I don’t think there’s a boy who wouldn’t love to have a pirate-themed birthday party. It continues to be the number-one requested theme for boys in my time in the birthday party business. Buy some bandannas, fake mustaches, eye patches and temporary tattoos, and you’ve almost got a party. Add a craft, like making treasure boxes, and definitely have a treasure hunt.
Here are a few ideas to get you going on your own pirate pirate. If you want more, click here for a free 90-minute complete pirate birthday party plan.
High Seas Cake
1. Bake a cake in a rectangular pan.
2. Mix a can of white frosting with a few drops of blue food coloring and stir thoroughly. Frost the cake. Add blue sugar sprinkles.
3. Slice a Twinkie snack cake in half horizontally. Stick on the cake, cut side down. Frost with chocolate icing to make a ship.
4. Cut one large sails and a small sail out of white paper and punch holes in the top and bottom of each. Thread on a skewer and stick in the middle of the ship. Make two more smaller sails for front and the back. Press candy gold coins all the way around the edges of the cake.
Game: Stealth Walk
Pirates have to be sneaky and stealthy. Test the pirates’ skills with this stealthy game. Put down a piece of bubble wrap and have each kid take turns walking the length of it. The trick is to walk the entire length of the bubble wrap without popping any bubbles!
Snack: Finger Foods
Pirates aren’t known for their delicate manners, so serve finger foods if you’ve got a hungry crew. Chicken drumsticks and wings or chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce or ketchup for dipping are a good choice, along with fruit kabobs, goldfish crackers and other types of crackers.
Game: Finders Keepers
Wrap a small gift in many layers of newspaper or gift wrap. In some of the layers, place a gold coin or other flat, small token. Have the pirates sit in a circle. Each pirate in turn unwraps one layer of paper. He or she gets to keep a token if they find one, and the person who finds the gift gets to keep it!