Landon’s bedroom is a nautical theme. Some of his clothes are nautical-themed. So, when the birthday boy turned one, we threw a nautical birthday party.

nautical-theme-for-boysHere are some things I put together to celebrate my big man turning one with a nautical-themed birthday party. You can apply these tricks to almost any theme, including a bridal shower (but a nautical baby shower is super cute too)!

Nautical Themed Birthday Party Ideas

First, welcome people into your house with a sign that says, “Welcome Aboard” at the front door. A perfect way to do this is by creating an ocean backdrop and painting those words on an old fence, weathered wood of a fishing pier, wooden anchor, or front porch posts.

All you need to do is find creative ways to name a food that fits your theme and place it strategically on a party table to serve as focal points. Get ready to set sail with creative juices as I share some nautical party ideas.

For example, I bought Kool-Aid thinking it was blue. I was going to label it “Ocean Water.” Well, it came out red and turned into “Red Sea Water.” Chalkboard signs are great for displaying the party theme to party guests.

Also, when it comes to displaying things, put them into a themed shape – as I did with his cupcakes to make a boat anchor shape on the dessert table. As another example, I cut a pepper into an octopus (or crab depending on who you asked) and stuck it in the veggie dip. Turning food into nautical decorations is a fun, easy way to create edible party decorations.

nautical-party-cupcakes

Party planning tip: Don’t spend money on anything other than food and balloons. If you want to get some nautical party supplies, you can, but most of us have access to computers and printers… use them! For designing anything and everything on paper, I recommend Canva. It’s what I used to design Landon’s 1st birthday invitations!

When I created this nautical 1st birthday invitation, Canva didn’t have templates yet. Now they do, so it’s so much easier to create a stunning birthday party invitation. You can include shark fins, mini treasure chests, mini sailboats, and other such iconic details with a background in blue and white stripes.

For Landon’s invitation, we made it look like a boarding pass to jump aboard a cruise ship.

nautical-party-invites

Remember those food tips above? Well, here are a few in action. (Another one not pictured: I labeled the meat and cheese tray “Shark Bait.”)

If you don’t have a wooden sailboat to display, then turn a watermelon into a sailboat as I did. Another fun way to play up this theme is to make sailor party hats or paper boats.

I mixed goldfish with chips to call it “fish and chips” and called licorice “nautical rope”. Then, I just threw in some nautical words, like “seaweed dip”, and “chocolate-covered seashells”. Because life preservers are the same shape as lifesavers, that’s a perfect treat too!

watermelon-boat

fish-and-chips-for-a-party

nautical-theme-party-food

watermelon-boats

nautical-party-food-ideas


nautical-party-food
What kind of decorations are you creating for your nautical theme party? You can even have fun with birthday party favors for the memorable vent like putting gift bags together with different nautical accessories. Something that is fun for older kids is providing squirt guns or laser beams as if they’re pirates.

Find me on Instagram at @ChristinaAllDay and show me your party ideas!

  1. Lauren says:

    Oh my goodness! This party turned out ADORABLE!! Great job and I love all the details!

  2. I loved the “life Savers” so clever! And I am a sucker for a Swedish fish!

  3. Addie says:

    I absolutely LOVE themed parties, and this is such a great idea with the snack names to match the theme! The blue icing face picture is the cutest! ❀️

    href=”http://oldworldnew.us”>Old World New

  4. So cute! And I love that it looks really good but not overly complicated.

  5. Kate says:

    I always struggle trying to find the right thing for my son’s birthdays. This nautical party looks amazing. I agree when it comes to using computers and printers. We have been making our own invitations for years.

  6. melanie says:

    That party looks so adorable. And looks like it could be quite affordable too! I love the idea.

  7. What fun ideas for a nautical-themed party! I love all the little place cards in front of each special dish. And the cupcake layout in the shape of an anchor is so darn cute. You are so creative!

  8. Deanna says:

    This party is precious, what a lucky little guy! I love all the little details. So creative and fun!

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