Pirate Party!

Plan a Pirate party for your child's next Birthday Party! From pirate party supplies to the ultimate Pirate Party favors, to Pirate Party Games and Activities.

Pirate Party Ideas:

After selecting this theme for your party, choose a slogan to use in your invitations, and to use in tying in decorations and personalized favors for your pirate theme.

"Shiver Me Timbers...Marcus is 5!"
"Yo Ho, Yo Ho...A Pirate Party for Me!"
“Buccaneer Bash!”
“Ship Ahoy Matey…Join us for Swashbuckling Fun!”

“Patrick’s Peg Leg Party!”

Pirate Party Invitations:

Cut out a Pirate Ship shape from cardboard. Cut a small slit in the front of the ship. Write the party details on a slip of paper cut to resemble a sail and insert into invitation.

The Pirate’s Treasure Ensemble contains an invite that is perfect for this theme. Address each invite to “Captain Wilder” (child’s last name) 

Send a message in a bottle!  Roll the invitation up and tie it with a small piece of green (seaweed) curling ribbon or raffia. Add the invite to an empty water bottle (label removed). Add about 4 tablespoons of sand to each bottle, and a few small seashells. One Shell Necklace can be cut apart, and will provide enough shells for about 10-12 invites. “Shiver me timbers and bless my soul, we need you to party…Jack is 5 years old!” or “Michael  needs your help to swab the Poop Deck at…”

Dress your Birthday child up in their favorite Pirate Costume and take a photo. Have copies made (or print them on your computer) and make these treasures into Invitations.

Pirate Party Outdoor decorations:

Hang 3-D flying Parrots overhead in the area where guests will enter the party. They can also hover over the food table looking for scraps of food to scavenge!

Attach a bouquet of helium filled Balloons to a light post or mailbox so there will be no mistaking where the fun will be that day!

Pirate Party Indoor Decorations:

Start your decorating with the Pirate’s Treasure Ensemble. This ensemble contains balloons, streamers, curling ribbon, a treasure chest centerpiece, gold coins, toss beads, a Polly Parrot Mylar balloon, a Captain’s Wheel, a Treasure Chest piñata and more to match your theme.

They’ve created the ultimate Pirate Ship, and your child is going to be delighted when he sets sight on this beauty! This cardboard and corrugated vessel will be the hub of activity for the party, and the backdrop for lots of picture taking. Your child will enjoy hours and hours of imaginative play long after the party ends.

The Giant Treasure Chest is a delightful decoration that can be used as a gift drop box, and as a prop for a buried treasure party game.

Cover a floor or party area with Dark Blue Water Gossamer and 5” clear balloon water bubbles, for an authentic high seas feeling.

Add an island oasis for the Giant Treasure Chest to rest upon in the open seas scene you’ve set. A Felt Palm Tree, Grass Coverings, and a little sand (or brown sugar) will easily do the trick! The Palm Tree is a small investment, because you’ll use it for many years to come in a variety of themes.

Balloons can economically transform any room, backyard or park into a festive space in a matter of minutes by using some of the following ideas:

*Tie a bunch of helium filled balloons to the birthday child’s chair, or tie one to the back of each chair.

*If you choose not to use helium, tie balloons to varying lengths of curling ribbon, and hang balloons from the ceiling, or from a light fixture over the party table.

Streamers - Create a fun and colorful effect by draping blue and red streamers from the center of the ceiling to the walls on each side of the room, or between trees if the party is being held outdoors. The streamers can be twisted after they are anchored to a ceiling wall or table for a more dimensional look. Two different colored streamers can be placed back to back and twisted for a unique look. They also look terrific hanging from doorframes or cascading vertically down walls.

Decorate the walls with Tissue Bubble Fish in a fishing net or with Captain Wheels

Pirate Party Table Decorations:

Start by setting your table with all the goodies in the Pirate’s Treasure Ensemble, creating a place setting at the table for each birthday guest.

Cover the food table with a white or blue Fishnet. Display your birthday cake in the center of the table…the kids will love the close up view!

Create a centerpiece using a bunch of helium filled Balloons tied with curling ribbon. Attach them to a Foil Balloon Weight, and then set the balloon spray inside a Pirate Hat.

Order red Napkins and have them imprinted with your party info. Select a metallic or foil imprint. The napkins will serve several purposes…great decorating in disguise and a treasured memento for the birthday child’s scrapbook.

Add other Personalized Items to each place setting to let the birthday child know just how special he or she is. These items will stir fond memories of the “best birthday ever” for many years to come. 

Set a Captains wheel in the middle of each table. Cover with Fishnet and adorn with shells, Pirate Sword & Patch (one for each child), Tissue Bubble Fish, or Mini Telescopes. Or simply attach balloons to wheel.

