Theme parties are loads of fun and one of the more popular theme parties these days is the pirate party.  This might be at least in part to do with Pirates of the Caribbean and Captain Jack Sparrow, but whatever the reason, if you are throwing a pirate party, then you need to know how to plan it the right way – the pirate way.  That means that you have to think carefully about the venue, games, and food so that you will have the proper atmosphere for your party.

The very first impression your guests will receive when it comes to your party is via the invitations so you have to make sure that these are done with a touch of pirate class.  You can buy pirate invitations to be sure, but you can also make your own, which will be less expensive and more creative.  You can print out a pirate picture, perhaps the skull and crossbones, and write out the invitation on the back of it.  You can also age your paper and make it look authentic.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to make little tears along the edges of your paper and/or crumple it up, and then use a wet (not dripping) tea bag and gently wipe it over the paper.  Weigh the paper down until it dries and then you can write out your invitations on it.  Be sure to write in pencil first so that you can avoid mistakes.  Then roll it up and tie it with a ribbon.

When it comes to costumes be sure to instruct your guests to wear a pirate costume to the party.  You and your guests can purchase a costume or you can make your own.  To make a costume, simply find a striped shirt, make a few tears in it, some jeans you don't mind cutting up to make the legs look ragged at the bottom, a belt, an eye patch, and a bandanna to complete the look.  Then you can attach a toy parrot to your shoulder and away you go!

Decorations

Now to decorate.  Chances are you are having the party in your own home, but no matter where you have it, you can make it look and feel like a pirate ship.  The colors black, white, and red are the pirate colors.  You can get the Jolly Roger (skull and crossbones) flag, both a large one and some smaller ones and place those around the venue.  You can get a chest of some sort to act as a treasure chest and fill it with fake coins, pennies, or even chocolate coins in gold foil.  If you don't have a chest, get a styrofoam cooler and paint it brown.  Streamers and balloons in the pirate fashion are also great and you can add to this pirate plates and cups.  If you have some old white sheets you can hang these to look like sails and you can try to find or make a steering wheel for a ship.  You can also hang skeletons around the room and dress them like pirates, with bandannas and an eye patch.

Food

Now what about the food?  You most certainly need to serve pirate food.  Serve cold cut meats, chicken legs, and fruit.  You can add other finger foods and party snacks and even if they are regular foods you can invent pirate names for them.  This alone will transform your food into pirate delicacies.  You will also find that anything slimy and detestable will work well for a pirate party.

Games

Finally, you need to plan some games and a treasure hunt is the most logical.  It is also an ideal game for both adults and kids.  You can have them hunt individually or divide them up into two teams and have them work as a team to find the buried treasure.  You can also play pin the eye patch on the pirate, which is another a great game for both adults and kids.  Get a pirate pinata and watch everyone go wild with the fun of it.  If you have kids you can fill it with candy and fun toys.  If you are having an adult party, then you can come up with something more appropriate as a pinata filler, such as eye patches and bandannas

Planning a theme party takes a little more work than a regular party, but it is worth it.  Your guests will love getting into the theme and they will truly have a blast.  It will be a part of their memories for many years to come and you will be the hero for planning such a great party.  In fact, you might want to watch out because your friends might just come knocking on your door to have you help them plan their next theme party.