Pirate Theme Party

It probably would be difficult to procure an authentic cannon for your pirate theme party, but it sure would make for a great prop. Caribbean pirates were very familiar with artillery. There were many naval battles during the 16th and 17th centuries, and these battles were fought out with large cannons. Cannons were a common sight on virtually all kinds of large vessels during that time. The advent of iron made cannons easy to produce and cheap to buy, and this led to a naval arms race of sorts that pitted pirates and profiteers against governments and the East India Trading Company. One invention for the cannon improved its reload time and accuracy significantly. It was the four wheeled truck. The cannon sat on top of the truck and was rolled into place before firing. The barrel of the cannon usually stuck out the side of the boat, so reloading it from that position was impossible without the use of the truck. After firing, the cannon was simply rolled back, loaded, and pushed back into position. Another type of cannon was the swivel cannon. These types were permanently mounted on the ship and allowed for deadly aim. Next up on pirate theme party …. the Guns!

Why not dig into a little history to get your next pirate birthday party idea.Long before there were any pirates, there were the Phoenicians. These were people who lived on a series of islands that spread out over an area that was thousands of miles long. They were the first known peoples to put into practice the art of ocean navigation. They used ingeniously designed vessels and were able to travel great distances. The most remarkable aspect about this civilization was that it existed about four thousand years ago! It is remarkable that a group of people so ancient could negotiate such a large swath of the Pacific Ocean! The technology used at that time was nothing like what we have available to us today. I am sure that any Phoenician would love to be able to use a sextant, mariners compass or a navigational chart. Today we use gyroscopic compasses, modern radar, the global positioning system, and loran. Loran, or Long Range Navigation, was developed around the period of World War II, and uses radio pulses between two separate stations to determine the position of any given ship. Make sure you have all the tools you need for your next pirate birthday party by checking out our ebook!

Ocean currents were not discovered until the sixteenth century. During that time, there was a man who served the government as a mail carrier. At some point, probably while distracted while he was thinking of a pirate party idea, he had an accident that left him disabled and unable to walk without much trouble. He wanted to continue to work for the government, but could not do it in the same capacity. Eventually, he agreed to work as a navigator of sorts for government ships. Fate had smiled upon him because he was going to contribute greatly to the science of oceanography. Once on board, he took an interest in oceanography. He started to notice that the first leg of trips from America to Europe were much shorter than trips from Europe to America. Perplexed, he took note of the matter. He started observing and noting the speed of the ship at different points of the trip, and came up with a series of charts. Meanwhile, a man by the name of Ben Franklin …… yes, THAT Ben Franklin, took notice of a conversation in a bar while contemplating his own pirate party idea. The men were quizzing each other as to why it was quicker to reach Europe than it was America. Franklin intently listened to this mystery as these men started discussing a notion that there was a river in the ocean! Franklin was a man of many skills, and an excellent scientist, so he decided to take this matter to task. With the help of the current charts that were made possible by the government navigator I spoke of earlier, Ben Franklin started to map out the Gulf Stream current. It was an astonishing discovery, and one of many contributions from the man. More on history and a pirate party idea to come.

Normally, you will host your pirate theme party at your home, regardless of its location, but wouldn’t it be nice to host a pirate theme party at an authentic pirate port of call? Pirates worked for no government and usually banded together at “friendly” locations. During the Golden Age of Piracy, those ports were usually located in the Caribbean. Today they constitute some major tourist havens, but some are politically unstable. Cuba forever changed its identity as a tourist location when Fidel Castro led a revolution and installed a communist government. Gone were the mafia run casinos and brothels. Haiti was a prime location for pirates during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but today it is so unstable that it is dangerous to simply exist. The United States had to pull out its embassy because American lives were in serious jeopardy. Pirate ports of call have existed virtually since the invention of long sailing ships. During the reign of the Roman Empire, many Cilician pirates roamed the waters. They operated right under the nose of the mightiest empire the world had ever seen. Cilician pirates had strongholds on the coasts of Liguria and Illyria because the Roman Empire did not patrol those waters. Now that would be a great location for a pirate theme party. By the time the Cilician pirates came on the scene, Rome’s navy was not as powerful as it once had been. They only patrolled the waters of the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas. In fact, the Romans regularly contracted out their shipping needs, giving a new meaning to the term “outsourcing.” During that time, ships were not outfitted like the classical pirate ships. Cannons had not been invented yet, and neither had guns, but they enjoyed success none the less. Who knows what riches they got their hands on!!!

