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Planning a Medieval Castle Party
Excerpts from Budget Bashes: Children's Theme Parties on a Budget - The Ultimate Medeival Castle Party
The idea of this party is to have your guests dine in a medieval castle. The Lord and the Lady of the castle have gathered everyone together to assist them in locating a family heirloom past down from generation to generation. During the feast, one of the guests will discover a letter giving them the first clue to finding this royal treasure that was hidden in the castle over a century ago to protect it from invaders.
Don't be alarmed by the amount of information you see here - that's the best part about our party planners. Use all of our ideas or just a few. Take them one step at a time and you'll be amazed at how easy it really is!
MAP YOUR PARTY
Begin by drawing a map of your party area, whether that is the school gymnasium, playground, backyard, or an area inside your house. Imagine this area specifically as the grounds and interior of a medieval castle. It's important to be able to visualize the layout to give you an idea of how many props you have space for and make setting up your activity stations much more efficient on the day of the party. See the Activity/Games ideas below as you map your party.
Designate parts of your party area as parts of the castle. Once you have a layout, draw a map of the castle grounds on parchment paper. Large sheets of parchment paper can be expensive and are sometimes only sold in bulk. To make your own parchment, tea-stain heavy white paper. To do this crinkle then smooth the paper. Wrinkles in the paper create an antique look. Make some very strong tea using a cup of boiling water and 3 or 4 tea bags. Let the tea cool, brush it onto the paper, and let dry. Repeat the process on the back side. Draw a map of your castle with black or brown marker.
ARCHITECTURE OF A CASTLE
Medieval castles are fascinating structures unto themselves. The architecture is distinctive and impressive. If the landscape was flat, a castle was built on a man-made mountain called a motte. Tall, thick walls were constructed around the perimeter to protect the people from invaders. The walls had a walkway that ran along the top of it and was used by the guards to keep watch. Towers were built along the walls for strength, housing, and for the guards to keep watch. The walls and towers had small, keyhole windows just large enough to shoot arrows through for protection.
Outside the walls was a deep ditch called a moat that in many cases filled with water. A drawbridge built into the wall could be lowered across the moat to let visitors in and kept raised to keep intruders out. Between the walls and the castle was an open courtyard area called the bailey.
The keep is the strong central tower that forms the heart of the castle. It's three or four stories high with only one room per floor. Because it was the most protected part of the castle, it generally housed the main gathering/dining area, the sleeping quarters, and the kitchen area including food and a well for water. Initially keeps were square or rectangular structures, but eventually redesigned to be round to eliminate any blind corners, allowing those inside to see someone on the outside from all angles.
THE GUESTS
Each of the residents of a castle had a specific designation and job to perform. As each of your guests arrive at the feast, present them with a card that will identify their position. Print this nametag on the computer on card stock and tie with a long ribbon. These can also be personalized with their picture.
- Lords and Ladies: The lords and ladies were the most important people of the castle. They generally consisted of the royal family.
- Chaplain or Bishop: Provided the religious support and was responsible for the chapel.
- Knights: Soldiers responsible for defending the castle. The knights were protected with full suits of armor, swords, shields, and crossbows. Their horses displayed coat of arms and were padded for protection.
- Atilliator: Skilled castle workers who made crossbows.
- Butler: The butler was in charged of food and drink.
- Continued...
THE GREAT HALL
The great hall is the large room in the center of the castle where people gather for feasts and celebrations. This will be the primary setting for your party. As the guests enter the great hall, they will immediately see a grand table set for a king! The walls will be decorated with coat of arms banners, chandeliers will hang from the ceiling, torches will light the walls, and tapestries will decorate the walls.
- Table: Set out a very long dining table with several chairs or benches lining the sides and ends. Drape the table with royal blue or purple paper tablecloths (or choose your school colors). Cover the center length with a runner of fabric - we found a sheer white cloth that had purple stars printed on it.
- Goblet/Chalice: Set a goblet at each place setting. A goblet has a tall stem like a wineglass but is heftier in nature. These are an important part of your decor as they will add an authentic touch to your table setting. We found some blue and white goblets at a fabric store during the summer for only $1.00 each.
