Pirate Invasion of Belmont Pier

What a great event! I love the pirate community they have going– that really adds a nice touch. Lots of shopping– if you’re looking for pirate wear, this is a great time to shop for corsets, gowns, and fancy pirate hats. Lots for men too, including some unique weaponry.
Very kid friendly– lots for them to see and do! There is a kiddie area with lots of jump houses Etc. Mermaids and even Peter Pan characters are adorable.
I would definitely suggest bringing plenty of sunscreen and make sure ye pirate shoes are comfortable, matey!
Arrive early for parking unless you want to wait in a loooong caravan and hope for a spot. We are around 10 and it was getting tight. By the time we left (around 3:30) there were no parking places and the line of hovering cars was endless.
The pirate battle on the beach is so fun! Again, get a spot close to the pier gate (north side beach) so you can see well. Also don’t be quick to leave the moment the battle is over– if you hang for a bit, they will start firing cannons and a few things like that. Loved all if this!!!
I’m posting a pic of the event schedule (they hand them out in the am’s on the pier) but I believe the battle was around 2 pm. Belly dancing is at 7 pm. Live bands go on throughout the event and food is ready around 11 am.

We had a great time at the Pirate Invasion. Lots of great cosplay, vendors, music and more. The invasion takes place on Belmont Pier. You will find the food vendors near the second half of the pier. There are more vendors in the sand adjacent to the parking lot. Also most of the local merchants in the area get in the spirit of the event and offer «pirate» specials too. The invasion is free. Get there early for best parking. Recommend.

It’s a free event so I wasn’t expecting much from this event and I’m right. Firstly, there was no sign and no one there to direct us where to park. I just blindly follow the car in front of me to get to the car park. I’m sure first-​timer like myself would like to have some guidance on the parking.
Saw the same people dressing up at Renaissance fair. Was wondering if the tents at the beach was there for display or it was there for some purpose? The whole area look so quiet and nothing seems to be going on. The staff who was dressed up wasn’t friendly at all.
Stalls sell expensive costumes and accessories. If price is more reasonable, I’m sure people like us don’t mind paying be a little more to shop. A nice pirate hat and costume cost over a hundred easily.
It’s good to be there at least once but I doubt I’m coming back again next year. Nothing amazes me.

This event is great! If you have never attended you must at least once. It is so much fun. Spending time with friends and drinking rum all weekend on the beach. Can you think of anything better, lol … I have friends in different encampments which makes it much more worth it. We have fire dancing girls, belly dancing girls and so much more. There are also vendors and food everywhere! It is definitely a experience and a must do at least once. If anyone is ever interested here is a link to my meet-​up group where we do a variety of events.

Arrrrrrgh, the kids had a blast!!!
I am not sure if I would come to this event if I didn’t have children with us, though it seems it is much more for adults than anyone else. The majority of people that attend this event come in full pirate attire, and certainly act the part. The kids thought it was amazing, and for myself it was fun but at the same time odd (They really really get into the parts).
Pirates & Mermaids alike provided doubloons, gems, and plenty of other pirate booty. The kids area was pretty much made up of a variety of jumpers and air inflated entertainment which all cost money. There was a band on the end of the pier, and also one down in the «Treasure Island» area, which the kids had fun listening to while they played with all the hoola hoops that were out for anyone to use. Tons of vendors which sold pirate/​mermaid themed items, food, and plenty of booze was there to be had by all.
The kids had a great time, but as an adult I would probably have to pass on this event again. I would possibly check it out if I went with a group of adults, and enjoyed the adult beverages and was just able to just people watch.

Maybe some of the complainers on here are a reflection of a sort of Disneyland expectation. If you go, approach it with low expectations and then you’ll be impressed. It’s a FREE event, don’t pay for packages and such– I think the fact that it is free communicates just how structured and organized it is.
That being said, I loved it! I was pretty blown away by the size, as I expected just a few tents. The entire pier had stands with food, shopping, etc. If you don’t have a costume and feel the inspiration, they sell them here. Some were quite nice.
The bathrooms on the pier will give me nightmares until I die. Please, for the love of all that is holy, get better toilets and maintain them in the future!
The end of the pier had a section with a 21 and over area– with bracelet. Once you have the bracelet, then you can go to any area with booze and purchase. This area also had a pretty good reggae band!
Below, off to the Belmont Shore side of the pier on the beach, there were tents. Very Ren Faire vibe, where the people who travel and work at the event sleep on the beach overnight in order to be there to set up the next day.
They have a kid’s area with bouncy rooms (all pirate/​ship themed) and a traveling man with his birds (lots of parrots, AR!).
The section below the pier has better and more seating. It’s pretty comfortable, with lots of tables. There was a big section where people were playing with hula hoops and dancing to the band (Dublin Pirates– I hear they have groupies and travel with the event! Ha!).
The food, across the board, wasn’t very good. I suspect that it’s really more carnival type food, but less interesting. By the stage there was a Polish place some people seemed to like. It wasn’t my thing, but hey, Polish Pirates?!

Great free event! Loved the reggae, felt like we were on vacation. The pirate costumes were awesome and they were in pirate character.

Sooooo much fun!!! Great stuff to buy for super good prices, great food, and the mead is fantastic. My mom, brother, and I ran around listening to the pirate music and partying with the mermaids. The beach is also beautiful with great water so when it gets a bit hot, jump in and cool off before another round of mead and turkey legs.

