What do pirates and donuts have in common? Apparently nothing this year. I came prepared to share that you, too, can enjoy donuts from Krispy Kreme if you talk and/or dress like a pirate on Tuesday, September 19, but unfortunately for this donut-loving mama, Krispy Kreme has decided not to participate this year.
But wait! If I can’t have donuts, I can still have fun on Talk Like A Pirate Day, and so can you!
If you’ve never heard of it, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a rather non-traditional holiday celebrated since 2002. It falls on September 19 and offers great opportunities to get your pirate fix. As an added bonus, if you plan to dress like a pirate, you can have readymade Halloween costumes done an entire month early!
Arrr, let’s talk pirates, shall we? Participating in Talk Like A Pirate Day can be as silly and simple as doing a few crafts, dressing up, and talking to your best mateys. You might even go on an expedition to find some booty, er, treasure with your family.
Here are my top recommendations for what to do this Talk Like A Pirate Day:
1. Get or make yourself a pirate costume to wear and get the whole family involved.
My husband laughs at me every year that I dress up as a pirate, but it’s fun. It gives me something creative to do, and I get to say “Arrr!” all day at random strangers. Who doesn’t like that?
I pieced my costume together over several years, but you can easily get or make a costume of your own. A black t-shirt with frayed edges does wonders at substituting for a pirate shirt. A pair of black or brown pants easily doubles as pirate britches, or you can wear a flowing skirt. I purchased my own skirt from Dress Like A Pirate, a website you can easily get lost in if you want to put together a pirate costume.
If you’re looking for pirate accessories, a surprisingly great place to find them is the Dollar Tree. They sell $1 packages of pirate accessories that hold 3-4 pirate items each. I purchased one with a pirate medallion, hoop earring, tiny dagger, and eye patch. Another fun option is to have the kids join you in making some great accessories. I recommend this DIY pirate hat, pirate hook, and sword projects as quick and easy projects. In fact, I used the pirate hook project to inspire the making of my own pirate hook!
2. Organize a pirate treasure hunt for the kids.
If you’re going to dress like a pirate, you need something fun to do, right? Pinterest is a wealth of activities for Talk Like A Pirate Day, but a simple and fun activity is a treasure hunt! Get the kids active and hide some great booty for them to hunt down.
How can you organize your treasure hunt? Draw a map of the house or backyard. We all know that X marks the spot. Hand it over and let the kids go crazy trying to find the special treasure. Or you can create clues to take your kids from one place to the next in the house. An example of a clue could be: “Avast! Ye’ll find yer next clue under yer spyglass!” Then grab or make a telescope (this tutorial is adorable) to hide in a room with the next clue beneath it.
3. Go to Pirate Story Time at the library!
The Cedar Bluff Branch library is hosting a Talk Like A Pirate Story Time event at 6pm for all you scallywags who want to hear great pirate tales. The library is going to have pirate themed crafts for kids as well, so grab the kids and go and hear some swashbuckling tales of daring.
4. Grab a bite of free food at Long John Silver’s.
Instead of mourning free donuts, you might consider sailing you and your hearties (that’s pirate for friends) over to Long John Silver’s on Tuesday. They’re giving out free deep-fried Twinkies for all patrons who speak like a pirate when they visit.
You do not have to dress like a pirate for this freebie, but if you’re already dressed up, it’s a fun reason to go out in costume.
So there you have it: four great ways to celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day this year. If you’d like some more fantastic activities, check out this link for a great list of ways to have fun with the whole family.
As an added bonus, if you’re already dressing like a pirate this year, check out the Tennessee Pirate Fest in Harriman. It takes place October 7-8 and looks like a great event for pirate enthusiasts and people who just love dressing up!