- Chandelier: Electricity did not exist in medieval times so chandeliers held candles instead. If you do not already have a chandelier hanging over your dining table, make a unique one of your own using tree branches. We explain how to do this in detail in our ebook.
- Continued...
A complete list of detailed ideas for a grand table setting, including centerpieces, favors, placesettings, and more, can be found in our ebook.
DECORATIONS
By mapping your party area, you are now better able to visualize each section of the castle. Following are several decoration ideas, many of which the kids can make themselves.
- Coat of Arms Banners: A Coat of Arms was a symbol used to identify family heraldry. These crests were displayed on clothing, large banners, and even to adorn the cloth draped over a horse. Banners can be created using fabric or large pieces of felt (approximately 18"x24"). We prefer the felt because it can be purchased in large stiff sheets in several different colors. Glue on scraps of a different color fabric to create a pattern. Let each child create their own family crest and hang them around the Great Hall by cutting two small slits in the tops and stringing them on a long ribbon.
 
- Crowns for Boys or Girls: Crowns can easily be cut from a strip of construction paper and stapled to form a circle. You may choose to make these ahead of time and place one at each place setting or let the guest make and decorate the crowns themselves. Or, Magic Cabin sells beautiful silk crowns for boys and girls ($14.95).
- Cloak: The type of fabric you choose to make cloaks is dependent on your budget. Purchase fabric at a fabric store or use an old sheet.
- A simple cloak can be made using a rectangular length of fabric (the fabric length will be dependent upon the height of the child) and slice a hole to slip the fabric over the head, leaving the majority of the fabric hanging down their back. The kids can use fabric paint to decorate it with their own crest.
- A similar cloak can be made by taking a rectangular length of fabric (the fabric length will be dependent upon the height of the child) and slicing a hole in the center to slip the fabric over the head, leaving equal amounts of fabric hanging down the front and back. Tie a ribbon around the waist to secure the fabric.
- Or, purchase a hooded cotton velour cloak from Magic Cabin. These are beautiful and a wonderful quality for both boys and girls. Choose from the Classic Cloaks
 or Royal Cloaks (both $34.95).
 
- Dagger/Sword: Make a child safe sword by cutting the shape out of a piece of cardboard. Cover the blade with gray felt and the handle with brown or black felt (glue in place). Add a gemstone (purchased at a craft store) as decoration or draw one on with a colorful marker or paint.
- Shield: To make a shield, purchase a small round wooden board from your local craft store. Paint it gray. Add gemstones or draw them on using a marker or paint. Add a unique name (Marc the Magnificent, Sean the Strategic, Colby the Courageous, Connor the Chivalric, Brian the Brave, Billy the Brilliant, Evan the Extraordinary, or George the Great). Hot glue on a wide strip of felt to the back to make a handle. Shields can also be made out of cardboard.
 
Or, purchase 12 On Guard! Cardboard Shields
 ($9.95 per dozen) and
12 Design Your Own! Card Stock Swords
($5.95 per dozen) from Oriental Trading.
- Loopholes: Loopholes are keyhole windows in the castle walls that allowed castle defenders to shoot arrows out the windows while still remaining protected within. Draw loophole windows on your "paper" stone walls using black paint or marker. Or, if your wall is real cinderblock, cut a keyhole shape out of black or navy construction paper and tape it to the wall.
- Mice: Castle were not free from mice. Hide toy mice in the Hidden Passageway (see below). The Magic Cabin sells Speedy Mice (set of 4 for $12.95) that can be used as prizes (see Activities).
- Torches: Torches were a source of light in medieval castles. They were hung along the walls and along dark passageways. Create your own torches simply by stuffing colored tissue paper (red, orange, and yellow) in the end of a brown paper towel roll. Secure to wall using a circle of duct tape attached to the back side.
