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Buried Treasure Pirate Birthday Party

Buried treasure pirate party
Pirate party theme kit, available at Buycostumes

Ahoy, matey! Organizing a buried treasure pirate birthday party? Climb aboard…we have ideas galore to make your party a swashbuckling success.

A pirate theme party is great for a child’s birthday or even your own. Or celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day in September. A pirate party fits every occasion and gets guests laughing, singing…and playing along.

Gather Your Booty…in One Easy Step

Since pirate parties have grown immensely popular in recent years (due to movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and the relatively new Talk Like a Pirate Day on Sept. 19), you’ll have no trouble at all organizing your pirate party stash.

Get it all together with a specially-compiled pirate party kit. This should include dinnerware (paper plates, cups and plastic cutlery), decorations and for children, party favors. Invitations are often part of the package too, making your job even easier.

You can also focus on one color theme—say, red for “good guy” jackets and gold for the buttons—and purchase dinnerware based on this for a festive and put-together look.

Looking for Treasure

Pirate movies and stories often revolve around finding hidden treasure, so have your party fun revolve around this theme.

  • Send a treasure map-style paper along with the invitation showing where your home is located to create a pirate mood in advance. (Just make sure the directions are accurate for this and not written in obscure pirate-speak; you don’t want anyone getting lost en route to the festivities.)
  • Bake a cake with coins inside as “buried treasure.” (For older kids, as this could be a choking hazard.) – Simply bake a cake like usual. Wash several coins, and wrap them in wax paper. Then cut small slits into the cake and place the coins within – If you know how the plunder … err, cake, will be divided, try to place the coins evenly spaced so all guests will find a coin. Then cover with icing to hide the cuts. Voila!
  • Have guests find goody bags based on a treasure map that’s written in code (for example, “This be the room for resting the booty” for the bathroom). The “X” marks the spot where the goody bags are hidden.
  • Ask each guest to think up a phrase, such as BURIED TREASURE LIES HERE or AVAST YE, MATEY, and write it on a piece of paper. Draw one paper from a hat (a pirate hat, naturally!) and pin it up where the guests can see it. Set a timer for 60 seconds and have guests come up with the most word combinations they can in that time. (This often turns out rather humorous, particularly at grown-up parties.)
  • Serve “treasure”-themed foods. For instance, candy necklaces make fabulous “gold and jewels”, particularly for a children’s party. For added effect, place them in a partially-cooled flavored gelatin mold, then cool the gelatin the rest of the way. Have guests dig up their treasure with a spoon…and eat the loot!

A Perfect Pirate Costume

Everyone loves a costume party. Buy or put together a pirate costume, complete with eye patch and hat, for your little one’s big day (or dress up yourself as Captain Jack Sparrow, Bluebeard, the notorious Anne Bonny, a naval officer or bawdy wench if you’re hosting a party for adults).

Among the toddler and elementary school set, “playing pirates” is so much fun, you’ll get plenty of use out of the costume as your youngster asks to try on his “pirate gear” throughout the year at playtime. This is one purchase that will pay for itself over and over.

If you’d like guests to come in costume, write “Feel free to dress up like your favorite pirate, matey!” on the invitations so guests know in advance that they’re welcome to dress up. Chances are, one of your child’s friends will want to duplicate the fun…and your little one will be all set with a costume of his or her very own.