- 1). Sketch out on paper your ideas for your pirate parade float. Make sure the final ideas you select can actually be accomplished with the time, materials and manpower you have available. For example, if costumes are needed it will probably be best to either rent them or to adapt existing clothes to make them look like pirate outfits.
- 2). Gather a quantity of cheap or recycled wood. Use it to construct a “ship” for your pirates on top of the trailer. If the trailer will be too small for this, construct a small bridge instead. Include railings on the side, as well as brass fittings. Make sure that you don't overload the trailer.
- 3). Add any pirate-like props that you can think of or have at hand, such as wooden buckets and mops for swabbing deck or swords and knives (fake ones). Don't forget to buy fake beards and long wigs for the crew.
- 4). Create papier-mâché canons for your pirate vessel, building the papier-mâché up around large cardboard tubes. Then paint them with black enamel. Mount them under the railings. As a final touch, add a wooden ships wheel behind which your pirate captain can stand.
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