Kids love pirates. Their exciting swashbuckling adventures on the high seas get young imaginations running riot. So why not make a pirate birthday party of it? Great for all ages, pirate parties present loads of opportunity to go totally overboard with dazzling decorations, creative costumes, pirate party games and pirate-themed food to really shiver their timbers.
So raise the Jolly Roger, grab your bandana, and dive right in, with our expert rundown of fabulous pirate party ideas for creating special memories your kids will treasure forever.
The best pirate birthday party – getting started
A pirate birthday party really is as swashbuckling as it sounds: it’s a special event for your child (or children) bursting with bright and exciting pirate themed food, decorations, party bags, games, and more. If your little one is crazy about pirates, they’re sure to look back on this brilliant day with the fondest of memories over the years – trust us.
First thing’s first, you’ll need to decide where the event will take place, whether that’s at your house, in the garden, or a rented space. Then, gather a list of your little one’s favourite friends and send out some decorative pirate party invitations, listing the date, time, and place where all the excitement will begin. Of course, you’ll need plenty of pirate party supplies, too.
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with hosting, you don’t need to fret because we’ve got a special selection of pirate party ideas to share with you.
Pirate party ideas – decorations
Obviously, your party needs to look the part, with a centralised focus on everything pirate themed. And the best way to do this is with pirate party decorations. Because as soon as your child’s guests arrive, you want them to be immersed in the pirate experience you’ve created for this special occasion.
So, where to start? Well, you’ll need to dress your house up from head to toe, think stripes, skulls, parrot-themed anything and ensure everything is colour-matched with red and black.
You’ll need to provide pirate party decorations that will wow every member of the party. Below are some of the best decorative ideas.
1. Be big on themed balloons
Blow up a bundle of black, skull-decorated pirate balloons alongside inflatable parrots, bananas and anything else you can think of that ties in with your pirate theme.
2. Go totally bananas
Get the birthday girl or boy to help you draw grizzly pirate faces on bananas the day before the party, then hang them up around the room. Be sure to use food colouring instead of paints or pens, just in case they end up getting eaten, rather than living out their lives just as props!
3. Look to the skies
Don’t forget about what’s going on above everyone’s heads: red and black striped bunting, or something with a skull and crossbones motif, will add a wonderful touch to your party space. This is a great pirate party idea that’s simple to do yet makes all the difference.
4. Turn the tables
Cover the food and drinks table with a red striped tablecloth. You could do the same with chairs and other seating, too. Or, for a simpler option, you could use throws or blankets instead.
5. Get crafty
Make your own treasure chest out of cardboard and decorate it with gold paint. You could do something similar with climbing frames or playhouses in the garden, to make them look like pirate ships or galleons. A fantastic pirate party idea to really set the scene and make for some great photos of the kids having fun.
Pirate party ideas – fun pirate party games
Pirate party games are a must for your event; they keep the kiddies entertained and really let you play around with the fun theme of the party. There are plenty of pirate party games to choose from, but we’ve pulled together some of our favourites for you to try:
1. Decorate a biscuit competition
Children love nothing more than eating and playing, so combining the two at your pirate birthday party is a great shout. All you’ll need to do is buy in some pre-baked biscuits and icing sugar pens to get started.
- Each child can then use their decorative skills to add little details to the biscuits, whether that be a drawn-on eye patch, an earring, a pirate hat or just a great pirate-inspired bushy beard.
- Whoever produces the best piece of biscuit artwork will receive a bag of golden coins, or some other pirate-themed item, as a prize.
This is a great, interactive pirate party game for the kids to enjoy together while producing tasty treats that suit the theme of the party perfectly. Let the games commence…
2. Pin the eye patch on the pirate
Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, your little ones can pin the eye patch on the pirate. That’s the beauty of pirate party games – you can make them your own. To create this brilliantly fun game yourself, simply:
- Buy an A3 piece of card to hang up and draw a colourful picture of a pirate. If drawing isn’t your strong suit, print out a pirate picture from the web.
- Provide every party guest with a cut-out eye patch that has some Blu Tac attached.
- For even more fun, you could provide other stick-on items for the kids to play around with, such as a beard, a trusty parrot or a telescope.
