Pirate Decorating Ideas

Ahoy maties! Add another dimension to your nautical decor by hosting a pirate themed party.  Just use nautical decorations plus a few symbols of the notorious seafaring buccaneers of the 18th and 19th century. 

The iconic Jolly Roger flag along with ships, parrots, treasure chests, booty & loot, such as gold coins and sparkling gems, transform a nautical event to a swashbuckling affair.

Whether for a birthday, banquet, or in honor of International Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19th), take a gander at some suggestions for decking out your party area in elevated pirate fashion.

Pirate Party Colors

Front Entrance & Foyer

• Create a dark & foreboding entrance to your pirate's lair:
• Line the entrance walkway with skulls on stakes alternating with tiki torches
• Paint the name of your event or location in black paint on weathered wood, such as "Pirate's Cove", "Davy Jones' Locker", or "The Crow's Nest"
• Raise a Jolly Roger skull & crossbones flag or use a string of Jolly Roger pennants
• Stand one or more tombstone props in the front yard illuminated by a lantern or flameless tealight candle
• Flank the front door with a pair of life preservers with terms like "Landlubbers Beware!" and "Avast ye Scallywags!". Or, take a less sinister approach with "Ahoy Me Hearties!" and "Sail Ho!". Use the back (blank) side of "Welcome Aboard" Life Preservers to write your warnings/greetings or add "Un-" to the front to read "Un-Welcome Aboard".
• In the foyer, think 18th century wharf or tavern:

• Use green, yellow or blue colored light bulbs to create an eerie effect
• Arrange wood cargo crates, fisherman nets, and barrels as props
• Stand a barrel or drape a table with burlap and include 
• A guestbook and feather pen
• A pillar or taper candle on a large candlestick or candelabrum with dripping wax
• A pirate treasure map
• Stacks of plastic gold coins
• Lay down a walkway of weathered wood planks
• Make your own pier pilings, click here
• Scatter hay or straw (sparingly) on the floor and walkway
• Bubble dry ice to create an ominous fog; drop in a glow stick for added effect 

Party Area

• Continue the 18th century ambiance in the party area with period artifacts and nautical items. Some ideas for inspiration include:
• Captain's wheel
• Anchors
• Swords
• Noose
• Skeletons & bones
• Jolly Roger flags
• Cobwebs
• Wood signs
• Alligators
• Muskets/Pistols
• Rats
• Conch shells
• Monkey fist knots
• Skulls
• Casks & barrels
• Parrots & exotic birds
• Hurricane lanterns
• Tombstones
• Rum "XX" bottles
• Glass buoys
• Candlesticks
• Sails & rigging
• Telescopes
• Wooden buckets
• Rope
• Fishermen nets
• Tankards
• Chains
• Wood crates
• Spittoons
• Palm trees
• Burlap sacks
• Treasure map
• Rope railings
• Wood trunks/chests
• Voodoo/tiki gods
• Nautical charts
• Then mix in some booty! Some ideas of treasures to fill a chest and scatter about include:
• Gold/silver bars
• Candelabras
• Gold doubloons/coins
• Jewels & gems
• Rings
• Tiaras
• Goblets
• Silver pieces
• Diamonds
• Money bags
• Crowns
• Brooches
• Ornate picture frames
• Gold beads
• Pearl necklaces
• Bejeweled sword
• Bracelets & bangles

• Make cheap and everyday items worth a fortune overnight: 
• Use gold and/or silver spray paint:
• On blocks of sanded wood to make gold/silver bars
• On plastic plates, bowls, trays & goblets (for decoration only)
• Hot glue plastic jewels to swords and goblets
• Construct a macabre vignette featuring a skeleton in a pirate ship's brig (iron cage jail): 

• Lay down black poster board for the bottom of the jail
• Position a skeleton on the poster board
• Add a bandana or hat, eye patch, tin plate, chain, cobwebs and rats
• Optionally, give your skeleton a hook hand and/or wooden peg-leg
• Attach evenly spaced strips of black crepe paper from the floor to the ceiling for the iron bars or construct your own jail with PVC pipe & wood, here's how
• Or, instead of an iron jail, place a sword through the rib cage of the skeleton
• Replace the tin plate with an empty rum bottle (Chianti wine bottles wrapped with straw work well)
• Place 1 plastic gold coin next to his hand
• Alternately, hang the skeleton with a noose
• Decorate the ceiling and transform the room; here are some suggestions:
• Droop ivory or white sheets end-to-end to resemble ship sails
• Suspend nautical or hurricane candle holder lanterns
• Crisscross Jolly Roger and/or theme-color pennants
• String up large-link plastic chains 
• Hang tattered ivory or white muslin, sheets or cloth
• Hoist Jolly Roger skull & crossbones flags 
• Dangle round paper lanterns in black & yellow-gold or red at varying heights
• Affix ceiling swirls in black & yellow-gold or red

• Drape the walls with fishermen nets overlaid with Buoy Float String Lights and/or glass buoys; use burlap, muslin and/or gray & brown fabrics to cover more wall space
• Include blue and/or green LED floral accent lights in vases and arrangements to add a creepy oceanic glow
• For the birds, incorporate the ubiquitous parrot, then add pelicans, sea gulls and/or other exotic tropical species
• Make party signs with pirate slang and jargon; for a collection of pirate terms, click here

Dinner & Serving Tables

For dinner parties and/or serving areas, create a mini swashbuckler scene centerpiece or transform the table into a pirate ship.

