Pirate Party

Table of contents

Introduction

Ladies and Gents, fun lovin’ freebooters an’ scurvy bilge rats… It’s yet again time to let your hair down and throw your head back for the party of the year: the pirate party. Below you’ll find all the secrets of a successful pirate-themed party – one sure to impress the guests and make your name known across the seven seas. But first, a little background on piracy.

 

Pirates were indeed booze-drinking, fun lovin’ and often violent criminals, but what many may not know is that they were first and foremost individuals who craved freedom from the harsh treatments that were bestowed on sailors in the navy. It goes without saying that this was the original motivation for them to dissociate themselves from the military and therefore the government. Unfortunately they turned criminal in earnest soon after and became the romantic figures of old we know to have sailed during the Golden Age of Piracy, which lasted roughly between 1670 and 1730.

 

Yet piracy was indeed not a modern occupation for those with the gleam of gold in their eye and a hunger for treasure in their hearts. The most notable historic pirate nations of old included the Mediterranean pirates who eventually gave rise to the feared empire of the Barbary Corsairs. Others included the Vikings and the more mysterious buccaneers that sailed the coasts from India to Japan.

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Pirate Invitations

Pirate Medallion

Arr, here be pirates! And if you want to impress your friends and let them know that you are having the wildest pirate party of the year, then there's no better invitation than the Pirate Medallion. Now these can either be blank medallions that you have engraved with the suitable pirate decorations, or it could be pieces of eight with a chain through them to be worn around the neck. While some of these may be expensive, be sure to look for those that are more affordable as you will have to have them engraved with the party details afterward.

 

Once you have your medallions engraved, simply slip them into elegant boxes and get ready to deliver them to the friends you wish to invite.

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Black Spot

Now in case you didn't know, the black sport was originally given to pirates by pirates as a death threat. Luckily you won't be threatening anyone this time round, except maybe with a good party.

 

For this invitation you will need to get your hands on some cardboard/plastic/rubber discs and, if they aren't black, then some paint too. In addition, you will need to buy some glue and glitter or a skull and bones badge. Once you have all the items, you will first have to make the black spot. As said before, it could be made out of cardboard, plastic or rubber, but it is essential that it is black (hence the name, Black Spot).

 

Once you have your black spots, you will need to add the details of your party to the one side in an appropriate font. For those who aren't able to use a printer to do the job, use your best Old English handwriting style. Once that's done, you will need to add some decorations to the other side. Now, in our opinion, all it will take is some glue, a little artistic skill and some glitter as you will need to trace the figure of the skull and bones with the glue and then sprinkle it with glitter. For those who bought a skull and bones pendant or badge, you will simply need to adhere it to the front of your black spot.

 

And naturally, when the whole invitation is complete, you will only need to go and deliver it to the person you want to threa... er, invite to your party.

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Jolly Roger

While you could make these on your computer and print them out on your printer, it would just be so much cooler to get your hands on a Jolly Roger flag for each of the friends you wish to invite. These can be bought from all pirate merchandise retailers in your area or, failing that, from the Internet. Once you have your Jolly Roger flags, you will need to contact someone capable of either printing or embroidering on the flag. Again, if there's no one suitable in your area to do the job, simply have a look on the internet.

 

Now, before you take your flags to be embroidered or printed with the party details, you will need to ensure that you have all the information that your friends might need to successfully attend the event. Have a look above if you are not sure what they should be.

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Dress Code

We’ve all seen pictures of pirates and know that they generally wear the following items:

  • Cutlass

  • Pistols

  • Eye patches

  • Moustaches

  • Grizzly beards

  • Wooden leg

  • A hook that fits at the end of the handless arm

  • Very bad teeth

 

However these aspects of the outer appearance were generally attributed to men. When it came to female pirates, we have to look at their garb for that particular era. Now if you need some help, all you need to do is some research on some of the most famous female pirates: Anne Bony and Mary Reed.

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Pirate Decorations

The following decorations should help make your venue as authentic as possible to fit in with the theme. The items below you’ll be able to buy on the internet or at an appropriate retailer in your area.

  • Ship’s wheels

  • Cannons (tip: make them using paper mache and paint. Use wire for the frame)

  • Cannon balls (as above)

  • Jolly Rogers

  • Banners

  • Oceanic charts

  • Fake pirate pistols (mounted against the walls)

  • Fake cutlasses

 

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Pirate Guest Arrival & Announcement

To ensure your guests know who’s captain, have them walk the plank to enter the venue. To add some authenticity you can have someone dressed up as a minister ready with an oath which your guests must undertake, like having a good time.

Party Favors

Party favors are those items you use to thank your guests for coming, but also to ensure that they remember your party for days, weeks, months and possibly years to come. Below you will find a couple of our ideas, all of which you will be able to find at the appropriate retailer in your area or on the internet.

  • Key rings

  • Games

  • Charts

  • Medallions

  • Flags

  • Posters

  • Stationary

 

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Activities

Treasure Hunt

For this activity we would recommend you ask your parents for help. First off you will need to go and buy a suitable treasure. Once you have the treasure, consider making a treasure chest out of cardboard to hide the treasure in. Once the chest is finished and the treasure safely placed inside, it is time to employ your parents and ask them to hide the chest somewhere at the venue where not even you will know where to look. But, they will also have to make a couple of treasure maps, of which some are false, to point you and your fellow pirates in the right (or wrong) direction.

 

On the day of the party, split your friends up in groups and go hunting for that treasure!

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Pirate Battle!

There's no honor among thieves they say, and as pirates were the ultimate thieves, everyone had to watch his back. As such you and your fellow bloodthirsty buccaneers will have to split into two groups and appoint a captain for each group. In addition, you will have to ensure that your ammunition is up to scratch. These include water balloons, squirt guns or paintball guns (the latter only if you have sufficient protection) and possibly plastic cutlasses.

 

Now, it is important to note that the captain's orders have to be followed to the letter. Pirates are allowed to mutineer, but only if there is a majority vote. If there is not majority vote, then those who voted for the mutiny are out for the current round. This type of voting can be called at any time as a timeout. In addition, if the captain is usurped, then he or she gets marooned until the next round starts.

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Pirate Poker

Well, there's not much to say here except that you have to cheat (without being caught). Those who don't cheat or get caught will, unfortunately, have to walk the plank.

 

For different types of poker games, just have a look online or consult your nearest library.

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Pirate Film Marathon

When the day is spent and everyone is either wet, painted, cheated or rich (Treasure Hunt), it's time to kick back and relax with some of the best pirate movies around. The host or hostess will naturally have to procure those items that will help sustain the hungry pirates such as chips & dip, crackers, popcorn, etc. before the party.

 

Now just in case you are stuck for some pirate film titles, here are a few:

 

  • Treasure Island - You don't know anything about pirates until you've watched the film or read the book by Robert Louis Stevenson

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

  • Treasure Planet

  • Peter Pan

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Food & Drink

Do you know what’s the one type of food pirates wanted most of all? Fruit. And the reason for this is simple: Those who didn’t get enough fruit, got scurvy (a very horrible disease). But alright, since you can have fruit whenever you want, we suppose that it’s ok if you have some normal foods. Here are a couple of ideas:

  • Sandwiches

  • Pizzas

  • Burgers

  • Salads

  • Chips & Dip

  • Nuts

  • BBQ

 

Be sure to check on the internet for more recipes if you want any specialized foods. And as for drinks, why not get a couple of recipes for non-alcoholic drinks? Otherwise be sure to have some lemonade, punch, fruit juice, etc. at the ready.

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