So I LOVE pirates. No really I do. So I was very excited to come to this event. While overall it was nice there were some big let downs. However I do want to say that it was a fun time.
First there was no organization (they are pirates right arghhh). As a first time person (who saw all their flyers and FB feeds) I had no idea where to go or where anything was. They parking sucks and no one was there to tell you parking lots were full or where else to park. Second ther was not a single sign where food or restrooms where. In fact one turkey leg sign pointed away from the event and they only sold turkey legs and some corm pudding meanwhile all the other food vendors were at the very end of the pier. There was also not published schedule of any of the events so you had to just sit there waiting for things to happen. Overall I think this could be a great faire but it needs a bit more organization. Do that and it would be a 4 – 5 star event every time.

Love this event. So many things to do for children and adults lol. Great costumes and good food all around. So many good vibes, definitely coming back next year.

Who was having the most fun? Those that dressed up and knew pirate-​speak beyond «aaargh»! I enjoyed watching them immensely and took notes for next time. I think I’ll come back tonight for the grown up version! Daytime is for families and photos. The super young (toddlers and young children) did not seem to enjoy the loud cannon and musket fire. But for the rest of us it was a sight and sound to behold. No bands were playing and I never did find the stage, I must assume that, too, is evening fare. Too bad, it would have liven things up. There were the occasional strolling magician or two. Still had a blast, mostly because it was free and there was plenty of metered parking in the lot next to the venue, and, there were pirates!

We visited the pirate festival on Saturday and had a fantastic time. No, it’s not it’s grand as the county fair, but it also isn’t anywhere nearly as expensive. Admission and parking are free and lots of vendors are selling relatively inexpensive and cheesy pirate souvenirs. (e.g. pirate water pistol for $ 5, «Pirate Girls Get More Booty» t-​shirts for $ 5, etc.)
Our four-​year old daughter and two-​year old son loved this event. Every «pirate» we met was very friendly and posed for lots of pictures with our kids. They also had a great time playing in the pirate ship bouncy house and going down the big pirate slide ($ 3 per ride.)
We also tried some fish & chips – pricey for the portion size at $ 10, but tasty.
We caught the pirate battle before we left and thought it was fun to watch.
We spent about $ 25 in total (family of four) and everyone had a great day. Highly recommended if you are looking for something unique to do in OC on a budget.

My 3.5 year old in obsessed with pirates, so my husband and I decided to check this festival out. We went both Saturday and Sunday. I have zero complaints and think anyone who like pirates or people watching will have a great time, assuming the event is the same or improved upon next year.
The crowd was a hoot and very willing to take pictures with a little pirate boy and his silly parents whenever asked. My little guy is still on top of the world after this weekend.

If you or your child (ren) love pirates and are «serious» in your love of pirates you will enjoy the sets and characters and all the passion theses people put into both. Is it the greatest thing ever? No, but it’s free pirate fun and all the people hanging out /​hosting this event were great with kids dressed up and wanting to play pirates. My son (9years old) loved it.

OMG! This place sucked big pirate balls!
I was so excited to check out the Pirate Invasion, I read that they have Pirate bands, Pirate ship attacks (mock of course) and little Pirate shops… well like they say, dont believe what you read! This place was such a Pirate bumber! There were no bands, and the «shops» were little stands trying to sell people insurance, cable and the occasional pirate costume. And dont get me started on the «Pirate ship attack», they were charging $ 20 a head to step on a crappy little boat to dock you 10 ft away from the pier to look at the pier… I wanted to see someone walk the plank! Geez! Save your gas money and go somewhere else. complete waste of time.

Talk about a huge dissappointment! I hit up the pirate invasion because it seemed like a fun thing to check out, but it ended up being a waste of time. There’s a few jumpers and kiddie stands which is nice if you have kids. Other than that, it was pretty much a dud. There are quite a few people who dress up for the event.
On the pier, it was filled with a bunch of vendors selling crap. They were offering somekind of pirate boat ride for $ 20 a head which seemed cool, but it was a lame boat docked right next to the pier! None of the food looked appetizing, and the bathrooms were gross. Will not be returning.

I was cruising along on my bike headed towards The Queen Mary., warm sunny July Sunday. Wow, what is that up ahead. PIRATES! Time to dismount and have a look sea. I did not have to walk the plank, but I did walk the pier. I got an unexpected surprise and a couple of pirate bandanas. The pirates let me go but I did have to hand over a few pieces of gold. It’s never a good idea to argue with a mean looking snagle toothed ominous sea faring man. I scurried away unharmed with a smile and a smirk. But I did not know pirates now use iPhones to call their mates!!!

This is a pretty cool event. It’s also nice to see that they are making good use of the Belmont Pier rather than being used as a hang out for the local homeless population.
As for the festival, they have several booths along the pier selling little pirate knick knacks. At the end of the pier they have a pirate band and a beer truck that sells Rogue Ale and other domestic beers. There is a full bar at the end of the pier. They also had food stands and sold food from the dilapidated building at the end.
There seems to be a following for this stuff. There were lots of people dressed up in full pirate regalia with their eye patches, hots and swords. It’s fun to watch. They also do a mock pirate battle with some of the local sailboats.
The only downside would have to the food. At least the food we had. I had a salmon burger that didn’t have much flavor and my wife had a turkey leg that didn’t seem like it was cooked all the way. But they also have baked potatoes and it looked like that fish and chips were the most popular.
So overall, it’s something fun to do for a couple of hours to people watch and drink some ale.