- Buy a blindfold for the occasion, or make one yourself using the fabric from an old item of clothing.
So far as pirate party games go, this is one of the absolute best – the children will be saying “shiver me timbers” in no time!
3. Walk the plank
There’s no such thing as a wobble-free walk when you could fall into shark-infested waters! Pirate party games don’t get much better than this: uber simple, yet bags of fun. A total gem.
- Lay a long plank of wood on the ground. Perhaps lay it over some scrunched up blue and white blankets, to represent the sea and add to those wobbles!
- Each child takes it in turns to walk from one end of the plank to the other.
- Whoever makes it across the quickest is the winner.
4. Pieces of eight treasure hunt
Okay, so this is practically a staple for a pirate party, and whilst it might require a fair bit of planning ahead, we’ve got a whole blog of treasure hunt ideas that should help you nail it! To ensure that it fits with the theme, all you need to do is hide some chocolate coins (or other pirate-themed prizes) around and about writing some clues on paper scrolls that will hint to their location.
Pirate party ideas – tasty pirate party food ideas for kids
One particularly brilliant thing about this kind of party? The pirate themed food! After all, even something as simple as a pirate sandwich cutter can make the world of difference when it comes to creating waves for hungry little pirates at lunchtime.
Getting creative with pirate party food ideas for kids is one of the key highlights of throwing a pirate party, especially as your little crew members can join you in the kitchen the day before to help out – quality time together that also serves a practical purpose? What’s not to get on board with?
To help you put on a yummy and Insta-worthy spread, our playful party food ideas for kids are sure to go down a treat:
1. Grilled parrot
Obviously, this won’t really be a parrot, but a tasty selection of chicken wings instead. Lay each one out on a tray with parrot decorations and let every guest tuck in. Pirate themed food never tasted so, er, parroty!
2. Golden treasure
You can’t have a pirate birthday party without some form of golden treasure to nibble on. So, provide a selection of chicken or meat-free nuggets for the kids to enjoy. Serve in a treasure chest, for added dramatic effect. In our opinion, this is one of the very best pirate party food ideas for kids, because it’s so simple yet effective.
3. Polly crackers
Think of that famous “Polly wants a cracker” saying and channel it into your sumptuous spread. All you need is some crackers for the kids to nibble on and you have what’s probably the simplest example of pirate themed food ever. It’s a steal!
4. Caught’em dead cheese
Cut a block of cheese into cubes for the children to snack on and present them with colourful plastic pirate swords (or flags) stuck into each one. Simple snacks like these, that use themed cocktail sticks or toothpicks, make for quick and easy pirate themed food that looks absolutely great.
5. Sword skewers
Grab some wooden skewers and slide a range of different yummy items onto them, like grapes, cheese cubes, and even meats (such as party sausages). Delicious pirate themed food that’s really in keeping with the overall aesthetic of the party.
6. Out-at-sea taco boats
Grab a bundle of hard or soft taco shells, and fill them with tomatoes, cheese, guacamole, as well as any other vegetable you see fit. These tasty nibbles are one of the most wonderful pirate party food ideas for kids we’ve tried, because they’re so on-point in every way. Remember to stick a pirate flag in the middle and get the kids to say “ahoy” as they tuck in!
7. Pirate bananas
A simple yet effective pirate party food idea is buying bunches of bananas and decorating them. Simply wrap each banana in a red spotty napkin, with smiley faces and eye patches drawn on the outer skin (use food dye pens for ease and safety). This adds a fun character theme to this fruity snack. Alternatively, plate up some fruity palm trees by cutting bananas in half lengthways, to represent the trunks, and slicing some kiwi fruit up to use as the leaves. Pirate party food ideas for kids that are a work of art as well? Yes please!
8. Watermelon pirate ship
This pirate themed food spectacular will most definitely wow the crowd. Buy a whole watermelon, cut it open, and scoop out the fruit until you can see the rind. Then, add a bunch of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and grapes) as well as chunks of watermelon.
Use slices of the rind and affix them to each other with wooden sticks – this makes the sails for the boat. Then finish it off with a hand-drawn black and white skull flag. The kids will be amazed. And fruit never looked so good!
