Category Archives: Decorations

007 Party Ideas

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Here’s our guide to throwing the ultimate James Bond party to celebrate!

Asking guests to dress to fit the James Bond theme will really help give your party that special secret agent atmosphere. There is the obvious choice of the classic 007 look with the tuxedo but there are more options available. We have met many villains over the years including the infamous Dr No in his classic grey suit, so if your guests don’t have a tux tell them not to worry and remind them of the vast array of outfit choices!

Of course for the ladies, there are a fair few Bond Girls to dress up as. Most of your female guests will have a simple and elegant red or black dress which is ideal, or if anyone’s extra brave they can don the Ursula Andres bikini!

Party Decorations

Good decoration can really make a party. From a grand entrance and red carpet to flame lights lighting the way to the big event, your guests will enter the party ready to really embrace the night and have a great time.

The Bar

It goes without saying that the bar should be well stocked for vodka martinis, shaken not stirred but champagne / sparkling wine will also go very well with the James Bond theme.

Games

It wouldn’t be a James Bond movie without some suspect looks exchanged across a casino table, so the likes of Blackjack and Roulette are a must. Just remember not everyone will be clued up on the rules of card games so a Wheel of Fortune, Play Your Cards Right or Horse Racing are all great fun and a good laugh.

Music

Background music is vital at any party whatever the theme. There are of course some obvious choices for music including the classic theme song “A view to a Kill” or “Goldfinger”, but you’ll need more than two songs to play throughout the evening. Start thinking about a playlist well ahead of the party so that all you need to do on the night is plug in the speakers or PA system and press play!

Make it a Birthday to remember

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The tradition of holding a party to celebrate the anniversary of birth began centuries ago in Europe when it was feared that evil spirits sought out people on their birthdays. To protect them from harm, friends and family would gather around to bring good thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off evil spirits, and candles were placed on cakes to transport the birthday wishes directly to God.

Initially, only royalty was deemed important enough to have a birthday celebration, but the tradition soon spread with the introduction of the children’s party in Germany, the Kinderfeste.

For the trivia buffs amongst you; the lyrically astounding ‘Happy Birthday to You’ song was written in 1839 by sisters Mildred and Patty Smith Hill!!

Birthday party fancy dress themes work really well let your imagination run wild…

It’s good to ensure there are plenty of attractions to keep guests talking& mingling so you could also consider casino tables which can tie in nicely with a James Bond theme, for example, and create a space for guests to meet, mix and break the ice. Also check out our celebrity lookalikes who will work the floor & get people talking.

For a rocking party, you could book a band to play songs fitting to that theme or just a general Rock, Pop, Soul, and Swing or even a Jazz band to keep your guests dancing all evening long.

Celebrity lookalikes of your birthday girl/ boy’s favourite celebrity would be a great touch. For a great surprise you could hire some comedy music acts who can act “incognito” for part of the evening before bursting into song when your guest’s least expect it!

For loads of ideas on making your Birthday one to remember look on our Entertainment Directory to see every type of entertainment imaginable.

How to plan an event without a hitch

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Whether you’re planning a party or a corporate fun day, you’ll want to achieve an incredible atmosphere. Here’s 8 quick tips to help you run your day as smoothly as possible, and ensure everyone has a great time!

1. Book a suitable space

Decide where your fun day will be held and book it well in advance. A local pub garden, school field or community hall are all good places to hold a fun day. You need to make sure there is adequate room for everything you have planned. Also check if there are toilets and power available. You can add some little touches, such as bunting to bring the place to life, or choose a theme for throughout the fun day.

2. Logistics

The chances are, your chosen location, will not have insurance for all the activities you have planned. You will need to make sure you have suitable insurance for everything you have planned and ensure all electrical equipment is tested by relevant inspectors.
You will also need to ensure risk assessments are completed to make sure everyone is safe.

