the party is small. Pick the number of “stations” for the hunt (i.e., a station could be a room in your house; a specific object like a painting, vase or identifiable plant; or a location in your neighborhood like a mailbox or street sign.) At each station provide a clue at to guide the kids to the next clue. At the end, have enough treasure to share, or leave each guest’s goodie bag.

3. Lost at Sea: Treasure Map

Instead of a scavenger hunt with clues, you could create a treasure map the kids need to follow to find the treasure. The map could be places in your house, yard or neighborhood. Have the final destination a place that is not easily identifiable, such that following the map is necessary.

4. Gaming Table: Cards and Dice

With months at sea, many pirates passed the time by playing card and dice games - of course, they played for money! Provide each guest with fake money, and let them take their chances playing a simple game like betting who gets the highest card (each player is dealt one card, highest card wins), or a dice game where kids bet if they will roll a pair or 3 of a kind or the likes (simplified version of Yahtzee.) The games can be more elaborate depending on the age of the guests.

1. Dress Up Box

No matter the age, dress ups are sure to please most guests. Here’s a list of items you can place in a plastic tub for all to enjoy:

• Eye Patches (see Art section for details)

• Vests (see Art section for details)

• Scarves- Head to the fabric store and pick up a couple yards of red and black polyester fabric. No sewing necessary, just cut into long strips and kids can use as a tie around their waist or around their head!

• Pirate Hats - Pick up a couple pirate hats online (www.orientaltrading.com) to add to the mix.

• Captain’s Blazer - Get out that old blue blazer or head to the second hand shop to pick up a Captain’s jacket. You can embellish with pins and colored tape stripes to make it more “authentic.”

2. Face Painting

What pirate wouldn’t like a skull and crossbones on his or her cheek? Hire a face painter, or ask an artist friend to help. The Klutz (www.klutz.com) Face Painting book is a great kit to own.

3. Read a Pirate Story

Dress up with a pirate hat, don a pirate accent and read a story or 2 to the crowd. There are many pirate books out there, some written for young folks, some for older – here are a few that might engage the crowd:

• “How I Became a Pirate” by Melinda Long

• “Pirates” by Dina Anastasio

• “Pirate Pete” by Kim Kennedy

• “Pirates” by John Matthews

• “Pirateology: The Pirate Hunter’s Companion” by William

Captian Lubber

4. Hire a Pirate Actor or Actress

Give a call to your local high school theatre department and see if any kids would like to be a pirate for an afternoon! Perhaps they could do a skit or two to entertain the crowd.