X Marks The Spot

• Start with fishermen nets over a white tablecloth
• Place a round sand-colored placemat at one end of the centerpiece area to build an island
• To create ocean waves, lay 14 blue silk flower leis down the center and around the edges of the round island placemat

• To build the island:

• Center a shallow round glass dish on the island placemat 
• Fill the dish with sand
• Optionally, use a riser to create a hill using less sand
• Add a palm tree, like a palm tree votive candle holder or palm tree balloon weight
• Cut and color a red "X" and place on the sand island
• Optionally, add a Jolly Roger toothpick flag near the red "X" on the sand island

• Position 2 mounted wood pirate ships in the ocean blue waves/leis; the waves/leis should hide the mount so the ships appear to be on the water.
• Add plastic pirate treasure maps as placemats for each guest
• Roll black or blue napkins (to match the leis), then loop gold party bead necklaces around each napkin several times to create a napkin ring and party favor
• For placecard holders, use a captain's wheel or treasure chest with each guests' name printed on parchment style paper
• For lighting, use low profile votive candle holders, like yellow hurricane-style mini lantern candle holders

Weigh Anchor

• Build a pirate ship mast and sail for dinner and/or serving tables. You will need:
• 1-3/8-in x 8-ft round dowel (1)
• 3/4-in x 48-in round dowel (2)
• 3/4-in x 36-in round dowel (1)
• 1/4-in twisted sisal rope
• Small, long nails (3)
• 2 yards of muslin, fabric or drop cloth
• Jolly Roger flag
• 1 plastic black bucket
• Tools: drill, hammer
• Here is an excellent detailed DIY tutorial for building a pirate ship mast: www.momendeavors.com.
• Optionally, stencil skull & crossbones and/or swords to the sail and bucket.

The Cut Of Your Jib

• Convert your serving table into a pirate ship with a:
• Triangle jib from striped or black cloth
• Jolly Roger pennants
• Wooden dowels 
• Rope and/or twine

• Serving suggestions from PartySwizzle.com:

• Place Shiny Gold Coins in the center of each dinner plate or charger; it also makes great table scatter if you have serving areas to spruce up
• Serve appetizers on imposing Skull & Crossbones Serving Trays
• Use gruesome serving utensils like a set of 4 Assorted Bloodshot Eyeball Handle Spreaders for dips and spreads
• Hoist Jolly Roger Pirate Flag Toothpicks in hors d' oeuvres and garnishes
• Enhance the experience with blue & red hurricane lanterns or Admiralty anchors salt & pepper shakers
• Insert mini skeleton hands reaching up from appetizers and cupcakes

Bar/Back Porch

• Serve up your spirits in a memorable way by creating your own makeshift bar. Throw a door or wooden planks over 2 barrels to make a rustic vignette for the carousers
• Hang a large Jolly Roger skull & crossbones flag behind the bar
• Add some whimsy to the bar scene with a swarthy pirate made out of coconuts, along with a colorfu parrot
• Fill a small tabletop chest or wood box with plastic gold coins, pearl necklaces, over-sized diamonds and gold beads
• Use Skull & Cross Swords or other pirate-themed beverage napkins to serve the buccaneers 

• Light it up with Davy Jones' hand reaching up from his watery grave, using a Ghoulish Green Hand Votive Candle Holder
• String Hurricane Lantern party lights along the edge of the bartop
• Skewer drink garnishes with Multi-Colored Sword Picks

Guest Bathroom

• Arrange tabletop decorations for a mini pirate scene in the bathroom with a wood pirate ship, tombstones, small treasure chest and scatter gems, skull, carved balsa wood parrot or coconut pirate
• Shaped soaps like treasure chests, seashells, palm trees and alligators are always a big hit with the deck hands
• Add nautical themed hand towels featuring captain’s wheel and anchor designs for a notable detail
• Sprinkle pirate themed confetti on the counter top

Pirate-Themed Wearables & Accessories

Invite your guests to attend in costume, but if the bounty’s been good lately, christen the crew with a few choice themed wearable decorations to set the tone for swash-buckling fun. Some suggestions include:

• Eye-patches
• Bandanas
• Hand hooks
• Pirate hats
• Large gold earrings
• Skull & bones party beads
• Parrots
• Pearl and gold party bead necklaces
• Add-on mustaches and beards
• Toy swords &  pistols
• Tattered sashes
• Belt
• Vest
• Boots
• Tattoos
• Dreadlocks & beaded braid

Hopefully we have your decorating juices flowing...check out food & drink ideas for more creative ways to make your pirate themed party memorable.