3. Choosing a date and time

Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to organise the day. You’ll be much more relaxed when the day comes along if you know you’ve spent time planning all the details.
Choose a date that doesn’t clash with anything such as big sporting events like football cup finals, or Wimbledon finals. Create a realistic timeline for the day and take into consideration the time needed to set and clean up.

4. Something for the kids

A good variety of stalls and activities ensures kids will have a great time and never want to leave. Children of all ages enjoy face painting and inflatable slides. Play zones are a great option for little ones, and for those a bit older, circus workshops and rodeo sheep are great opportunities to show off their skills.

5. Something for the big kids

We all have an inner child that wants to get out and have some fun! Adults are bound to be competing with the smaller guests on most activities, but items such as cash grabbers, gladiator jousts, sumo costumes, and a rodeo bull are great fun for adults who enjoy a fun challenge.

6. Refreshments

Kids of all ages will be needing some refreshments to give them energy to keep on having fun.
candyfloss, ice cream and popcorn are great options to keep the party atmosphere.

7. Shelter in case of rain

As we all know, the British weather cannot be trusted! It is worth thinking about having canopies and / or marquees for shelter, should it rain.

8. Somewhere to relax

Having so much fun can occasionally catch up with you! Your guests will really appreciate a spot to take the weight off their feet and recharge for some more fun. Deck chairs are a fab way to keep the fun atmosphere and provide a comfy spot to relax. If you want something really fun, a giant deck chair is just the thing.

Would you like to be waited on?

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If you want to hire some good staff for your special event or function, don’t forget to hire some great waiting staff. We have the best waiter/waitresses advertised with Red Masque directory which are all very professional and all have a great attitude.

Good waiting staff make it look easy whilst all your guests are enjoying themselves the champagne keeps flowing. Finger food is always available and most importantly at the end of your event everything is clean and tidy for you.

Hired Cocktail bartenders are also a must to have at any function. Charming, dressed to impress, whichever way you would like your bartender to be we think we have just about every cocktail bartender advertised on our Red Masque directory.

Canapé girls can be used for Adult themed evenings, family entertainment and children’s parties so they are not stereo typed to just one event. There colourful costumes and special props means they will adapt to any event very well.

Party butlers are probably for the ladies where they could be serving champagne naked from the waist up or leaving little to the imagination wearing just an apron for modesty. Now that ladies would be a great addition to a Hen party!!

Party butlers can be hired also for very grand corporate affairs where professionalism will be shown at all times, it’s just up to you what sort of butler you require.

But what is you wanted some promotional staff and you have a launch party to organise. You could have a gym opening and you could hire a team of fitness coaches are motivating your guests. Or how about a fashion show where a team of catwalk models could be just the thing to make your evening a success!!

There are a whole host of staff that you could hire for your event, that will make any event you had in mind run smoothly and add a bit of class, to really make you relax and enjoy the event that you have organised.

Plan well in advance

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It’s always best to plan your next Christmas event as early as you can to avoid disappointment. If you want to create your own winter experience, either for a party, corporate event or business attraction, here are a few hints from Red Masque directory to make your Christmas event wonderful!

If you want a show as part of your event entertainment, you’ll need an inside space or warm, dry and well-appointed marquee to hold it in. Acts that look great in marquees include:

• Circus acts, especially aerialists, or silk acrobats!
• Dance groups who can fill the performance area with music, movement and style!
• Party bands that can play in all those cheesy pop hits we love at Xmas!

Make your event great by having sheer variety of party entertainment on offer. So, offer lots of different acts to see, rather than one big attraction and people will enjoy the event more.

• Walkabout acts really are great and so are costumed characters, ice characters and stilt walkers.
• Generate a warm feeling with fire acts to light up the winter darkness
• Conjure up the magic of Christmas with street magicians performing close-up tricks and illusions

Food and Drink
• Hire a hog roast or BBQ for outside cooked goodies
• Offer traditional treats such as roasted chestnuts and mulled wine that fill the air with deliciously Christmas smells!
• Have a Christmas cocktail bar, decorated with ice sculptures serving frosted cocktails or frozen daiquiris (and non-alcoholic drinks for the drivers)

Fun things to do:
Visitors love interactive experiences. They don’t have to be very fancy, just lots of fun for any age.

