Pirate Birthday Party

First things first you need to set a date and time. Usually a party will go on for at least two hours and take at least an hour to prepare so take this into consideration when deciding on a time.

Next up is where you are going to hold the party. A perfect place for a Pirate Birthday Party is an outside space as there will be plenty of room for sword fighting! Your backyard, if large enough, is a good choice. But if this is going to be too small for the amount of children you are inviting try to think of a family member or friends garden you could use.

Make the party a dress up party where all the kids dress up as pirates, slaves or skeletons! Keep some spare hats and eye patches for any kids that forget. Better yet get all the kids to make their own.

Pirate Costume

Depending on where you are holding the Pirate Birthday Party and your budget you need to decide how many people you are going to invite. The best way to do this is to write a list of the kids that you have to invite such as family and friends. Then invite kids from school and any clubs or organisations your child takes part in.

If space or your budget will not allow this many kids narrow your list down to the kids your child is closest too in school etc. Another idea is to invite just the boys or girls in the class dependant on the sex of your child.

Once you have your list start writing out the invitations and aim to hand them out around two weeks before the big day. Start the theme as you mean to go on with authentic looking invitations in a bottle! You can also make your own by drawing a treasure map with an X marking your house and putting it in a clear or green bottle. Make sure you remember to put the date, time and who's party it is on the invites too!

Pirate Invitation in a Bottle

Assuming your party is outdoors, if you have a large budget investing your pieces of eight in a pirate ship is a perfect scene setter for a Pirate Birthday Party. For those on a smaller budget either use some boxes to create a ship, a broom handle for a mast and white sheets for the sails or purchase a blow up pirate ship shaped pool which can be picked up quite cheaply. If going with the pool option make sure you also get some water guns for the pirates to squirt any guests!

Hang up some pirate skull banners and some large Jolly Roger flags. Also hang a pirate door hanger on your backdoor for when the guests come through to the party. A few skeletons placed around the garden, a treasure chest half buried in some gravel and use wide red tape to mark an X on the floor. If the party is held in the late evening use some pirate party lights to light up the night. Also use some black and white balloons in a net to be released when Happy Birthday is sung.

Decorate the tables with pirate themed tablecloths and centerpieces and place a paper pirate hat next to each place setting along with a pirate blowout.

Pirate Pool Boat

When choosing supplies for a Pirate Birthday Party try and stick with one pirate theme throughout such as plain pirates, skull and crossbones or Pirates of the Caribbean. Use items that compliment each other but try not to use too many different designs and themes as your party tables will look too muddled and unprofessional.

Buying complete party kits is a good idea. These usually include plates, bowls, cups and napkins. Some kits also include extras such as skeleton cutlery, drinking straws blowouts and even treasure maps!

Either set out a place setting for each child including a plate, cup or goblet, bowl, skeleton cutlery, drinking straw and any other extra item for a sit down meal or place the plates and cups in stacks on the food and drinks table for a buffet style party. For adults just use plain black and white tablewear to save money.

Pirate Birthday Party Kit

At the center of a Pirate Birthday Party rests the all important birthday cake. There are many pirate cakes that can be shop bought or you can buy a plain rectangular cake, cover it in icing and then top with some pirate decorations.

Other ideas for pirate birthday cakes:

* Pirate Ship - Using a large rectangular sponge shape into the base of a ship. Then add three wooden skewers for the masts and use sugar paper cut into shapes for the sails. Decorate with chocolate and candies and add small toy pirates along with some candles for the finishing touches.

* Pirate Face - Using a large round cake cover in pink icing then add different colored icing pieces cut out to form the hat and facial features. Add chocolates and candies such as a chocolate biscuit for an eye patch and chocolate sprinkles for a beard.

* Treasure Chest - For this cake you need two large rectangle slabs of cake, one slightly thicker than the other. Use the thickest piece for the bottom of the chest. Hollow out a rectangle piece around 3cm deep and leaving 2cm between the edge of the cake and the rectangle all the way round the cake. Fill this hollow with goodies such as chocolate coin and shiny wrapped candies. Place the other rectangular cake on top to form the lid at an angle so that the candies are slightly visable.

* Treasure Map - Use a large rectangle cake for the map cutting ridges around the edges to look like a map. Then cover in white or yellow icing and with an icing pen draw on the map a shape of an island, trees, lakes etc and the all important X.

If you are able to bake your own cakes follow the steps above but with your own baked cake shapes. You can also find many pirate themed cake tins you could use for an even more unique cake.

Pirate Cake Topper

Any true pirate is always going to be hungry. Make
sure that you have plenty of food for everyone that is expected to come. Also decide whether or not you are going to be providing food for the adults and whether they will just be eating the same food as the kids or if you are going to be laying on a seperate adult buffet.

As well as traditional pary foods try out these ideas for a true Pirate Birthday Party:

* Hot dogs

* Chicken legs and wings

* Golden chicken nuggets

* Mini treasure chest cakes with the tops slightly
cut off and filled with small sweets

* Cupcakes with pirate toppers

* Fish and chips

* Butterscotch candies

* Chocolate coins

Also for drinks use some root beer in mugs to make some pirate ale!!

Pirate Cupcakes

No Pirate Birthday Party is complete without getting the little pirates up to no good. So get them competing in these great pirate themed games. Make sure you have some great pirate themed prizes for the winners such as cutlasses, bandannas, eyepatches, telescopes and loads of chocolate coins!

* Pirate ship pinatas to break open for some pirate treasure

* Pin the pirate or flag on the treasure map (can be bought or easily made)

* Pirate crafts - Get the kids making their own hats, eyepatches, cutlasses and treasure chests.

* Pirate colorings using print out sheets or bought books

* A treasure hunt - bury or hide some treasure in your garden and write little clues and hide them around the garden in the approriate places. Read out the first clue to the guests to start them off.

* Digging for gold - Spray small rocks with gold paint and bury in a sand pit. Give the kids some small shovels and buckets and see who can dig up the most gold.

* Musical Islands - Name each corner of the garden as an island and when the music stops the kids that are not on a specified island is out.

Pirate Treasure Chest

Fill your pirates treasure boxes or booty bags with some fun pirate birthday party treats such as:

* A treasure map

* An eyepatch

* Pirate gold chewing gum pieces

* Pirate stickers

* Pirate playing cards

* Chocolate coins

* A compass

Pirate Favor Box