A vast me hearties! Stop yer pillaging and lend me yer ear, I have a message for ye to hear! Plan a great Pirates of the Caribbean party so your guests don’t mutiny and make you walk the plank with these helpful ideas.
INVITATIONS
There are so many cool options for invitations to a Pirates of the Caribbean party. One option is to make treasure maps using beige parchment paper or scrapbook paper with the X marking the party location. You could burn the edges of the map to make it look more authentic, but be very careful and you’ll probably want to do the burning outside. Roll the invitations up and tie them with a red or gold ribbon. If you can find the bottles, a glass bottle with the map, bit of sand and a seashell or plastic jewel makes a very impressive invitation. If you don’t have the time to make personalized invitations, Discount Party Supplies has personalized pirate invitations available as well as standard pre-printed Pirates of the Caribbean invitations.
DECORATIONS
There are so many ways you could decorate for a Pirates of the Caribbean party. Halloween decorations are a great option… pull out your spooky skulls and skeletons and use them to set the scene. Add some pirate accessories like an eye patch or bandana to make them into dead pirates. If you have a chest, prop the top open just a little,drape beaded necklaces hanging out and scatter gold coins and jewels around the treasure chest. If you have a skeleton figure, prop him up next to the treasure chest and drape his arm over it like he died guarding his treasure.
It wouldn’t be a Pirates of the Caribbean party without the Jolly Roger. If you don’t have a pirate flag, use inexpensive black felt for the flag. Cut out the skull and crossed bones in white felt and glue it on.
The ultimate in Pirates of the Caribbean decorations is the life-sized Captain Jack Sparrow cut-out. Not only is it a great decoration, it’s also great for taking pictures. Take each guest’s picture with Capt. Jack and include their picture in your thank you cards.
GAMES & ACTIVITIES
If your party will be outdoors on a hot day, a Cannonball Battle would be a perfect way to cool off. Divide your guests into two groups and give them plenty of ammunition (water balloons). Make sure you warn parents ahead of time if their kids are going to end up soaked. Have them come in swim suits or bring dry clothes to change in to.
Another great option for outdoor parties is a treasure hunt. Hide a small treasure chest and clues before the party. Give the party guests the first clue and they’re off in search of the next clue. Once they figure it out, they find a clue to the next location and so on until the finally find the treasure.
A great treasure hunt for smaller kids is to let them dig for treasure. Fill a small kiddie pool with play sand and hide some plastic coins in the sand. Give the kids toy shovels and let them to find as many coins as they can. They can keep the coins as a prize and you could also have another prize for the person who finds the most coins.
My personal favorite game is a “Pirates Say “Aarrrrrrgh” contest. The more into it the kids get, the more hilarious it is. The kids should try to say “Aarrrrrrrgh” in the scariest way possible, include prizes for the loudest, silliest, etc. “Aarrrrrrrrrrgh Matey!”
FOOD
Serve up individual pirate ships… use a bamboo skewer and paper rectangles to make sails and stick them into each child’s hot dog. Surround the pirate ships with blue tortilla chips or gold fish crackers.
Any finger foods stuck onto little sword shaped picks are a HUGE hit. Cubed cheese and fruit are perfect snacks. Be sure to stress safety to the kids though. Its all fun and games until someone has to wear an eye patch for real. Aarrgh!
What pirate party would be complete without a good grog? It has been my experience that kids LOVE using a punch bowl. Fill one with your favorite recipe for pirates punch and let them fill their own cups. It’s not as messy if you make sure to have a wider mouthed cup for them to use.
CAKE
Whether you make the cake or oder it, there are so many fun options for Pirates of the Caribbean cakes. There are cake decoration kits or cupcake rings available if you are not sure of your cake decorating skills. A treasure chest adorned with beaded necklaces, chocolate gold coins and big plastic jewels would be a very cool cake, as would a cake in the shape of a pirate ship. Some other options are a treasure map sheet cake, or a deserted island. Whatever you choose for your party, make it fun.
FAVORS
What could be more fun than playing pirate? Send your party guests home with the perfect favors to keep them in the pirate mood. Stickers and a pirate’s treasure activity kit a always favorites. Outfit them in pirate hats and eye patches, and make sure they have their pirate spotting scopes at the ready. And every pirate needs some cool tattoos to show their pirattitude. Aaarrrrrrrgh!!