• Turn traditional side stalls into Christmas fun, such as a snowball coconut shy.
• Book a winter or “Frozen” themed bouncy castle with integrated rain cover, so the weather doesn’t stop the fun
• Get your skates on and book an artificial ice rink – all the fun, none of the wet! Most ice rink suppliers offer a complete package with chalet, boot hire, and experienced staff trained in the required health and safety procedures.

And if that all sounds great fun but such a lot of work right now, hey, there’s always next year! At Red Masque, we’re already seeing lots of people now booking acts for Christmas 2017, so find your perfect acts now to make your own winter wonderland happen.

Make your guests smile…

A Vintage Circus Party

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Ever since “Water for Elephants” hit the theatres, we’ve been in love with the Vintage Circus party theme. The idea has been around for a while, but it’s still one of the most visually exciting party themes out there! Plus, you can add all kinds of amazing live entertainment to take things up a notch. We have a few ideas to bring your Vintage Circus party to life.

Decorations

Stripes are an easy way to incorporate that circus feel into your party. If you can’t have the actual big top tent, bringing the red and white stripes into your decor will do the trick. Hanging a backdrop of alternating white and red scarves or sheets can mimic the tent, as well. Try and find faded red to add to the vintage theme. Banners with alternating flags are another simple yet effective decoration. Luckily, balloons are inexpensive and fit beautifully into a Circus theme. Hang balloons from the ceiling and pair with white lights or scarves for a simple, yet gorgeous setting.

If your budget is a little higher, you could have marquee letters with lights spell out “CIRCUS” (or maybe the name of the guest/guests of honour).

Invitations are really fun for this theme. Create and print postcards announcing “The Circus is Coming to Town” with all of your event details.

Refreshments

What foods do you love at the circus? hot dogs, or candy floss? All great ideas for your Vintage Circus party! Set up a self-serve table with all of your favourites and let your guests take their pick. Or if you’d rather have someone else take care of the details and add an element of authenticity, try bringing in a company to provide candy floss hot dogs, and more.

If your party includes a cake, there are tons of amazing designs out there. Professional cake decorators can help your vision come to life, or simplify things with a cupcake tower instead! Just frost them in your theme colours, add a printable toothpick flag, and you’re set.

To dress up your food table a bit, print labels in a fun “Circus” font.

Party Entertainment

While it would be amazing to have an elephant in your backyard, it’s not entirely probable. That doesn’t mean you can’t have awe-inspiring entertainment at your Vintage Circus party! In fact, some of our favourite types of corporate event entertainment live in this category. If you have the space, Aerialists put on some amazing shows in the air above the party. Jugglers, Fire eaters, and Acrobats can also take advantage of the area and keep your guests mesmerized.

If space is a little tight, try up-close and personal entertainment like Mind readers, Tarot Card Readers, or Street Magicians Have some kids at the party? Balloon Moddlers and Face Painters are always a great addition to Circus parties!

Fit for a Princess

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Make your daughter’s dreams come true by throwing her an amazing princess party! You bring the enthusiasm, Red Masque will provide the tips, and together we can plan the party your princess has always imagined!

Before you can dive into planning this fantastic party, you’ll want to pick a theme. Although a princess party may seem pretty self-explanatory, there are still decisions to be made! Will this be a fancy dress party? Or maybe centred around your daughter’s favourite princess? There are lots of options to choose from! Talk to your princess to find out which theme will work the best for her.

Your next step will be to set a date. Check your calendar and try to find a date that works for the birthday girl’s friends and family. If nothing conflicts with her actual birthday, you’ve got yourself a date! If not, try to pick a day as close to your daughter’s birthday as possible and make it an extended celebration.

