Updated on: Oct 05, 2024
Preparing for your son's or daughter’s birthday can often be a stressful task, especially if you’re hosting it at your own home. You can always use resources like a checklist or expense guide to help you out, but without a nailing down a theme, you may not know where to start! From decorations to invitations, there can be some important steps in planning that you may miss when setting up the party on your own. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled some of the best pirate theme ideas to help ease your stress. You’ll find helpful tips and inspiration for decorations, favors, food, games, supplies, and invitations. With these ideas, your child will absolutely love the pirate party you created for them!
Pirate Themed Birthday Party Decorations
1. Pirate Flags
What better way to illustrate the theme with some awesome flags! There are so many different pirate flag designs to choose from, but a skull will always do the trick! If your child is a bit too young to be displaying skull flags, there are tons of other designs out there that will work perfectly.
2. Skulls and Crossbones
Skulls and Crossbones are a classic pirate symbol that will look great at your party. You can cut out little printed skulls and crossbones or find plastic ones to place around the room! This will absolutely make your party feel more like a pirate’s haven.
3. Treasure Chests
When thinking about pirates, one of the first things that come to mind are treasure chests. As a decoration, try purchasing plastic treasure chests and filling them with plastic treasure or even candy! You can also find paper chest decorations and put them up on the wall.
4. Fishing Nets
A great idea to help make the party feel like a pirate ship is to find fish nets online and hang them around the room! To go further, you could find little plastic crabs or other creatures and hang them on the nets to emulate that ocean aesthetic.
5. Pirate Balloons
Putting balloons around the room is a must for any type of birthday party, especially for younger children. There are tons of balloons with designs all over them that will match the pirate theme. Try using black and red balloons which will match best with the pirate color scheme.
Pirate Themed Birthday Party Favors
6. Pirate “Treasure” Candy
When filling out goodie bags for your guests, try using special candies to resemble pirate loot. Use chocolate golden coins or candy necklaces that your guests can enjoy after the party. They’ll love eating their special treasure!
7. Pirate Temporary Tattoos
Temporary tattoos are great to make your child and their guests feel like rebel pirates! There are many different pirate themed designs that they can put onto their arms, legs, or hands. The best part about these tattoos is that they can be easily removed with a wet paper towel.
8. Pirate Swords
Kids will love taking home their toy pirate swords after the party. There are tons of options online, you could go with a classic plastic sword or be safer with a blow up one. Whichever option you go with it’ll be sure to put a smile on their faces.
Getting your guests some pirate attire will help them become more invested in the pirate theme! You can give out eye-patches and bandanas at the beginning of the party so everyone feels like a dangerous pirate.
10. Treasure Chest Party Favor Box
Try going online and finding little treasure chest containers instead of traditional goodie bags. The small cardboard treasure chest will go great with the theme and is a unique way to hand out all your party favors.
Pirate Themed Birthday Party Menu Ideas
11. Pirate Themed Cake
A party is never complete without a delicious cake! There are tons of different ways to go about a birthday cake. You can find pirate themed party decorations to put on your own homemade cake, or you could go to your local bakery or supermarket and have them create a themed cake for you.
12. Skull and Crossbones Cookies
An awesome activity for you to do with your child before the party is to create skull and crossbones shaped cookies. There are many cookie molds that will help go along with the pirate theme, and it’ll be great to spend some time with your son or daughter before their special day.
13. Sandwich Platter
Try putting together a sandwich platter with different meats and veggies! Make sure to put a variety of sandwiches to make sure everyone will have a tasty option. To help go along with the theme, try purchasing pirate sword toothpicks to put in each sandwich so they hold together.
14. Pirate Cupcakes
Making little pirate cupcakes is another delicious treat to have at your pirate party. There are so many cupcake toppers of flags or swords out there that will accentuate your theme. You can also put little pirate designs in frosting on the cupcakes themselves. Everyone will love digging into these awesome cupcakes!
