​
Who doesn't love pirates? Johnny Depp gave pirates an adorable 'facelift' with his portrayal of the bumbling Captain Jack Sparrow and we all fell in love with Captain Jack Sparrow. And to think Disney execs nearly didn't hire him, asking his agent at Johnny's audition "Is he drunk, high, gay or all three?" (True story!)
​
I love pirates so it was inevitable I'd throw a pirate party or two eventually. I'll take you through the steps I used to plan pirate parties in this article so I apologize for its length. But once you know the basic steps you can apply them to any party you throw.
invitations
We want to come right out of the gate with our WOW! factor because you're invitation basically decides whether or not a partygoer will decide to attend your event - or not. What follows is the best pirate party invitation I ever did. Every single one of the guests invited attended the party. I wanted to do a very worn, distressed looking pirate map.
I went to my local office supply store and bought a couple dozen sheets of Astroparch paper for 10 cents a sheet - $2.40 total.
Astroparche has a vellum look to it and comes in different colors. I chose the Ancient Gold.
I wanted the paper to have an even more stained weathered look to it so I gave it a tea bath.
This is a super easy process that will give your paper a more stained look. Get yourself a container about the size of a kitchen dishpan that you can fully immerse the sheets of paper. Brew enough BLACK tea to fully immerse the sheets of paper in the tea. Leave it until it stains and darkens to the desired affect you want.
​
Take the sheets out of the tea bath and lay them flat on waxed paper. Allow them to dry overnight.
I wanted to burn the edges of the invitation slightly. To do this, take a lighter and set the edges of paper on fire. Do this outside or over a wastebasket so you don't have an ash mess to clean up. When the paper edge has burned in as far as you want it to, blow the fire out. Then very gently take your fingertip and brush away the burned ash.
Next I took my scrapbooking distress ink and distressed the edges inward from the burned portion of the edges. Using your distressing applicator, very gently rub on the distress ink until you reach the desired distressed look.
Depending on where and what color you buy, distressing ink will run you between $4 and $10 for the Tim Holtz brand. It will last you for years.
​
Note: If you're going to computer print your invitation information do so BEFORE you do any edge burning or distress inking of your paper or you'll end up with computer printer jams and a real mess on your hands!
The last step was to go to my friend who owned a supper club and ask him if I could have any empty bottles with corks that he was about to throw out. I got a bunch of them FREE. I washed them out and let them dry thoroughly on the inside of the bottle.
I very tightly rolled up the. invitations and secured them in a closed roll with a pirate sticker.
I then inserted the invitations into the bottles and corked them
CRITICAL POINT: You want your guests to be able to get their finger into the bottle neck opening to slide the invitation out!
So you want to make your invitations long enough that they extend up into the bottle neck and can be easily pulled out!
You don't want your guests to have to smash the bottle open with a hammer and send glass flying everywhere to get their invitation out of the bottle!
​
Once the invitations were ready my late hubby and I hand delivered them to invited guests. The look on their faces when they answered their doorbell to find a pirate standing there was priceless! We definitely captured their attention with the WOW! factor and every invited guest attended the party.
staging & props
This is going to sound silly but before you start staging, I want you to sit in the area you're thinking of staging you party in and just really look around at your surroundings. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how I'd stage my pirate party. I just stared out the window and the light bulb came on! My deck railing looked like the railing of a pirate ship! My deck was PERFECT to serve as a pirate ship! The wood planking looked like the planking of a ship deck, it too had the railing that could pass for the railing of a pirate ship, I had a patio table out there I could use to feed the kids. And this is the view from my deck...
Here I'd wasted hours wracking my brain and my 'pirate ship' was right under my nose the entire time!
​
We are most familiar with our home surroundings - to the point we barely notice them or think about them because we see them day in and day out.
​
Could my pier be used to "walk the plank" when the kids went swimming? You bet! In fact, we held a cannonball competition to see who could make the biggest splash as the kids "walked the plank"!
I'd just never looked at what I had right under my nose from a pirate ship perspective before!
​
And in looking around the interior of my house, I was amazed at what I had already that would lend itself to pirate party staging and props.
I can only call the decorating style of my house "Northwoods Lake House". It's very nautical and rustic so my every day decor lent itself beautifully to staging my pirate party.
Not that you have to live on a lake to stage a pirate party! Your staging no matter where you do it is only going to be as good as your imagination and creativity are.
