Caribbean Pirate Theme Party Ideas

The general popularity of pirates has risen since the release of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie trilogy. Pirates have also been a long-standing favorite for children. To celebrate a child's birthday, implement some of these Caribbean pirate theme ideas. Many of these ideas can also be used for adult pirate parties.

Decorate with a tropical pirate theme. Tropical and pirate themes go hand in hand, and it only takes a few things to separate the two. For the pirate theme, decorate with a lot of ocean and jungle décor to represent the pirate's life. Other pirate decorations include the famous "Jolly Roger" symbol, parrots, and weaponry, like swords.

A pirate's main objective is to hunt for buried treasure, so use up a lot of the party time by implementing a treasure hunt. Before the party begins, set-up a buried treasure in your house or backyard. Then use flash cards or pieces of paper to create clues. The best clues to use are clues that feature riddles or picture clues. For example you can give the clue for a bath by placing a picture of a bee, anvil, tiger and a heart together. Place these clues at all of the locations and remember to keep them age appropriate for the party guests; nothing too challenging and nothing too easy.

Full-fledged pirate costumes could end up costing hundreds of dollars, but easy pirate costumes can be made for only a few bucks. Purchase a package of eye patches and a pack of multi-colored bandannas. Have the children wear the eye patches and bandannas and add things like tattoos and scars using eye-liner.

A treasure chest birthday cake is sure to be a hit; otherwise choose from parrots, ships or a treasure map to decorate the cake. FamilyFun.com published an excellent treasure chest cake creation (see Resources). The cake is made by baking a standard 13- by 9-inch rectangle cake that is cut into four pieces to form the chest. Red fruit roll-ups are added for the stripes of the cake, along with small round candies.

In addition to the scavenger hunt, play other pirate-themed games. Some examples include "Pin the Eye Patch on the Pirate" and "Bobbing for (Gold) Apples. Older party attendees can play the "Pirates of the Caribbean" edition of the board/DVD game Scene It.

Send children home with a pirate-themed goodie bag. Include chocolate gold coins, temporary tattoos, and an extra eye patch or bandanna. Party supply stores generally have a whole section dedicated to pirates.