Finding the Castle​

​Now that you’ve got a theme and date, it’s time to find a perfect venue for your party. A budget friendly option for location is to transform your home into the princess castle. If you’re looking for a change of scenery, start the search for a local venue that is large enough to accommodate all of your guests and free of commitments on your party date. Keep in mind your potential party decorations when choosing your location to make sure set up will be as easy as possible.

The Royal Announcement

With the major details in place, you’re ready to announce the royal event by sending out invitations. These will get your guests excited about your theme even before the party begins! If crafting isn’t your thing, order custom invitations. Whatever your method, be sure to include the basic event info, including the date, time, and location. If you’ve decided on a fancy dress and would like the guests to arrive in their princess gowns, add this information to the invitation. Give it the royal touch by using language such as, “Princess Sofia invites you to attend her 6th birthday party” or “Join us in celebrating a royal affair…the birthday of Princess Sarah.” Send the invitations well in advance (around 3-4 weeks) to give your fellow parents time to RSVP between helping with homework and driving to soccer practice.

Decorating the Castle​

Now for the real fun, decorating your princess castle! Make a list of supplies you’ll need and start shopping early to make sure you’re able to find everything you need. From balloons and streamers to piñatas and tiaras, the party design and decorations ​make the party. Talk to the birthday girl or take her shopping with you to find the perfect decor for your ideal princess atmosphere!

Entertaining Royalty​

​Treat your guests like royalty with princess-themed activities! To really wow your guests, have your daughter’s favourite Princess attend the party. Set up a craft table or the princesses to make their very own tiaras. If your guests didn’t arrive in their own princess attire, having a dress up area with gowns and accessories is a great addition to the party! For the full princess transformation, have a royal makeover station complete with faux jewellery, makeup and, of course, glitter! To take the makeover to the next level, book a Makeup Artist or Face Painter to run the station. A favourite babysitter is another great option and budget friendly!

​If your location allows, bring in the big guns with a castle bouncy house, princess carriage rides, or pony rides. You could also look for a local farm that hosts pony parties with carriages, as this will generally be a cheaper alternative. Whatever the activities, priceless memories will no doubt be made. Be sure to capture them with lots of pictures! If you’d rather not be on photo duty, book a photographer so that you can kick back and enjoy the fantastic party you’ve put together!

Party Bags

​Send your guests home with princess-themed treat bags to remind them of your amazing party! Fill them with everything a princess could need, from tiaras and wands to a makeup or jewellery sets. Bring the birthday girl in on the party bag fun and have her pick out all the treats she’d love to receive at a party.

The Ultimate Winter Blues Party

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As winter is rolling in, lots of people want to organise the Ultimate Winter Blues Party. At Red Masque we like to give some great ideas to offer in our posts. Instead of using your own home, why not rent out private rooms from restaurants because they offer an economical alternative with certain party essentials (furniture and a great kitchen) already in place.

SIGHT and TOUCH: Smoke and Mirrors

If you want to create something wonderful for the ultimate winter blues party, think ‘smoke and mirrors’.

You see mirrors create the illusion of even more energy and action – you can literally see more people throughout the room but at the same time, the combination of clear and reflective materials instantly make the room feel more open. Even more importantly, they capture the striking beauty of the first chill of winter in clean, contemporary lines. Along with the ice-like surfaces and funky blue fabrics that would bring out the swing in this modernist vision of winter, spicy, flavourful tapas, and a hot sexy Latin soundtrack would raise the pulse and temperature of the space.

Capturing the smooth, glassy surfaces of icicles, and the shimmering icy blue hues of freshly fallen snow can be a difficult illusion to pull off; you don’t want to go overboard and end up with a truly cold hard and severe look. Instead you want to create a magical “FROZEN” castle of shimmering shapes and reflective surfaces that will make your guests feel as though they are surrounded by gorgeous crystal sculptures. .

SIGHT: Top Party Decorations

Table decorations for the ultimate winter party can be very classy with diamonds spread over the table sparkling with cut glass champagne glasses, if you wanted to go really overboard you could hire some ice sculptures to really capture the spirit of the winter month.

