Updated on: Oct 05, 2024
Ahoy, hearties! Looking to throw a pirate birthday party but not sure how to get started? Need pirate-themed party ideas like invitations, food to feed your guests, games to play, or favors to give? Look no further! Below you’ll find all your birthday party ideas, including activities, themed favors, buccaneer games, a variety of pirate party decor, and menus that are sure to shiver everyone's timbers! We also have a helpful and extensive budget worksheet and kid's birthday party checklist, so be sure to check them out.
Pirate Party Ideas Decorations
1. Customizable Party Posters
A customizable party poster is a perfect thing to cover the walls with so your guests will know right away that they're in for a swashbuckling good time. It's also a great thing to put on your front door or entrance so guests are sure that they're in the right place.
2. Skull and Crossbones Banner
Banners are great ways to cover lots of space with minimal effort, which is always a bonus. It can also go almost anywhere: outside a house, over the party table, across the room. You can also just get a classic "happy birthday" banner as well as the skull and crossbones banner - the opportunities are endless!
3. Pirate Photo Backdrop
When looking for pirate party ideas, you simply can't have a pirate party without taking tons of pictures. A photo backdrop is a perfect thing to show the world just how amazing your party is. It's so much fun and will give you memories to last forever.
4. Pirate Photo Props
What is a photo backdrop without its props? Get different prop sticks like hats, hair, parrots, beards, or even hooks. The props add so much more fun to photos and will make your look unique. Accessories are everything for pirates, so make sure you stick to the ways of the buccaneers!
5. Fake Gold Pieces
What do pirates love? Booty. They want that treasure and you bet they're gonna get it. Adding some fake gold will not only add color to your decorations but also excite any kids and perhaps you can let them take some home as a souvenir.
6. Pirate Balloons
Balloons are a simple and easy way to cover lots of space to make any party look complete. You can even attach 3 of them to weights and put them around the area to cover any parts of the room that may be lacking in decoration. Balloons are also fun to play with after the fact.
Pirate Party Ideas Favors
7. Pirate Gear
Go to your local party store and try to find an assortment of party hats, eye patches, or jewelry to give to your guests! These are great pirate party supplies because if you’re trying to save some money, you can always turn them into an activity during the party. You could use them as prizes for the victors of your pirate games, or create a fun treasure hunt with these accessories as the “booty”.
8. Pirate Booty
There are many directions you would go with the idea of pirate's booty. First, you can give out small snack-sized bags of the pirate's booty puffs. Another good option would be to give out the fake decoration gold. Finally, my favorite, you can give out fake chocolate gold coins! To go even more above and beyond with your pirate party ideas, consider decorating the bag with pirate-themed stickers.
9. Temporary Tattoos
Most party stores have a wide supply of pirate-themed favors, stickers, or tattoos. Go to your local party store and see what sort of pirate-themed favors they have that you can give to your guests. Of course, party stores can be a bit expensive, so you might have better luck finding budget-friendly party favors in the party aisle of a local grocery store or general store.
10. Parrot-Themed Gifts
Parrots are an iconic part of pirate lore! A stuffed toy parrot, parrot keychain, or parrot-decorated cookie would make for an excellent take-home gift. Plush parrots make great decorations around the venue, too! My only advice is to get one that doesn't make noise, or those things will be squawking 'till the cows come home.
11. Pirate Name Tags
Hand out creative pirate name tags to your guests as a fun party favor. You could allow each guest to choose their own name at the party or pre-make the name tags with your own pirate party ideas. There are even a few online pirate name generators you can use to facilitate name suggestions.
Pirate Party Ideas Food
12. Seashell Shaped Food
Whether it's macaroni and cheese or just regular pasta, try to find seashell-shaped food to go for an ocean theme. You could go crazy and add blue food coloring to the sauce to make the pasta/mac blue! Additionally, you could decorate some cookies to match the theme. If you’d like to make it into a diy activity all your guests can enjoy, whip up some dough, then put out tons of cookie cutters and icing! It could even serve as a fun contest, with a small prize for the best ocean-themed cookie. Of course, everyone gets to eat their entry cookie, so it’s a win-win!
