Set sail this birthday on the wild seven seas! These creative pirate party ideas – including invitations, decorations, recipes, and more – will have all your guests feeling like they’re at sea!

Best for

Boys aged five through ten just love this pirate-themed party.

Party Planning

For peace of mind, begin planning your bash six to eight weeks in advance. This will allow you time to gather all the supplies that you need, including decorations, gifts, and menu items. Planning ahead also gives your guests time to RSVP and make travel plans, if needed. Don't panic if you find yourself short on time; you can still plan a great party! Planning ahead simply reduces the risk of conflicts with guests' plans and may increase your party’s attendance.

For invitations, use black card stock or construction paper folded in half, and decorate it with pirate picture cutouts or pirate stickers. You can also use our easy, printable party invitations. Or, if you’re short on time, purchase personalized or pre-printed pirate party invitations online. We recommend mailing your invitations three to four weeks prior to the party—any sooner and your guests may forget, any later and your guests may already have plans.

To simplify the rest of the party planning process, check out our Party Planning Timeline, take a look at our When & Where to Have the Party page, and read the paragraphs below for information on selecting decorations, supplies, activities, and more for your child's party.

What You’ll Need

If you plan to use paper tableware and themed party supplies, our Suggested Party Supply List may be quite helpful. Please note that you may not need everything on the list; it is intended only as a guide.

For this party, think black and yello (with some ocean blue mixed in) as your main color scheme. Simple balloons and black and yellow streamers work perfectly. For goodie bags, purchase pirate stickers, toy swords, skull-themed balloons and bubbles, and assorted pirate-themed candies. Place all of these items inside clear or printed cellophane bags, and tie the bags closed with pirate-colored ribbons.