Pirate Birthday Party

This year we had a pirate party for our son’s fifth birthday. Check out all of our pirate party details below. From the pirate harbor games to the pirate party treats, we had a blast celebrating our little pirate captain’s 5th birthday!

Ahoy Matey! Welcome to Redbud Harbor where friendly pirates gather to join the crew of the “Speedy Slug”, the vessel of Captain Connor Jack. Captain Connor is looking to assemble a crew of adventurous pirates to join him on his birthday treasure hunt. Treats and a good time arrr a guarantee!

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let’s party! ✨ jump to the pirate party supplies links

Pirate Birthday Party Theme

This year we were all about pirates! I have to tell you from designing and making the graphics to the giant cardboard games I loved putting together this party so much. Our son was truly amazed by every little detail and was overjoyed to play pretend pirates with his friends and family.

Pirate Party Costume

Before the party we took Captain Connor to the beach to do a little photo shoot in his pirate costume. I like to create photos we can use at the party. He really got into character. I LOVE how these photo turned out so much that I am framing them and hanging them up in my house year around.

Pirate Birthday Party Invitations

A call to join the treasure hunt was made to the prospective pirates via a treasure map in a bottle. 

I designed the invitation and then printed it on parchment paper to look old. We burned the edges to give it a rough pirate look like it had been through a journey before it reached the pirate guest.

I rolled up the invitations and wrapped them with a piece of pirate themed washi tape to hold them tight. Then I wrapped a piece of twine around our message and placed it in a plastic bottle filled with sand and seashells. 

We packaged the invitation in the bottle along with a few pirate staples in a small cardboard box filled with blue crinkle paper to represent the waves of the ocean. 

I printed the party logo I designed on kraft stickers and we burned the edges and put them on the inside lid of the box above the invitation. 

After the boxes were assembled they were sent off on the long journey to be delivered to the pirates.

Pirate Party Cake

The ship’s cook (Brent) whipped up this two-tired vanilla cake with ombre blue icing for the Captain’s birthday. 

The cake is sitting on a cake stand I already have on our coffee bar that fit the theme perfectly. I stained a small crate to place the cake stand on to tie in with the theme.

On top of the cake is a customized Captain Connor pirate ship wood cake topper as well a fun, big, bright number 5 candle. 

Pirate Party Desserts

Once the pirates make it through the harbor games they are rewarded with sweet treats aboard the Speedy Slug.

I love using our coffee bar for the dessert table and the giant chalkboard above it for parties. I designed these graphics, including the party logo, on the computer and then traced them in chalk onto the large chalkboard.

Connor had a lot of fun helping me make (and eat) these “walk the plank” jello desserts with gummy sharks at the bottom and a graham cracker on top.

I found these fun boat shaped plastic cups that really sell the look of the walking the plank. 

For the chocolate loving pirates we made chocolate cupcakes in these cool black baking cups topped with pirate flag picks. 

Before pirates disembarked the Speedy Slug they filled their loot bags with gold, pearls, and jewelry. 

White Sixlets made for perfect pretend pearls. I bagged some up in cellophane bags and displayed them in a clam bowl. 

Chocolate covered cake balls made for the perfect mini cannonballs. 

Our old pal pirate Pete was in charge of holding the giant 5 balloon and guarding the treasure. 

Real pineapples and coconuts make for cheap and fun decor. Plus, a sweet treat later!

Our coffee bar fit with a pirate party theme perfectly. All I had to do was throw on a fishing net and add some starfish and it felt like you were eating on a pirate ship! 

Pirate Party Food and Drink

Grab ye some grub and a drink at our pirate snack table!

For our pirate punch I filled our plastic drink dispenser with Hawaiian Punch Polar blast. That is it. I meant to make a punch using it but my kid doesn’t like soda so he enjoyed just how it was so it worked out.

The kids really enjoyed drinking out of the plastic gold rimmed goblets. They really go into character drinking from them. 

Another hit with the kids and adult pirates were these fruit kabobs with the plastic sword food picks. 

I framed Captain Connor’s pirate photo I took the week before and used it as decor on the snack table along with his spyglass, some recycled bottles holding candles, and some more shells and starfish. 

Above the snack table we hung a friendly jolly roger flag along with a pirate themed balloon arch. 

Pirate Party Games

Welcome to Redbud Harbor! Home of the famous Captain Connor Jack! 

I made a sign for our pretend harbor town welcoming guests when they walked into the party. 

Okay, I had this over the top idea to create a fictional harbor where all our pirate guests could gather to play games before boarding the “Speedy Slug”.

Brent built the entire thing for me out of cardboard boxes. He is truly the best at bringing my vision to life. These buildings were MASSIVE. Our son was so surprised when he saw them as were all the guests. 

When guests first walked into our living room there was a podium for them to find their pirate name using the “What’s Your Pirate Name?” poster I made.

I also designed the corresponding name badges and printed them on Kraft name badges. Guests had a lot of fun figuring out their pirate name and then going around and laughing at everyone’s silly names on their badges. 

Looks like an old seagull made a nest between two of the buildings in our harbor! 

No pirate would look the parrrt without getting some arrrt. Well, that’s the slogan for Tilly’s Temporary Tattoo shop anyway.

Brent built this building out of cardboard and we wrapped it with stick on brick wallpaper. I made the shop sign and Brent made and painted the cardboard shutters. 

I designed the temporary tattoos and printed them on temporary tattoo paper and displayed the options on a cork board.

Designing the tattoos was one of my favorite things I made. Guests had fun and a good laugh picking out their tattoos and applying them. 

Our next building is Harvey’s Hooks. Harvey sells hooks (because you never know when you are going to need one) but you gotta earn it by hooking a ring onto one.

Brent built this building to look like it is on stilts and we wrapped it with weathered wood stick on wallpaper. I made the sign. 

We glued three plastic hooks to the cardboard back and guests used diving rings (I got on clearance after Summer) to toss at the hooks.

Finally, pirates practiced their cannonball shooting skills at the Tip-A-Ship (a similar fashion game to Down-A-Clown).

Brent built this massive building out of cardboard and we covered it with another weathered wood stick on wall paper. I also made this sign. 

Brent made this whole game and I am super impressed. It worked perfectly and was a lot of fun to play. 

The cannonballs are Styrofoam balls wrapped with black balloons. 

When a ship is hit it tips down revealing a skull and crossbones symbol. Knock all six ships down and you win!

As another decor piece for our pirate party, I made a community board for our Redbud Harbor. On it was a poster for calling for crew members to join the Speedy Slug, a Lost Parrot poster, a coupon to the local tattoo shop, and some artwork from local residents. 

Pirate Party Photo Booth

For our “Speedy Slug” pirate ship photo booth, Brent made the ship out of cardboard and we covered it with wood stick on wall paper. 

We used a brown pool noodle for the mast and tacked an old table cloth we had as the sail. 

Guests are encouraged to dress up with the theme of our son’s pretend play parties. My parents always go full over the top costume which is a lot of fun. 

If you are throwing a pirate birthday party soon, I hope our party could provide you inspiration!

✨ Party Time ✨

The party ended with a treasure hunt to find his present, a new bike. Our pirate party for 5 year old Captain Connor was one of my favorite parties we have thrown. I think because he was pretty involved in a lot of the ideas!

It was an eventful and fun day!