Pirates of the Caribbean Party Ideas
This is the PartyOz guide to the perfect Pirates of the Caribbean Children’s Theme Party with all the ettiquette, ideas, costumes and party games.
Invitations
Send invitations that are designed like a worn treasure map, giving directions to the party, marked with a large X.
You can give the invites a weather look by soaking the paper in tea or coffee and tearing the edges.
Invite Suggestion:
“Ahoy, ye (invitee’s name)! Captain Jack hereby invites ye to celebrate Captain (host’s name)’s Pirates of the Caribbean birthday party.
Hoist yer sails and set course for World’s End at latitude (street address), longitude (suburb) on the (15th) moon of the (7th) month for swashbuckling fun, a hearty feed and many a bottle of rum!
Raise yer Jolly Roger if ye be attendin or hav’ yer mum send a message in a bottle or a message by yer phone to (number).
Be seeing ya on the deck! May yer timbers remain unshivered ‘til then!
Signed: Captain Jack Sparrow!"
Costume Suggestions
There were countless pirates and guards in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Pirate costumes are easily prepared by using eye patches, fake beards and bandanna’s and scarves. Lots and lots of scarves.
Guard costumes (perhaps for the adults, to keep the unruly pirates in check) consist of white pants and shirt, a red coat / jacket and black boots, the shinier the better.
Use eyeliner and eye-shadow makeup to make fake stubble. Eyeliner is also good for making fake scars.
Dressing up as a shipmate can make a simple costume. Wear torn cut-off shorts, a bandana and a stripy top. Add to the look by carrying a dirty mop.
If you’re dressing as a pirate, try making a parrot out of paper mache to sit upon your shoulder. Or you could even dress as a parrot and wear a tiny pirate!
Of all Pirates of the Caribbean costumes, Will Turner’s is the simplest, being essentially a white shirt and brown vest. However, a long coat with a scarf-belt, baggy pants and any coloured vest goes a long way to achieving the look.
Decorations
Hang a large pirate flag across the door, or you can hang one from a pole set outside the house.
When the guests arrive, have them enter the house along a gangway.
You can lay down planks that lead to the doorway or you can simply use cardboard and paint it to look like planks. Use small poles and rope to line the entrance as they’re making their way aboard.
Scatter blue cellophane along the walkway to make water. Make shark fins out of cardboard and have them rising from the water.
Skeletons featured big in Pirates of the Caribbean. Hang a couple of cardboard skeletons on the walls (available from costume shops) to remind the buccaneers of the treacheries of pirate life.
Several old stockings can be filled with paper and made to look like tentacles rising up from behind the couch in search of the odd wayward pirate.
Create a pirate cave in the garage - rocks and sand, flamin’ torches and lanterns to light the way. Also the perfect place to hide yer treasure chest. them should a mutiny occur!
Food Suggestions
Apart from the obvious hardier food, offer up other nautical food, like fish fingers and goldfish crackers.
Paint a cardboard box to look like a treasure chest and fill it with goodies like chocolate coins, lollies and candy. Add to the look by scattering the top with fake jewels such as necklaces and toy rings.
Make small cocktail flags with a skull and cross bones to stick on the top of cupcakes. You could also decorate cupcakes by painting the Jolly Roger on them with icing.
Make chocolate rum balls and arrange them in a small pyramid. Set them up beside a fake canon to look like canon balls at the ready!
Pirate Party Cake
Make your own pirate cake. Use blue icing for the water, and brown or yellow with coconut for sand. Buy a toy pirate ship and put it on top, or even a few, simulating a battle. If you can get your hands on them, place a few toy trees on land, as well.
Or perhaps get one round cake, cut it in half and place them on their sides, flat side up to create two pirate ships at war. Bits of licorice or other similarly shaped lollies can be the cannons, and maltesers the cannon balls.
Games & Activities:
Pirate Speak
First off, all good pirates should practice their pirate speak. Repeat after me:
“Ahoy, me hearty!”
“Avast, ye scurvy landlubber!”
“Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum!”
Pirates are crafty fellows, especially when it comes to hording their treasure. They’ve even managed to hide their treasure inside of rocks!
Below is a recipe and instructions for making your very own treasure rocks. Hide them around the garden and send the kids on a treasure hunt.
An additional aspect to this game is to split the party into teams and give each a treasure map marked with several numbered Xs. Each member of the team has a number corresponding to an X and its relevant treasure.