​
When I begin staging, I'll choose one large focal wall that will capture guests attention as soon as they would into the room. Without even thinking about it, our eyes focus on what captures our attention first, then they will travel around that room from staging area or prop to staging area and prop to take everything in. This is how you transport them forward or backward in time to the period of time your theme party is set in!
One of the easiest ways to stage a large wall expanse is using photo backdrops. They're inexpensive, usually between $8 and $20. They come in a large variety of sizes and themes. I'd hang mine using Command Extra Strength Mounting Hooks.
They're removable so easy up and down without damaging your walls or ceilings. Some come with extra mounting strips so you can use them more than once.
​​
I wanted my focal wall to feature a pirate ship and a sand beach so I bought 2 backdrops for $20 total. One featured the pirate ship, the other was a sand beach. I taped the sand beach backdrop to the pirate ship back drop and just let it lay on the floor to form my sand beach.
But I didn't want a plain boring, flat, artificial looking sand beach. So I took some ice forms I'd made for a winter party, smoothed off the rough edges so they'd resemble sand dunes and repainted them to look like sand.
I'd just taken advantage of an online promotion for artificial plants and gotten over $118 worth of plants for $20 - most of which were sea grass because I used that a lot.
Gluing the seagrass fronds into the sand dunes was the most labor extensive part of my staging.
So this is what my focal wall ended up looking like:
-
The pirate's chest was my grandmother's antique steamer trunk
-
The booty in the trunk was all the Mardis Gras beads I'd collected during my trips to New Orleans and all of the costume jewelry I'd accumulated over the years
-
The 2 pirate skeleton was from my Halloween decorations
-
The rum bottle was one of the invitation bottles I'd gotten for free
-
I made the rolled up pirate's map from the same paper I'd used to make the invitations
-
The wooden crates and barrel were ones I'd made out of corrugated for another party
The only thing I purchased for the beach were gold plastic coins.
Using today's pricing, that wall cost me $26.50 to stage.
​
Do you have to tear your entire house apart to stage? Nope! Here's the wall that contains the windows that overlook the lake:
I moved 2 chairs to stage the above and turned my boat bookshelf in a different direction. The two pirate displays were again from my Halloween decorations. The round table always sits in that corner...I just threw a pirate tablecloth over it. For my planter I took a galvanized bucket I never use, decoupaged a pirate on it and put my potted plant in that. I did buy some pirate fabric to make a couple pocket valances to hang above the windows. At that time, a globe light hung over the round table. I found a suitable lampshade at Habitat For Humanity Restore to hang over that light and stenciled it with a pirate theme.
​
For the wall my couch sits on...
My sofa looks gray in that photo but it's a beige/sand color. I edited the above photo to add a floor section to show you something similar to the boat coffee table at the time. (Now I have a new coffee table and the boat is downstairs.) So all I did on that wall was remove the less "piratey" knickknacks off my shelves above the sofa and replace them with more piratey knickknacks. Cost to stage that wall: Nothing.
Remember, you only have to create the ILLUSION of your guests being on a pirate ship! You can do this by doing nothing more than placing a few pirate items on a table here or there. You don't have to take out a second mortgage on the house or tear your house apart to effectively stage your party.
Some of the kids parents were staying for the entire party as they were leaving from my house to head off on vacation when the party was over. So I used my regular dining table as their dining table. As you can see, I have a wood plank looking tablecloth on there every day...good enough!
​
That left only the ugly view out the dining area window that faces my upper garage wall to deal with. Close the drapes - problem solved.
Throw a pirate themed centerpiece on the table and that's all the staging it needed.
For that table centerpiece I made a fast and easy pirate treasure chest out of cardboard and filled it with some of the plastic coins I'd bought for the beach on my focal wall.
A little background story here before I get into staging my deck. The night before the party I had an unexpected visitor - one of the kids who used to attend my parties that's now a father with kids of his own. He walked into my living room, looked around and shouted "YOU'RE HAVING A PIRATE PARTY!" (Very good, Todd! What was your first clue?)
​
"I'll make you such a deal," he said. "If you let me come to the party I'll dress like a pirate and bring my 2 parrots!"
Note: When the unexpected crops up at a party, just roll with it. It could turn out to be the highlight of the party as it did in this case.
As we visited, we came up with an idea. Remember years ago when it was a fad in department stores to make live humans up to look like mannequins and stand there motionless until you were near them and suddenly the "mannequin" would come to life and scare the bejesus out of you? Todd used to be one of those models.
He can hold a perfectly motionless pose forever without as much as blinking his eyes. He'd taught his parrots to "freeze" when he did this and not move until he did. You can see where this is heading...
