Planning a pirate party? 6 things to think about
Ahoy there me Mateys on National Talk Like a Pirate Day - what better way to celebrate than by planning a swashbucklin pirate party. Here is a checklist of all the areas to think about in your planning, and some fun pirate ideas for each.
1) Pirate Party Invitations
First of all you need to invite your crew to come celebrate with you, and I love these cute message in a bottle pirate invitations from Becks and Avi
2) Pirate Party Decorations
Next its time to decorate your party and your table. Take a look at Mad Hatter Party Box's pirate party tableware box which comes complete with parrot, skull and crossbone flag and a solid, reusable treasure chest.
Check out the pirate mason jars (plastic for little hands) and the pirate charms on all the utensils...not to mention the parrot...you have got to love the parrot on the treasure chest!
3) Pirate Party Food
Now time to think about the food. There are some great ideas for pirate food which range from really simple, to a serious planning task.
Sweetsugarbelle.com has some seriously cool pirate cookies, with easy to follow instructions to help you achieve the same result - take a look at the pirate face cookies and the pirate ship cookie stacks
I absolutely love the idea of this watermelon pirate boat which I found on flickr - but really sorry can't find anyone to credit for it - if anyone can help, please let me know so I can add the credit. I think it may prove a challenge to make, but what a great way to present fruit.
And then there is the cake. Of course it is very easy to buy a cake in, but it helps if you have an idea of what you would like. This skull and crossbone cake is one I made and is deceptively easy - I made a paper template of the skull and then used that to cut the fondant out - cut the black fondant just slightly bigger for the shadow effect. You can make the whole red disk with the skull and crossbones in advance and set it on the cake when it is made.
4) Pirate Costumes
If you are going to do a dress up party, then there are different ways to do it. You could add it to your invitations and ask your guests to all come dressed for your theme, or you could provide each guest with some pirate accessories - either way no pirate party is complete without a few pirate hats, swords, and eyepatches.
I love these full dress up outfits from Chasing Fireflies
Or for accessories for your party guests - try these from Mad Hatter Party Box
5) Pirate Party Entertainment
There are different choices on how to keep all your little pirates entertained. You could enlist the help of a Pirate Entertainer - search on Google for pirate entertainer and you will find people in your local area. Typically a pirate entertainer will enlist the children on 'pirate games', sword fights and treasure hunts. Having an entertainer at your party can take some of the pressure off you as they will generally take over the party for a set period of time. They may be a little frightening for younger children though.
If you choose to make you own entertainment, there are some great ideas for pirate themed games and activities which are simple to set up.
This walk the plank game (from Poshed Up) is easy to create with a plank and a couple of buckets or cratew - they have added a sheet with some shark fins which is a great touch.
Another option is a treasure dig, like this one by Milk and Honey Mom. You can use a paddling pool, or a large tub and just fill with sand from Home Depot, add a few toys and pirate themed gifts for the kids to dig for.
Other options include pre-made sets of pirate themed activities. This one from Mad Hatter Party Box includes a pirate ship craft activtiy, a treasure hunt and a gold doubloon coin toss.
6) Goody Bags
The last thing to consider for your pirate party, is your goody bags or party favors for your guests. Depending on what activity you have at the party you may be able use the output of it as a party favor - for example - the Pirate Ship craft set would allow the guests to take home their own craft, and the pirate treasure dig could provide the guests with the gifts to put into their own goody bags - you could give them a bucket and spade to dig with, and they could collect their treasure in the bucket and have the set and treasure as a party favor.
These cute brown paper bag goody bags are by Older and Wisor and are simple to make with home printed labels.
An alternative to a traditional goody bag is a themed gift or craft activity for your guests to take home, like this pre-prepared treasure box craft set party favor from Mad Hatter Party Box
Written by Sarah Boorman - Co-founder of Mad Hatter Party Box, Founder of Mad Hatter Party Food and mother of 7 year old twins - Amelia and Maya. Sarah was born in the UK and moved to California in 2013 with her family.