Treasure Rocks (Measurements are for each rock, though will vary depending on the size of rock you desire):
1 cup flour
1 cup coffee grounds
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup sand
Mix ingredients together. Shape into a ball and place thumb in center to form a hole. Place a treasure inside and cover up. Let dry 4 to 5 days. It is suppose to resemble a rock or a pumice stone. Then the child cracks it like an egg.
Or, instead of rocks, try your hand at creating coconuts! Imagine cracking open a coconut to find it’s filled with toys and lollies!
Arrange the pirates in a circle on the floor and have them number off. Put the highest number in the center to act as 'it'.
Someone’s lit a bomb and they don’t know what to do with it. One thing’s for sure: they don’t want to hold it, but if it hits the ground it’s going to blow!
‘It’ holds a balloon and calls out a number while dropping the balloon to the floor. The holder of that number then tries to catch the balloon before it touches the floor. If the player is successful 'it' tries another number. If the balloon touches the floor, not only does it explode, that player also becomes ‘it’.
Make a cardboard cut-out of a ship and have it standing, precariously balanced. Each pirate inflates a balloon then counts ‘1,2,3,GO!’ They release their balloons in the direction of the ship. Score 5 points for the closest balloon and 15 points for a direct hit.
This game works well with teams. Create two ship cut-outs and give each team their own coloured balloons; red and black, for instance.
Arrange the young pirates in a circle with a blindfolded pirate in the centre. Then have the players move around the circle very quietly. The blindfolded player should approach the circle in any direction and secure a victim who, in a disguised voice, says 'poor pirate’ and then makes a pirate sound of their choosing. If the blindfolded player fails to identify his prisoner, he releases him and the game continues. If he succeeds, the two change places.
Mutiny on the Ship! (Variation of Red Rover)The pirates are divided into two teams. Line up facing each other, about 25 to 50 feet apart. Each side takes turns calling "Mutiny, Mutiny! Send (name) to me!"
At that signal the pirate called runs from his line and tries to break through the line of pirates, who have joined hands. If she/he breaks through they can take one opponent back to their team. If she/he does not break through, they must join the other team. The team to add the other players on its side first, or which has the most players at the end of a designated time period, wins.
One player is the Captain and orders the other pirates to make motions by saying "Captain says swab the deck" or "Captain says hoist the sales" and the pirates have to act out the orders.
The Captain also makes all of these motions. If he omits "Captain says," however, and just orders "Thumbs up," the pirates should not make the motion. Any pirate who does is out of the game. The winner is the pirate who remains in the game the longest.
All the pirates form a circle. A bomb (a bean bag) is passed from player to player while one player sings, whistles or claps, or music plays. When the music or clapping stops, the pirate who has the bomb explodes and is out and sits in the center.
The last pirate out wins. Stops should be made frequently so the game moves quickly and pirates will not be out for too long. A bored pirate is more likely to mutiny.
Two lines are established at opposite ends of the playing area. One line is the goal line; the other is the starting line. One player is the Captain and stands on the goal line, guarding his treasure. The Captain shuts his eyes and counts to 10 a number of times. At the end of the count to 10, the Captain calls out, "Ahoy, me hearties!” or any other piratey phrase (“Swab the deck”, “Raise the sails!”, “Arm the cannons!” Where’s me rum?”).
While the Captain is counting, the Pirates advance toward the treasure. When the Captain calls "Avast, me hearties!” the Captain opens his/her eyes and all of the Pirates must stop moving. Any Pirate who the Captain catches in motion must return to the starting line.
The Pirates can continue moving if any phrase other than "Avast, me hearties" is called. The suspense of the game occurs as the pirates wonder what phrase will be called. The first pirate to reach snatch the treasure wins and becomes the Captain. Alternatively, the last pirate may be promoted to Captain.
Make a piñata shaped like a treasure chest using a cardboard box and paper mache. Fill it with chocolate coins and treasure such as fake jewellery and toys.
Walking the PlankBy now the pirates are surely unruly and should be taken to task. Make ‘em walk the plank!
Lay a plank upon the ground or try using cardboard that’s painted to look like a wooden plank. You could set a blue tarpaulin or sheet beneath it to use as water. Have the guests wear a blindfold and turn around several times before they have to walk the plank. See who can get the furthest without falling off.
For inspiration try using the following films and themes:
Pirates of the Caribbean
One Piece
Yellow Beard
Jack Sparrow
Black Beard
Captain Blood
The Pirates of Penzance