We didn't want to get in trouble with the kids' parents so I phoned all of them and asked if it would be okay with them if Todd and I staged this prank to pull on the kids. They were all on board with it.
​
Staging my "pirate ship" deck...
TODD THE MANNEQUIN PIRATE AND HIS MANNEQUIN PARROTS
The umbrella in my patio table just ruined the whole pirate affect so I removed it and built a pirate ship mast using wood dowels I had in my woodworking shop - similar to the pirate mast below left.
For the sail I took an old white bedsheet, dirtied it up a bit, then ripped and tore it in places and sewed a couple of patches on it.
If you're going to do this project, make sure your main mast dowel rod fits snuggly in the hole you're going to insert it into.
​
I then took a Jolly Roger flag and tore it up a bit, then hot glued it to the bed sheet.
​
I didn't bother with the crow's nest above the sail or the flag above the crow's nest but you can if you want to.
For the table I used a $2 plastic red tablecloth from the dollar store because I'd have to cut a hole in it to insert the pirate mast through.
I was walking through a flea market one afternoon (not even looking for pirate stuff) when I spotted a package of 12 vintage pirate masks, unopened in their original package for $3. I snapped those puppies up so fast...
I affixed those to the backs of the chairs. The party favors were cigar boxes I'd wrapped in red and black wrapping paper. Using the same Astroparche I'd made the invitations out of, I made pirate maps that I glued to the tops of the wrapped cigar boxes.
When buying little trinkets to fill favor boxes for kids, you're best off buying them in bulk, like this bulk pack from Amazon.
Or this 12 piece mini telescope set.
It's cheaper than buying individual pieces.
I'd also found pirate activity placemats. It's a good "chill out" activity for kids hyped up for the party. I put a couple of bins of pencils, colored pencils and crayons on the table and let them have at it as we adults set up the lunch buffet.
​
Get to the cliffhanger of Todd the Mannequin Pirate and his parrots?
I'd lined a barrel with plastic to put the kids iced drinks in and we stationed Todd and his parrots right next to that drink barrel. The entire time the kids were doing their activity placemats they didn't give Todd and his parrots more than a passing glance. The adults and I timed it so we had the kids come in to the buffet and fill their plates to give Todd and the birds time to "unfreeze" for a bit. We adults carried the kids' plates of food to the table, which gave all of us an excuse to be out there on the deck for Todd's prank.
We then told the kids to go get their drinks from the barrel.
It was all we adults could do to keep a straight face. We couldn't have timed it more perfectly if we'd tried. As one little boy was waiting to get his drink, he remarked to another kid "Boy those parrots sure look real! I wonder if they're stuffed or something?"
At that instant Todd and his birds came to life and in his best pirate voice Todd growled "ARRRGH! YOU BE MAKIN' FUN OF ME BIRDS, MATEY?!!"
i swear some of those kids went airborne. We had to clean a couple of dropped, exploded soda bottles off the deck but it was worth it. We adults were laughing uproariously, as one kid remarked "IT'S A REAL PIRATE!"
Well, that was all it took for the kids to lose interest in lunch entirely. They wanted to hold and feed the parrots.
Thankfully Todd being a parent himself told them "WE eat lunch first! THEN you can hold and feed my parrots!"
He made good on his promise, each of the kids held the parrots and fed them a treat. I swear they all thought Todd was a real pirate and he played that role to the hilt! He and his parrots were the highlight of the party.
exterior staging
Is it necessary to stage the exterior of your house where guests enter your home? Not at all. I wouldn't always stage mine, it depended on the theme of the party I was throwing. I did a little bit of staging of my entry way for the pirate party just because it lent itself to being staged.
Walkway to my front porch
The barrel and wash basin are always there, as is the bell next to the door and the boat flower box. I simply added some sails to the planter to make it look more like a pirate ship and then placed some cardboard crates I had from other parties on the front porch. I had a friend who volunteered to be a "greeter pirate" as guests arrived. Exterior staging is just a way to get your guests in a pirate frame of mind and a touch more of WOW factor to your party.
The last critical element of your staging is music. Choose soundtracks that fit the theme of your party.
​
I always have music playing when guests first enter my venue. You don't have to play it throughout your entire party. I usually play mine when guests enter and
You don't have to go nuts, do what works for you!
Something as simple as a $10 door banner can help get your pirates ready to party before they even enter the venue.
​
Or you don't have to do any exterior staging at all.
music
sometimes as soft background music during the meal if I'm hosting something more formal like a sit down dinner.