Ahh, good ole King Neptune! I still remember the day when I became a shellback back in April of 1989. The Shellback Initiation Ceremony makes for a great pirate theme party idea. The tradition has lasted for centuries, and takes place onboard all U.S. Navy ships that cross the equator. Shellbacks are sailors who have previously been tested by the trials during a Shellback Initiation Ceremony. The other sailors, also known as slimy pollywogs, must endure a days worth of torture and humiliation. The pirate theme party includes the usual cast of characters, including scallywags like King Neptune and his trusted trident, Davey Jones, and the Pollywog Queen. During the ceremony, the ship even flies the famed Jolly Rogers skull and crossbones flag! Arrgggg. The Shellbacks all dress up as pirates and carry with them their famed “shellayle,” which is a piece of cut up fire hose used to discipline any slimy pollywog that has gotten out of line. The best part about the ceremony is that there is no concept of rank. Just like the pirates of old, the ship is run on a pure democracy. It doesn’t matter if you are brand new to the fleet or a salty dog of the seas, if you have never crossed the equator, you must undergo the rigor and horror of Shellback Initiation! The slimy pollywogs must pass through a gauntlet of shellbacks and make it out alive at the other end. For the entire day, the only way they can get around is on their hands and knees. Their clothes mark them as pollywogs and display whatever shellback owns the poor soul. The obstacle course is grueling, and includes tunnels of trash, a pool of dirty water, and even a stockade for the worst offenders. If properly navigated, the slimy pollywog is magically transformed into a trusted shellback, and becomes a member of the famed Sons of Neptune! This might be a bit rash for a run of the mill pirate theme party, but for those salty sailors out there, it is the law of the seven seas!

Back again Mateys! Trying to come up with a unique pirate party idea? What about a woman pirate. During the Golden Age of piracy, only two women were ever known to serve the flag of the Jolly Roger. One of those women was the notorious Ann Bonny. Bonny was the illegitimate daughter of her lawyer father, and the family maid. This caused quite a scandal back in the 1700’s, so the father, daughter, and maid all fled to South Carolina to start a new life. Apparently, Ann was not your typical southern belle. She was completely out of control, and caroused and shot weapons as well as any boy. She fell in love with a sailor and soon left for the Caribbean. Once there, she and her husband had a falling out, and Ann left with a well known pirate, Calico Jack. They sailed around pirating and looting as they saw fit. They were eventually captured by the British, but not before a fierce fight. It is said that while the majority of Calico Jacks crew remained below decks while the fighting ensued, Ann Bonny was on the top deck, giving out all she had to the British Navy. They were taken to Jamaica to be tried and executed, but Bonny escaped the hangman’s noose by claiming that she was pregnant. Looks like she was able to escape one last time! So the next time you need a pirate party idea, look no further than the character and escapades of Ann Bonny.

Ever since we as kids learned about pirates, we learned about treasure and what child is not excited about the idea of finding that treasure and fighting off the pirates. Then add to this that Disney has created 3 pirate movies based on their famous ride.

Based on research on the web the search from parents is on to find a Pirate Party Idea. You might think with all the movies about Pirates how hard can this be right? Well as a parent I can say that the more help on ideas and having a well laid out plan is better then trying to create things on my own. Your child will appreciate the effort and you as the parent will feel less stress and have more fun planning a party the right way.