Planning for a pirate-themed party: here’s what you need!
Kids love pirates: the adventure, the epic sword fights and of course, the treasure (a chest full of chocolate coins, naturally!)
So is it any wonder that pirates are such a popular theme for kids’ birthday parties?
Whether you’re planning to celebrate it in your backyard, the local park, or even at the beach proper, a pirate-themed party is a sure win for your child’s upcoming birthday celebration.
Of course, there’s just the question of what your pirate party will look like.
So, raise the old skull-and-crossbones and take a voyage with us as we explore the seven seas to find out what you need to include in the planning for your child’s upcoming pirate birthday party!
The Pirate ambiance
Make everyone feel that they’re entering the world of high seas adventure with pirate decor that lets guests know exactly what they’re in for!
While you can’t bring the whole pirate ship in your party venue, there are some tricks you can use to replicate a pirate ship. For example, you could cover your entrance way with planks – not only will this serve as their entrance to the pirate world, but when they leave, they’ll be “walking the plank” out!
You can go even further by absolutely smothering the place in ropes, cannonballs and all of the other common items you’ll find on the deck of a pirate ship.
And finally, don’t forget to choose a suitable playlist! These kid-friendly playlists are suitable for the little ones.
The music you choose will contribute to really making your living room feel like the deck of a pirate ship!
Dressing the part: what do you wear to a pirate party?
A pirate costume, naturally!
Of course, eyepatches, striped shirts and tricorn hats aren’t the only costume options you have – the beautiful thing about pirates is that you aren’t limited to the types of things that real-world pirates wore or dealt with.
For example, there’s nothing stopping you from dressing like a sea monster like a kraken or other staples of pirate stories like castaways.
You can even get your kids to cosplay as their favourite fictional pirate, including Jack Sparrow or Captain Hook!
What would a female pirate wear? How to make a girl pirate costume
Nowhere does it say that piracy is an all-boys club – while many girls will be content to dress up like mermaids, there’s nothing stopping them from dressing up as pirates as well.
Girls attending your pirate party have the option of dressing just like the boys, complete with a talking parrot on the shoulder!
Add some gold hoop earrings and a feathered hat to complete the ensemble.
What pirate activities are suitable for kids?
Food and costumes are great. But what really makes a great children’s party are the activities that you’ve organised for everyone to enjoy!
Luckily, you’ve chosen one of the best possible themes for this, coming with a huge range of built-in activities that kids will love!
Treasure hunts
Pirates and hidden treasure – name a more iconic duo, we’ll wait.
If you’re looking for pirate-y activities, treasure hunts are a great place to start. To make this happen, you’ll want to:
- Hide “treasure” somewhere in your house
- Create treasure maps for kids to follow
- Come up with creative riddles and challenges to overcome
Not only is it fun, but depending on the challenges and roadblocks you put in place, it can even spur teamwork or competition between everyone competing.
Pirate movie marathon
Another activity that you can include in the pirate party theme is a movie marathon – specifically, pirate movies.
Luckily, you’ve got plenty of options:
- Looking for something fun and lighthearted? Hook is a great choice
- Want an underrated gem that most kids wouldn’t have seen? Treasure Planet (yes, it’s about space pirates, but it’s such a good movie that it still works!)
- Are the kids a little bit older? If so, pop Pirates of the Caribbean on (just make sure it’s one of the good ones)
- Want to share a classic adventure film from your childhood with the kids? Introduce them to The Goonies!
With so many options out there, the choice is yours – just make sure you’re choosing movies that are age appropriate, of course!
Food: what to serve at a pirate party?
What’s a party without food?
Any child’s birthday party – be it a pirate party or otherwise – isn’t complete without birthday food.
If you’ve gone all-in on the pirate theme, you’re going to need to tailor your birthday menu to fit the swashbuckling scheme you’ve got going on.
Obviously, you’ll want to avoid actual pirate food – while pirates had many things going for them (namely, a lifetime’s supply of gold), a good diet wasn’t one of them. However, there are a couple of things you can sub in instead…
Food, glorious food!
As we mentioned above, most pirates didn’t have that great of a diet. Because of that, you’ve got a good amount of leeway when it comes to choosing what you’re going to serve at your pirate party.
While you can always go with classics like sandwich platters, you can also mix things up by bringing in things like grilled seafood or a full barbeque menu. You can even go for Mediterranean dishes if you want to give the kids a different taste and flavour.
If you want to go all-in on the pirate theme, food presentation is where you’ll want to put your focus.
That means:
- Putting snacks inside treasure chest-inspired coolers
- Instead of using bottles, put drinks inside barrels
- Use pirate-flag toothpicks or skewers for shish kebabs and platters
Pirate lollies: chocolate coins aren’t the only option anymore!
Lollies are a staple of any children’s party – and that includes ones with pirate themes.
On top of using them as snacks, lollies can also be great props. For example, say you need to make a treasure trove for your kids to find – lollies are so much better for this than pirate toys because they can be enjoyed immediately!
- Get a chest
- Fill it with chocolate coins
- Toss in a couple of lollies with coloured wrappers or Fruit Berries to represent jewels
If you want to get creative, you can even make your own treasure out of lollies. For example, you could thread a string through a couple of milk bottles to create a pearl necklace for your lolly treasure chest.
Give pirate lolly bags as treats
What party is complete without a lolly bag to send all of your guests off with?
The problem with lolly bags is that depending on how many people you’ve invited, it can take ages to buy bulk lollies online and put them into lolly bags.
Luckily, we can help!
In addition to selling customised lollies online, we also create and ship out premade lolly bags for your upcoming party, saving you gobs of time.
What’s more, we can also print custom labels on each of them – if you want, we can label each lolly bag with the intended recipient’s name!
Get chocolate coins and other lollies for your pirate-inspired party
You can’t throw a birthday party without lollies – luckily, our online lolly shop has you covered!
We specialise in lollies – specifically, in bulk lollies. Our goal is to get you all the lollies you need, at wholesale prices.
With nationwide delivery and a huge range of sweets, we’ve got all of your lolly needs covered, no matter what type of party you’re throwing.
Visit our online lolly shop to find what you’re looking for. Have questions? Call us on 1300 899 000, or drop by in our lolly warehouse in Melbourne (which is now once again open for visits!)