Fill a small chest with beads and fake coins for the centerpiece or to place at the front door

Pirate Party Activities:

"X" Marks the Spot
Before the party, make a different colored "X" for each child on your guest list. Mount a treasure map on a wall in your party room (with a treasure chest drawn on it). One at a time, blindfold each child using a bandanna, spin him/her around, and point them in the direction of the map. Have each child try to mark their "X" on the spot where the treasure is located. The person whose "X" lands closest to the treasure wins!

Captain Hook’s Message Mix-Up
Seat your guests in a circle. The birthday child thinks of a message that he thinks the Captain would want to send to a deckhand. (i.e. Scrub the deck or you’ll walk the plank). He then whispers it to the person on his left and it travels all the way around the circle. The person on the birthday child’s right then tells the message out loud. Then the birthday child tells their message out loud. Expect the unexpected when you learn the original vs. the final mixed-up message! Try again with another player starting a new message and continue until your guests are ready for a new activity.

Guess the Amount of Treasure
This activity is sure to keep your partygoers guessing. Fill a container (jar, plastic treasure chest, etc.) with lots of jelly beans, m&m’s, or your child’s favorite candy. But make sure you count them before the party, and write down the number. When the guests arrive have them try to guess how many candies are in the "treasure chest." Have each child write their name and their guess on a separate piece of paper. At the end of the party announce the winner. The jar of candy makes a sweet prize!

Hunt for the Buried Treasure
This exclusive activity offered from Birthday Express is a great way to entertain your guests. All children love to hunt for prizes and our pirate treasures are the best! If you haven’t purchased the Birthday Express Treasure Hunt you can still play by hiding shiny pennies and small plastic prizes in a sand box, and allowing the children to search for them until all have been found!

Floating Pirate Ships
Pass out one large balloon to each guest. Have everyone blow up their balloon and offer your help in tying them. The object of the game is to keep the balloons floating in the air as long as possible. This activity is a great way to start or end any party!

Treat every guest like a true Pirate and make memories too! Using the Pirate Photo Setting, everyone can in on the act! The photos can be used as favors if taken with a Polaroid, or as part of the Thank you note!

Treat the birthday child to a Pirate Costume. He’ll be a standout at the party, and you’ll be prepared early for Halloween.  

After all the guests have arrived, get the buccaneers ready to plunder and party. First, they will all need to have their faces painted. Add blood, scars, and some facial hair with easy to use Face Painting Crayons. Next, add eye patches, red bandana headscarves, self-adhesive mustaches, and pirate hats. Now they can head out for some high jinks on the open sea as they move to the Pirate Ship.

The recommended Pirate Ship is the ultimate pirate party prop. Take the time to have each child pose alone, and with the birthday child for pictures inside the sea faring vessel. Tell the kids a joke to loosen them up first. (Here’s a favorite of ours: Why couldn’t the 11-year-old boy go to the movie? Because it was rated “aaaaargh.”) Ask them to “Say aaaaargh” for the pictures! The priceless photos can then be mailed to each guest with a thank you note at a later date. Plan to give the children plenty of free time for imaginative play.  

Set up a Treasure Island Game so that those who arrive early and stay late will be entertained.  

Play a game of “Walk the Plank”, using a 6’ X 1” X 6” board from a lumber store. Set the plank on top of two cinder blocks, and arrange dark blue Water Gossamer under the plank. Alligators are optional. Have each child take a turn walking the plank. If this isn’t challenging enough for your age group, make them walk backwards or balance a book on top of their head.

“Swab the Poop Deck” can be played as a relay with the group divided into two teams. With broom or mop in hand, each team member will have to swab an inflated balloon through a simple obstacle course and back to the starting line. There, they will tag the next pirate in line, until each member on the team has done his duty.

The kids will have a whale of a time with the Treasure Chest piñata, and we’ve yet to find a child who doesn’t want to grab some goodies from one at a party! Give the kids a treasure map to follow, having them wind over, under and around a good distance before finding the piñata on the spot marked with an “X”.   

The ship is sinking…so let the cannonballs fly with a water balloon fight.

Visit Treasure Island to search for buried treasure – Blindfold the children one at a time, then let them dig deep into a Giant Treasure Chest filled with a pirate’s bounty of loot. 

Listen to squeals of delight when the kids are running peg leg (three-legged) races! 

If the kids race through the activities you have planned, play Tick Tock Find the Crock (hide and seek), Black Beard Says (Simon Says), or Pin the X on the Treasure Map. Reward the bucaneers with some Pirate Funtoos for their timber shiverin' effort!

Pirate Party Food and Treats

Serve Goldfish, submarine sandwiches, chicken legs or sunken treasure nuggets (chicken nuggets.), tater tots, and cheese or fruit sword kabobs. The little buccaneers might also enjoy fish ‘n’ chips.

Or, set up a baked potato bar with lots of toppings that would appeal to children...cheese, bacon crumbles, etc. For a pirate twist, cut the potatoes in half. Let the kids decorate skull and crossbones masts, and use a wooden skewer to set the potato boat asail!