9. Pirate pastry
Simply roll out some puff pastry, top it with tomato puree, cheese, and crosses made of red pepper, and pop it in the oven. Don’t cut it into slices until their tummies are hungry, as you’ll want to decorate it with pepper palm trees before it’s sliced.
10. Chocolate treasure chest cake
To finish, make sure you order a (or make) chocolate treasure chest cake bursting with chocolate coins. This edible delight is the ultimate pirate themed food and absolutely crucial to making your child’s pirate birthday party a resounding success. They’ll feel extra special when blowing their candles out, that’s for sure. Showstopping, scene-stealing party food ideas for kids to really put the wind in their sails? Done!
Pirate party ideas – pirate dress-up and fancy-dress costumes
“Who’s a pretty boy then?” Or girl! No pirate birthday party would be complete without pirate dress-up, so as the big day approaches, it’s time to start thinking about what everyone’s going to wear. Getting it right will leave a lasting impression, as well as create some incredible photo opportunities.
Here’s a quick rundown of the essential pirate party attire every discerning buccaneer should have, to ensure they look the part:
- Billowy shirt or stripy top
- Trousers that can be rolled up or cut off at the bottom
- Bandana or headscarf
- Pirate hat, complete with skull and crossbones
- Sword or cutlass – why not make one from cardboard and foil or silver paint?
- Eyepatch, ideally with skull and crossbones
- Swag bag
- Swashbuckling boots
- Nautical waistcoat or overcoat
- Parrot (soft toy or inflatable)
- Beard or moustache
- Big wide belt
- Dangly gold earring (look for clip-ons in charity shops, or dig out some Christmas baubles)
- Pistols, hooks, and peg-legs optional, depending how PC or otherwise you want to be
Pirate party ideas for dress-up are all about creating characters from the high seas: Think of famous examples like Jack Sparrow, Long John Silver, and Blackbeard for sartorial style inspiration!
Pirate party ideas – pirate party bags full of treasure
You’ve sorted the pirate party games, the pirate themed food and various other pirate party ideas, but no pirate party is complete without party bags – period. Being big kids ourselves, we’re very familiar with the excitement that comes with receiving one of these brilliant party favours. Because these magical giveaways let the party continue at home when the little ones ‘abandon ship’ they’re a great pirate party idea for helping the day live on. But what should these bags of joy include?
You’ll need to start with a pirate-themed gift bag, with the likes of a captain and his parrot showcased on the front. These can easily be found online and in craft shops, as well as popular supermarkets. Then you’ll need to fill it to the brim with a range of playful goodies, but which ones?
Here are some of the items you’ll want to pick up for your pirate party bags:
- Foiled chocolate gold bars
- Chocolate coins (for treasure)
- Fun pirate stickers
- A pirate-themed bouncy ball
- A plastic skull eye patch
- A mini pirate jigsaw puzzle
- A mini telescope (to spot everyone out at sea)
- A multicoloured pirate necklace.
Time to set sail – making your pirate party ideas a reality
We hope you’ve found our rundown of the best pirate party games, pirate themed food, dress-up, and decorations a wonderful treasure trove of inspiration to make your child’s birthday party the fun and memorable special occasion it deserves to be. With so much scene-stealing excitement, it’s been tricky choosing our favourite part of the party, but in the end we decided it was trying out the pirate party food ideas for kids…and grown-ups!
Now you’re all clued up with a plethora of pirate party ideas, it’s time to start making the big day actually happen. Save this blog post to your ‘favourites’, so you can keep referring back to it as your planning and preparation take shape over the coming weeks – you’re welcome!
But don’t forget one of the most important tasks of all: finding a pirate-themed cards to set the tone for all the excitement that’s about to come your little one’s way. It’ll make for a wonderful memento of their day that’s perfect for their scrapbook or memory box.
For even more choice (we’re talking thousands upon thousands of options), be sure to check out our full collection of birthday cards. And, remember, if you’re in need of helpful ideas, suggestions, or full-on how-tos for other special occasions you might have coming up (football parties, anyone, or maybe even superheroes?), the thortful blog is most definitely the place to be.