For a complete list of over 35 detailed decoration ideas, most of which are homemade, please purchase the complete ebook through PayPal for only $5.99
SIGNS
Whether your party is inside or out, signs set around the party area help set the location and add to the imagination of the guests. We suggest hanging the signs beside the doorways if possible. Signs can be made like a coat of arms banner (see Decorations). Simply write the name of the room on the banner with a felt marker. Or, make signs using gray construction paper, poster board or foam core board in the shape of a coat of arms banner. Print with black lettering. Make a sign for each room and activity station so that the activities become self-explanatory. Following are a few sign suggestions:
- Castle Name - If your school or family name is Smith, your castle name will be the Smith Castle.
- Great Hall
- The Keep
- Kitchen
- Stables
- Chapel
- Contiued...
ACTIVITIES/GAMES
The idea of the party is to have your guests gather together at the castle for a royal celebration. Just after all of the guests have arrived the Lord or Lady announce that they have actually gathered everyone together to help them locate a royal heirloom that they now believe was hidden in the castle over a century ago. They inform the guests that they recently found a letter dating back 100 years taped to the underside of an antique dresser that has been in the family for six generations. The letter states:
To the Founder of this letter,
If you have found this letter, it is assumed that you are of royal blood and a descendent of the Williamson Family of the Corrie County, Scotland. In order to protect our family secret, I have hidden a family heirloom in this here castle. Follow these clues and they will lead you to our treasured possession as well as small treasures along the way. Throughout your quest, you will be asked to display intelligence, endurance, bravery, chivalry, and most of all loyalty.
Best of Luck,
Lord P. Williamson III of Scotland
Print each clue individually on parchment paper to make them easily identifiable. The first clue is taped to the fireplace mantel.
- Clue #1: Find the hidden way that leads you down; and small trinkets there will be all around. Have the guests locate the hidden passageway that leads down a set of stairs. Hide small gold coins (chocolate), candy, jewels, small toys, and the clue to the next location.
- Continued...
The complete scavenger hunt letters and clues which correspond to the activities can be found in our ebook - only $5.99.
As you can see the Clues would correspond to the activities you've planned. Following is a list and description of activities. Set up the activities ahead of time. The guests should be able to follow the clues and easily move from one station to the next with little help from the party host. By placing a handmade sig at each location, the activity becomes self-explanatory.
- Hidden Passageway I: Every castle has hidden passageways! Perhaps your passageway is through a doorway leading into a separate room or down the cellar stairs. Hide the doorway by hanging a large wall mural or tapestry. Line the passageway walls with homemade torches. Once they have found the passageway, have them follow it and find hidden treasures. Hide gold coins, jewels, a chalice (goblet), dragon eggs (plastic eggs filled with candy), Speedy Mice from the Magic Cabin (set of 4 for $12.95), and the clue to their next location.
- Lance Throw Competition: Hang a target (drawn on poster board) or a hula-hoop from a tree, on a fence, or a similar location. Set an age-appropriate distance line and have the kids take turns trying to hit the target by throwing the homemade lance.
- Continued...
The ebook contains instructions for more than 10 additional activities!
FACTS
Combining a party with any lesson plan is a great way to help kids understand and have fun with the material. This party provides a perfect opportunity for a history lesson. In addition, by printing signs with interesting facts and posting them in the corresponding locations around your party area you have just created another possible activity for the guests. Let the guests know that as they visit each area they should read the signs and learn something new about the Castles. Toward the end of the party, have a question and answer competition and hand out small prizes to those that paid attention. See the Facts Sheet included in our ebook. These should help get you started.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
As a host, it's important that you're able to socialize with your guests and enjoy the day rather than spend your time slaving away in the kitchen. But even more importantly you want to be able to watch the guests enjoy the party you have worked so hard to plan. Prepare food ahead of time! Even barbecue can be grilled an hour before guests arrive, placed in disposable foil containers, and kept warm in the oven.
In medieval times, the huntsmen of the castle hunted for food for everyone. For an authentic menu, consider serving chicken or turkey legs on large platters. Pair these with fresh fruits and vegetables. Following are some menu suggestions for you to choose from:
- Hunt of the Day: roasted chicken, turkey legs, stew, or soup
- Fresh fruits: apples, oranges, bananas, grapes
- Fresh vegetables: celery sticks, baby carrots, cucumber spears, and peppers (red, yellow, orange, and green)
- Continued...