13. Turkey Legs
Pirates are known for their lack of table manners, so a children's party will fit the theme no matter what, but it helps to some messy finger food at your party like ribs or turkey and chicken legs. A friendly reminder that pirate diets, while exciting, were a little lacking in the nutritional area. Don’t forget to include some tasty and healthy finger foods, like fruit cups and veggie trays just for balance.
14. Pirate Cake
No party is complete without cake! Try to decorate your cake with a pirate theme in mind. You might include blue icing, a boat cake topper, or my favorite pirate saying: “shiver me timbers.” You can decorate the cake yourself or go to your local bakery and find out if they do any pirate-themed cakes. You can also buy your own customized cake toppers like the image below (they could also be used for cupcakes).
Don't forget health-conscious desserts as a possible option! We have quite a few pirate-themed food recommendations that you can incorporate into your party.
15. Goldfish
Who doesn’t love yummy Goldfish crackers? They are quite literally the snack that smiles back. Pirates would probably give an arm and a leg for a bag of goldfish out on the open sea. You could also offer some Swedish fish, and any other fish or mermaid-themed food.
16. Sharks Blood
There she blows! Make some red ice cubes by freezing red Kool-Aid, punch, or colored water. Your guests will love to see their drinks slowly turn red when they add the ice cubes to their clear drinks (Sprite, water, etc.). This beverage can also be called Crocodile blood.
Want to take your pirate-themed party to the next level? Check out these ideas for a creative ocean theme party and see what elements you can incorporate!
Pirate Party Ideas Games & Activities
17. Dress-up
Pirates weren’t exactly remembered for their great hygiene, but they did manage to create some fashionable and timeless looks! Let guests know they can dress up as a pirate for the day and have some costumes on hand. Play pirate music in the background or show a kid-friendly pirate TV show or movie during downtime. Don’t forget to offer plastic swords to complete their ensemble!
18. Face Painting
Hire a face painter for your party! Have the painter transform all your guests into pirates by drawing eye patches on them and/or other pirate accessories! If you’d like to save some money on entertainers, this is a great way to get a talented older sibling involved.
19. Treasure Hunt
If you are all out of pirate party ideas and need to fill some time, create a scavenger or “treasure” hunt for your buccaneers by hiding small prizes around the party, or following one of Esty's templates. Give them clues in pirate talk! For a more challenging hunt, give them only the first clue and sprinkle the rest of the clues at the checkpoints along the way. Nothing is more exciting and rewarding than solving a challenge and seeing a pile of goodies at the end!
20. Plank Walk
To set up a plank walk, simply draw a “plank” on the sidewalk in chalk and have the children all try to walk or hop along with it without stepping outside of the lines. To make it even more difficult, add certain “obstacles” in their ways like blow-up alligators and ships.
21. Coloring Pages and Games
To entertain your guests, you could set up a small section for coloring. Print out some pirate coloring pages or buy a pirate coloring book from a bookstore. You could also get a book that includes mazes or little games. Be sure to provide coloring supplies, and this activity is sure to be a hit!
22. Pirate Telescopes
Another fun activity to entertain your guests is a telescope-making competition. Provide all the creation essentials like toilet paper rolls, decorating tools (feathers, glitter, etc.), and glue. You can cover the ends with cellophane paper to add to the experience. Competition is optional, this activity is just as fun in a relaxed setting.
23. Beach Party
If you want more than just pirate party ideas, consider hosting the party at a nearby lake or beach and making it a beach party! The scenery will really immerse guests in the pirate theme, and the venue allows for plenty more fun pirate games. Challenge your guests to create paper boats and hold contests for things like “biggest boat to float”, “boat that floated for the longest”, “boat that made it the furthest”, and more! If you don’t live close to a large body of water, there are still ways to add to your venue. A sandbox is a perfect touch, and the paper boat races will work just as well in a large kiddie pool.
Pirate Party Ideas Supplies
24. Pirate Tablecloth
The table is where everyone's looking - it's got the two most anticipated things: presents and food. Something as simple as a tablecloth can spice up the whole area. It can transform any table immediately to set the tone of the party. People will know right away what the theme is.
25. Pirate Utensils
Adding utensils in your catalog of pirate theme birthday party ideas will impress guests even more and most importantly, make clean-up easy if you get plastic plates and silverware.
