'Ahoy, there!' If you are planning to organise a fancy-dress party then 'pirates' would be a really good theme.
Just imagine the hilarity of a room full of your friends and family members all dressed up as Long John Silver, Black Bart, Captain Jack Sparrow and the like.
The whole scene would be so much fun right from the beginning that you can guarantee that it will go down a storm.
There is probably a part of everyone, if they are honest, that loves pirates.
There is such wonderful imagery surrounding the whole thing; the adventure, the romance and, of course, the epic battles with swords and muskets.
Clothing certainly won't be a problem.
Pirates wore quite a variety of garments and with a little imagination and minimal outlay you can soon look like a true blue-blooded buccaneer! Think of simple articles like eye patches, bandanas and wide leather belts.
A stripey black and white top wouldn't be out of place; maybe it could be worn with some old black jeans.
If it's an 'adult pirates party' then (yo, ho, ho and) a bottle of rum would be a fitting drink for your guests.
Perhaps you could make some cocktails as well.
You could easily come up with some appropriate names for them such as 'a shot across the bows' or 'shiver me timbers'.
You can see how much fun this could all be! Some 'pirates' games are another possibility.
You could soon devise some original ideas or you could adapt some traditional ones so that they have a 'pirates' feel to them...
Maybe you could have such attractions as duelling with water pistols or a treasure trail game.
Musical chairs with 'pirates' music could be interesting, especially if you happen to know someone who can play the accordion! But don't worry, there are plenty of 'sea shanty' cd's available.
Even if you decide against musical chairs then proper pirate's music would be a must to have in the background.
Depending on how far you want to go with this party and how large an event you are planning on it being, there are all sorts of others things that you could do to add authenticity to the occasion.
If you have your party during the months leading up to Christmas then you should be able to get hold of some chocolate gold coins.
If you have an old storage box that looks a bit like a pirates treasure chest then put that in the room being used.
Perhaps you can get hold of some sea-shells and bits of old netting to decorate the room.
The long and the short of it is that if you use a little bit of imagination then there are all sorts of things that you can do to make your venue look really good and your party a lot of fun.
If you get it right then your guests will absolutely love it.
Who knows, you might get such a kick out of doing it that you end up organising a 'cowboys' party in a few more weeks!