CAKE
A party just wouldn't be complete without a themed cake. The easiest we've found is to make cupcakes and arrange them in a desired shape (shield, sword) on a large flat board. Different color frostings can be used to create decorations (jewels). A large foam-core poster board covered in aluminum foil makes the perfect size board. Cut it in half and lay them side by side to create one very long board. You've just created a cake that allows the children to serve themselves and you've eliminated the need for additional plates. By pairing this with ice cream cups, serving cake and ice cream has never been easier. Here are a few other ideas:
- Castle: Make a rectangle cake and place it on a board 4-6 inches wider than the cake. Also make 6 cupcakes using ice cream cones as the cupcake cups. Frost all with gray frosting. Place ice cream cone cupcakes at the 4 corners and two more along either side of the drawbridge, sticking half above the cake like towers. Use a graham cracker for the drawbridge and licorice for the drawbridge chains. Lay blue fruit roll-ups all along the cake board border to create the moat. Make flags by cutting triangles from fruit roll-ups and secure them to toothpicks. Stick the flags all along the outer edge of the cake, including the towers. Sugar cubes stacked and placed in the center of the cake make a tower keep.
- Continued...
INVITATION
Spark the interest of your party guests by sending a unique invitation. A formal scroll printed on parchment paper and tied with a ribbon makes the perfect invitation for a Medieval Castle party.
- A royal celebration is being held at the (name) Castle. Lord /Lady (name) requests the honor of your presence at (time) on (date).
- Continued...
THANK YOU NOTES
Thank you notes are always a nice gesture to send to parents and guests that have assisted with the planning and preparation or if you have thrown a Medieval Castle birthday party.
- Thank you notes can resemble the "scroll" theme. "Thank you for attending the celebratory feast at the (name) Castle. All guests demonstrated Intelligence, Endurance, Bravery, Chivalry, and most of all Loyalty."
- Continued...
SHOPPING LIST
The following shopping list should help you remember everything you'll need to prepare your party. Some of these items will be purchased while others you will already have around the house. Start saving those scrap fabrics and brown paper towel rolls for your props!
Props
Drawbridge: plywood or cardboard, rope, brown paint
Moat: large plastic trash bags (brown or green)
Chandelier: tree branches, paper, tissue paper (red, orange, and yellow)
Coat of Arms Banners: felt in various colors and sizes
Castle Banner: large piece of fabric
Flags: construction, wooden garden dowels, balloon sticks, or tree sticks for flags
Crowns: construction paper, wooden needlepoint rings, pipe cleaners, or cone-shaped party hats; tulle
Cloak: fabric, ribbon
Continued...
Table Setting
Tablecloths (blue, purple or choose school colors)
Fabric for runner & chair wraps
Goblet/Chalice (plastic)
Continued...
Main Meal
Roasted chicken, turkey legs, stew or soup
Fresh fruits, apples, oranges, bananas, grapes
Continued...
Beverages
Bottled water (with lemon or cucumber)
Ginger Ale
Dessert
Cake mix (eggs, oil)
Frosting
Food coloring
Continued...
Please keep in mind that all prices and retail suggestions are intended to be guidelines and are subject to change. Also, when planning your party content, facts, activities, and props we recommend you remember your audience and use discretion.
As you can see you do not need to spend a lot of money, you just need to imagine the possibilities. By putting your imagination to work, you can plan a successful Medieval Castle party too. Good luck and have fun. And remember...
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!
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SAMPLE FACTS SHEET
CASTLE ARCHITECTURE
Medieval castles were built as fortresses to protect the community of people that lived inside. At first, castles were made of earthwork and wood, but were later made of stone (12th Century). Castles were built as residences with both offensive and defensive military tactics in mind. Because of this, most castles shared the same basic characteristics...
The complete facts sheet on Castle Architecture can be found in the ebook.
Bibliography
- Castles of the World. 1995-2007, www.castles.org/architecture
- Castles-Castles. 2005, http://www.castles-castles.com/
- Wikipedia, 2007, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep
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Note: The scavenger hunt letter and people mentioned in the letter are intended to be fictional. Any reference to an actual person or place is strictly coincidental.
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