26. Pirate Cups
Plastic cups can be very versatile when coming up with pirate party ideas. They can, obviously, be used for drinks for guests. You can also get more creative with them though and they can hold pirate maps, treasure hunt hints, snacks, or can function as place-holders for guests. Try to get some customized ones or stickers to put on them for more zest!
27. Boat Snack Holder
Who wouldn't want their snacks being held in a fun, in-theme boat? This makes a great centerpiece because it's so practical and it could hold any kind of snack. Maybe add some Swedish fish who got washed up on the ship.
28. Pirate Party Hats
What gets kids more in the mood for a pirate party than the hat itself. Even parents might get excited and put a pirate party hat on just to immerse themselves in the experience. Hats are simply always fun.
29. Pirate Glow in the Dark Wirstbands
The only thing much more fun than glow-in-the-dark items are glow-in-the-dark items that are in theme. These wristbands could be given out or simply sitting around. Either way, guests will love these.
Pirate Party Ideas Invitations
30. Online Invitations Ideas
If you are planning a virtual party, or just want to save paper while keeping up with the times, send a fun online invitation. When you send e-vites, you can easily customize them and most of them are animated to add an extra element of surprise and fun. Everyone who opens this invitation knows that this means an awesome pirate party lurks in the future.
Pre-Printed Mailable Invitations
If you’d prefer the tried and true invitation method of mailing them out to your guests, here are some great invitations that are preprinted for your convenience. Simply order and write the details of your party on the cards, and send them off to your guests.
31. Rolled Map Invitations
These rolled map invitations are creative and authentic looking. The color variation resembles an old and stained map. Stamped on the outside is the word “Invitation”, and features that classic red seal. When you’ve written your party details on the inside, roll it up, secure it with the seal, and send it to your mates.
32. Pirates of the Caribbean Invitations
If you want your pirate themes to be based around the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean films, look no further for the perfect invitation. When your guests see the notorious Captain Jack Sparrow on the cover of your invite, they will anticipate greatness! This cool invitation features some famed pirate lingo as well: “It’s Parrrty Time”!
33. Jake and the Never Land Pirates
If you’d prefer to base your pirate party ideas on Jake and The Never Land Pirates, then this is the invitation for you! This card features a colorful graphic of Jack and his pirate ship. You can also spot Captain Hookx and plenty of pirate’s treasure. There’s no way your guests will miss the theme of your party with this invitation.
Custom Mailable Invitations
For the most creative and unique invitations, here are some custom card invitations to check out. These are awesome and you can easily customize them with your personalized names, dates, and even pictures. These are sure to impress your guests.
34. Treasure Map Invitations
This authentic-looking treasure map has all the details you could need for your party embedded on a map! It features a pirate ship, a red dotted path, a compass, and a legend where you can write your RSVP information. This is so detailed and is a great way to make sure your guests find the treasure and arrive right at your party!
35. Message in a Bottle
For an especially unique invitation, you could also place the invitation/message inside a clear glass bottle. This sea-inspired form of communication will leave such a memorable impression that your guests will not be able to turn down the invitation!
Bonus: Pirate of the Carribean Party Ideas
If you want your pirate party ideas to be centered around the infamous Pirates of the Caribbean movies, I've added some ideas here. You could give out the iconic pirate medallions for a favor. Decoration could include the "jar of dirt" from Dead Man's Chest or fake swords to celebrate the humble craftsman: Will Turner. You could also serve monkey bread in honor of Black Beard's scary monkey. You could even go crazy for a treasure hunt and bury Davy Jones's heart under an X and have kids search for it for an activity. The possibilities for pirate party ideas that callback to the movies are endless!
Pirate Party Ideas: Conclusion
We hope these pirate party ideas spark your creativity and inspire you to create the best pirate party for your loved one! If your pirate party ideas are for young kiddos, trust us, you’ll want as many games and activities planned as you can. Having several games going on at once will be extra helpful as well so that kids don’t have to wait to join an activity. Invite parents or ask some sitters to help chaperone for the day, depending on the size of your party. Happy sailing and you got this, matey! Be sure to check out our other amazing articles for the best kid's theme party ideas and more non-pirate party ideas for gifts.
Written by Shannyn Apolaro, Morgan McHose and Mayenssi Montiel; Contributors: Royce Legaspi and Ashley Cimarolli