15. Blue Jell-O Treats
A unique option for your party is to make blue Jell-O to resemble the ocean! You can also get little shark gummies and place them inside the Jell-O to look like sharks swimming inside. This is a tasty and sugary dessert that the guests can eat instead of cupcakes or cake.
Pirate Themed Birthday Party Games and Activities
16. Create a Message in a Bottle
A fun arts and crafts activity would be for your guests to make their own message in a bottle! This activity can double as gifts for the kids, as can write whatever they please on the letter and then take home the bottle with them. It’ll be a great reminder of all the fun they had at your child’s party.
17. Treasure Hunt
A classic pirate themed activity is to have a treasure hunt! You can either make this a team scavenger hunt or have each guest compete against one another to find a special prize. The kids will be so engaged in this activity and it is a great way for them to let out some of that energy from their sugary treats.
18. Pirate Dress Up
Getting a set of costumes and pirate props will entertain your child and guests for hours. They’ll have an absolute blast dressing up and pretending to be pirates sailing across the seven seas. You could even hire a face painter to give some of the kids a pirate’s beard or scars!
19. Pirate Piñata
A piñata is another classic birthday activity for all ages. There are so many different pirate designs that you can choose from online. Make sure to fill the piñata with all of your son or daughter’s favorite candies!
20. Walk The Plank Balancing Game
Set up a little balance beam over a mat or grass and have each of the guests try to make it across without falling! You can even give little prizes out to those who are able to complete the walking of the plank on their first try. Putting little paper alligators or sharks underneath the balance beam will make them feel like they’re really walking the plank.
Pirate Themed Birthday Party Supplies
21. Pirate Cups, Plates, and Napkins
Pirate themed cups, plates, and napkins are a perfect foodware set to go along with your child’s party. They feature a lighthearted skull and crossbones design that aren’t too scary or realistic looking.
These tablecloths go along perfectly with the entire pirate theme. The skulls and crossbones along the edge match well with the foodware set suggested above! The wooden design of the tablecloth resembles an old pirate ship which will certainly excite all of your guests.
23. Pirate Confetti and Treasure
This cute set of decorations are perfect to make the theme more kid-friendly. It features golden coins, trees, and characters from the beloved children’s show “Jake and the Neverland Pirates.” This is a great purchase for people trying to plan a birthday party for a younger age group.
This is a really creative plastic utensil set for your child’s pirate party. The set includes little paper bags with four different pirate designs on them to put each guest’s utensils in.
Pirate Themed Birthday Party Invitations
25. Pirate Fill-in Invitation
This is a quick and easy set of invitations for you to fill out and send to each of your guests! They’re physical invites that follow a nice pirate theme that will get all of your guests excited for your child’s big day.
26. Custom Pirate Invite
This cartoon styled invitation is fully customizable to include whatever information you want. The invitation is fully digital, so you can either send it virtually or print them out and send them in the mail.
This is another physical fill-in invitation that is in the shape of a pirate’s anchor! This unique design is different from an ordinary party invitation and will catch the eyes of the invited guests.
28. Treasure Map Themed Invitation
This digital invitation is fully customizable and looks very professional. The design resembles an old pirate’s treasure map, and is sent to you via a digital download file. You can either print out the invitation or send it via email to your guests.
Pirate Themed Bday Party: Conclusion
Parties are never an easy feat to plan and prepare for on your own, which is why we are here to help. Now that you’ve read through the ideas we’ve suggested, it’s time to take the location into account. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many different safety guidelines to consider. One suggestion is to host the party outside, as you can include more guests. Make sure to have your guests get tested for the virus and to bring face coverings to your house. Aside from this, be mindful of all your local and nationwide regulations and restrictions. The pandemic is certainly stressful, but you can still have an amazing party during these times!
We hope you’ve enjoyed some of the ideas we’ve presented for your child’s pirate themed birthday party, and wish you the best of luck in getting everything together! If you’ve enjoyed this blog and would like to see more party suggestions and ideas, be sure to check out more blogs on our website!
Written by Jack Lynch