Most children under the age of 10 will eat very little. Schedule your party during a time when parents will not expect that their children will eat a meal…and serve only cake, ice cream, and a few other munchies.

Make shark bite sandwiches by cutting a jagged "bite" from one corner of each sandwich.

Serve "sea water" drinks. Use blue food coloring to turn apple juice a blue-green color. For added effect, float plastic aquarium plants in the container

Pirate’s Brew Floats
This pirate grog will surely put the float in your boats! Pour root beer soda into tall glasses (filling only halfway). Place one scoop of vanilla ice cream into each glass. Carefully add more root beer and watch as the drink begins to foam. Serve with long handled spoons. You can also decorate your straws by cutting out a skull and cross-bones from black construction paper and gluing it neatly to the top of the straw.

Jell-O® Pirates
Purchase your child’s favorite flavors of Jell-O brand gelatin. Follow the directions to make Jigglers and use different shaped cookie cutters to create pirates, ships, and other fun shapes!

Pirate Ship Pizzas
For this spectacular recipe, you’ll need deli or French rolls, pizza sauce and toppings. In addition, you'll also need black construction paper for the sails, black olives and pretzel sticks for the port holes, and carrots for the flags.

Prepare the port holes, sails and flags ahead of time:
1. To make the port holes for eight pizzas, you will need 32 large black pitted olives and 48 pretzel sticks. Cut the olives into halves (horizontally) and make a small slit in the closed end of each half. Insert the pretzel stick into the small slit. Place one half of each olive on either end of the pretzel stick. This will make four sets of port holes for each pizza.
2. To make the flags, cut 12 carrot curls (thin, lengthwise slices of carrot, soaked in ice water overnight). This will make the carrots wavy.
3. To make the sails, use large pieces of white onion skin (or cut rectangular pieces of construction paper) and punch holes through it with a ridged straw, skewer or bamboo stick. Place the carrot flag at the top and stick into the tops of the pizza boats after they come out of the oven.
4. To make boats, slice rolls in half lengthwise. Hollow out a slight depression in each half to create a boat shape. Toast rolls in hot oven for about 15 minutes, or until crusts are crisp. Then, fill with pizza sauce. Space "port holes" across top of the bread (the olives should be on either side of the bread), and then add your pizza toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling. Insert sails with flags and serve.

Treasure Chest Cake
Prep. Time: 50 minutes
(Ready in 3 hours)
Makes 12 Servings
Ingredients
Cake
1 (18.25-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Yellow Cake Mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs
Frosting
2 (16-oz.) cans Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Milk Chocolate Frosting
Decorations
Fruit strips
Assorted small candies
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 9x5­inch loaf pan. In large bowl, combine all cake ingredients; beat at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into greased and floured pan.
2. Bake at 350°F. for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan; place on wire rack. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.
3. Cut off top of cake, leaving base of treasure chest about 1 3/4 inches high. Trim 1/2 inch off 1 long side of cut­off top of cake to form chest lid; crumble cut­off piece of cake and set aside for later use. Place "chest base" on platter or foil­covered cardboard; frost cake. Place candies on front edge of "chest base."
4. Frost trimmed side of "chest lid" with a small amount of frosting. Place "chest lid" on top of "chest base", lining it up with back long side of "chest base." Frost remaining surfaces of "chest lid." With fork or pastry comb, create wood grain affect on frosting.
5. Attach fruit strips on edges and across center of "chest." Sprinkle reserved cake crumbs around cake. Arrange candies on platter around cake.
HIGH ALTITUDE (ABOVE 3500 FEET): Add 1/2 cup flour to dry cake mix. Remove 1 cup batter before pouring remaining batter into pan. Bake at 375°F. for 50 to 60 minutes. Bake 1 cup batter as directed on package for cupcakes.
 

Another Treasure Chest Cake Recipe:
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
3 frozen pound cakes
1 16 oz. container of ready to spread chocolate frosting
1 - 4 oz. tube of yellow frosting with a flat decorator tip
Chocolate chips
Gummi Ring (to make the latch)
A bounty of goodies to spill from the chest including Toss Beads, Coins, and assorted candy
One cake board
1-2 bags of brown sugar (sand)
Stack two cakes on top of each other, trimming the top of the bottom one if necessary to make them sit flat. Place the cake on a dark blue Water Gossamer covered cake board. Frost the base with chocolate frosting. The third cake will be used for the lid. To form the wedges that prop the lid open, trim the lid according to Diagram 1. Add the wedges to the top of the base, and frost them. Next, frost the top and sides of the lid. Using a spatula, gently move the lid and position it on top of the wedges. Then frost any remaining portion of the underside of the lid that is visible. Draw wood grain lines in the chocolate frosting with a toothpick.
Next, outline the treasure chest with the yellow frosting and add chocolate chip nails and a gummi ring latch. Sprinkle brown sugar sand, and add the pirate loot to the treasure chest and surrounding sand.

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