​
You don't want the music blasting full volume so that you and your guests can't hear each other without shouting.
food/menu
Kids don't eat a lot at parties so I kept the menu simple and pirate themed.
You want your food to be attractively displayed as well. Remember the WOW factor. Even the kind of serving dishes you use can add to that WOW factor, like fruit served in boats.
Use table tents to give your food piratey names.
You can download a food cards template for $3 to $6 and print them yourself. Or you can do what I did. Take regular index cards and fold them in half with the lined side to the nside. I'd line the edges with scrapbooking tape, put a couple of stickers on them and write the food names on them. You don't even have to line the edges with tape, just stick a pirate sticker on them or draw an X marks the spot on them in red ink.
activities
I believe in utilizing community events and activities as party activities - many of which are low cost or free.
This helps our small businesses stay in business.
​
Near me there's a place called Pirates Hideaway. They give tours on the chain of lakes on a pirate ship. As a surprise, I'd booked the kids for a ride on the pirate ship. We didn't tell them where we were going, we just piled them in the car and started driving. Of course, the entire trip we listened to "Where are we going?" "Why won't you tell us where we're going?" "Are we there yet?"
When we pulled into the parking lot and the kids saw that pirate ship and learned they were going to sail on her, those car doors flew open and those kids turned into Olympic sprinters after a gold medal, running for that pirate ship.
​
I don't think the ship's crew were ready for the likes of us. We weren't their typical tourists by a long shot. Here they have 12 kids in full pirate costumes charging at them, followed by a handful of adults in pirate costumes - one of them with 2 live parrots perched on his shoulders. (I'd cleared it with the owner)
We had a BLAST together. I don't know who had more fun - us or the ship's crew. They let each of the kids steer the pirate ship and they were over the moon with that!
One year our local performing arts center was putting on the Pirates of Penzance so I took the kids to that. $15 a ticket.
I couldn't have afforded to entertain them for 2 hours at home for that amount.
​
Some city's host professional pirates dinners that include a theatric production during dinner.
​
Be familiar with what your community has to offer that you can use as party activities at little to no cost.
other pirate party activities
adopt a pirate name
As the kids entered the party they picked out their pirate names and my co-host wrote them on adhesive name tags.
The kids liked having their own pirate name.
​
​You can adopt this to adult pirate parties too. Challenge your guests to calling the other guests only by their pirate name during the entire party. This is harder than it sounds once the grog starts flowing! Award a prize to the person who slips up the least.
pirate ring toss
This is another game that can be played by both adults and kids alike.
Here are a couple tutorials on how to make the ring toss game.
Tutorial 1
​
I've also seen the hooks at dollar stores. You can use pool diving rings for the rings.
If you're gluing your hooks to the backboard, be sure to use something like Gorilla Glue or E6000. Wear surgical gloves when applying it so you don't get it on your hands!
walk the plank
Simple enough, right? 2 supports for the plank, one on either end, a plank wide enough for kids to safely walk across and an inflatable kids pool. Tip: Don't make the plank too high off the ground. You don't want the kids injuring themselves if they fall off the plank. ​ I did my own version of this given the kids wanted to swim in the lake. I posted a walk the plank sign at the dock entrance.
pirate pete pop up
Heading 6
I think most everyone knows how a pinata works. Kids are blindfolded and hit it with a stick, trying to break the pinata open so the candy and treats inside come spilling out.
​
Easy Guide to Making Your Own Pirate Party Pinata or you can buy ready-made pinatas.
pirate duck races
You can use the same kiddie pool as you did for Walk the Plank, just remove the plank.
You'll also need pirate rubber ducks and plastic drinking straws, one straw per child.
​
Mark off 2 starting lines on opposite sides of the pool edge.
The kids can play individually or as teams.
Without using their hands to touch the ducks, they must use the drinking straws to race their duck all the way around the pool, back to their respective starting line. In each round, the slowest player gets eliminated. Continue this way until one winner emerges and gets his/her duck around the pool the fastest.
costume contest
Kids love costume contests.
Award prizes for the best costumes.
​
For adult parties, I had guests choose 4 best costumes. The overall best costume was awarded this basket made into a gift basket.
Ribbons were awarded to the runners up.
board games
There are some really good pirate board games out there.
We'd play individually or as couples and the winners got to keep the board games as a prize.
​
(Black Fleet is my personal favorite)
take your guests photos
Get your cell phone camera out and snap pics of your guests in front of your pirate staging.
You can email the photos to their cell phones and they have a keepsake of the party.