Pirates of all ages like lots of active swashbuckling and lots of (delicious) loot so read on me intrepid pirate mate and partake in a pirate adventure that appeals to children of all ages and girls as well as boys. Pirate themes are easy for your guests too – anything striped, red, white, black or blue will do. Layer it up with a scarf, sash or bandana, maybe a waistcoat and you’re done. Hosting a Pirate party is so much fun as there really are endless ideas and themes you can tap into like:
- The Sea – How about a classic “pool cake” with blue jelly and choc finger biscuits around the edges, but instead of a pool it could have shark fins and a pirate walking the plank! For decorating think sprinkled shells or strings of beads like pearls on the table with a blue shimmery fabric or plastic tablecloth as the water, cut outs of colourful and exotic fish (or keep it mean and use black and white striped fabric to use as a length of table cloth Clusters of red and black balloons to decorate).
- Ships and Boats – use long sticks and old sheets to create sails as a backdrop, slice half oranges scooped out and set with jelly into slices to create yummy jelly boats. For games organise a Pass the Cannonball (pass the parcel!) as a variation of ‘Hot Potato’ you could even play the Wiggles version of the song for younger ones.
- Treasure – Gold edible chocolate coins as prizes, jars of sweets as loot, chicken nuggets ‘gold’, and prepare a treasure hunt in advance through the garden or hidden around the room on window sills etc. Create telescopes out of hollow pool noodles to spy through.
- Fairies – Tinkerbell (and Peter Pan!) are more gentle themes for younger children’s parties and again will spur more ideas for you.
- Exotic Birds – think colourful feathers or a large stuffed toy parrot for decoration, sea bird sounds and shanty music playing it the background to make it feel like you’re on a:
- Tropical Island – games like Musical islands (like musical chairs), walk the plank over a paddling pool, or set up hoola hoops or mats and get the kids to island hop!
- Pirates and Crew – Give an adult a black face paint crayon to simply draw on moustaches, stubble or “tattoos” on the guests like skull & Cross bones, or a flag and Pass out Pirate eye patches as guests arrive. Cut out pirate swords from old cardboard boxes using a template. Let the children decorate their swords blades with foil and colour the handles with paints. Supervise balloon sword fights, or get the kids to balance a balloon. And keep it simple serving your sea-faring travellers chicken legs – without utensils – and let them eat like real pirates.
Check out this fantastic Pinterest pirate-themed board ‘Pirates Ahoy’ with lots of game and activity ideas to keep your little pirates entertained for hours on end. From Pin the Eye Patch on the Pirate to Pirate Puzzles and everything in between, our Pirate cape, hat & eye patch costume sets and of course employ our own Captain Carnie and Mermaid performers to take the stress out and create some fun!