Be as imaginative as you like, blue tablecloths, and a sprinkling of fake snow and don’t forget vodka on ice!!!

SMELL: Engage the Senses

For winter, go nuts, literally, roasted pistachios, coconut and sizzle chorizo in the kitchen to create a wonderful tangy and nutty aroma for the room. What is more sexy than a few shapely ice cubes jostling in a glass tumbler or the pristine gloss of a newly frozen lake.

TASTE: The best Party Food

You could just put out some cured meats and cheeses but for larger and more elaborate appetites and we love the sociability of tapas. Tapas, also provide a variety of flavours. As a winter party, the emphasis needs to be a little more on food to quiet the hibernating impulse we have and avoid the urge to stay home, watch Netflix and chill.

When creating your own menu, think about what would tantalise the guests, think of exciting colours and combinations of sweet and smoky spices. Serve the food every hour or so and start with simple foods while gradually adding new and more complex flavours

TASTE: The best Party Drinks

Drinks it would be a selection of Martini opportunities, why not try my Winter Blues Martini:

Winter Blues Martini
1 ounce Vodka
1/2 ounce Blue Curacao
1/2 ounce crème de cassis
a splash of fresh lime juice and blueberries for garnish.

Rim the martini glass with white sugar. Shake, strain, and pour liquid ingredients into a martini glass. Garnish with blueberry kebob.

Display bottles of frozen vodka inside decorative ice blocks: cut off the top section of an orange juice container and fill it two thirds full with distilled water and sliced lemons, limes and oranges. Insert a bottle of Citrus Vodka and put it in your freezer overnight. In the morning, remove the orange juice carton and you’ve got yourself a stunning citrus ice sculpture that doubles as a “cooler” for your vodka.

To create a surprise kick, for your Martini who not rub the rim of the glass with a slice of hot jalapeño pepper and then dip the glass in sugar?

SOUND

Think about some chill out tunes, a bit of funk and soul that will cater to most tastes.  Whatever you choose we are sure you will definitely have the Ultimate Winter Blues party!!!

Acts to hire instead of a DJ

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It’s now well into Christmas and although we’ve been going on about booking Christmas entertainment early, there’s always a few private parties and companies who only get around to booking their Christmas entertainment in December. As such, many DJs are booked up on the key dates you’ll be wanting them for, but don’t let that get to you! Put down your mince pie, have a swig of mulled wine and take a look at these alternatives that just might be more perfect than a Christmas DJ.

Why not book your very own polar bear? Well it’s not actually a real one, (it’s themed walkabout artists in a polar bear costume) that can turn up at your Christmas party to liven up proceedings. This cuddly looking polar bear walks and poses with your guests.  What could be more Christmassy than that? Okay, so he won’t provide anything to dance to but who needs that when you can laugh and take selfies all evening? Exactly. We guarantee your Instagram will have more likes than ever after a cheeky pic with this wonderful Christmas bear. 

Why not go for a real animal? We all saw the Logo Reindeer last year and it was impressive, even featuring Santa and a sleigh. You could even order some elves if you’d like, but how about a couple of live reindeer to book for your Christmas event. They won’t arrive with presents and they’ll probably walk rather than fly, but there’s something fab about feeding a carrot to a reindeer.

What could be better than a Christmas Tree? You can sing Christmas carols around it, put presents beneath it and struggle to get rid of it once New Year rolls in. That last point wouldn’t be a problem with these incredible living Christmas trees however, the perfect accompaniment to any Christmas gathering. A festive treat nobody will be expecting, these trees stand by the entrance to your party venue and move as unsuspecting guests arrive. A lot of fun guaranteed to have your guests in stitches.

Christmas Party Band

Just because a DJ isn’t free, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some music! What party entertainment you go for depends entirely on you and what your guests might like. If you’re looking for a festive feeling, then Motown Supreme may be more your thing.  Or a trendy contemporary band; Kings Ov Leon. You don’t even have to book a band that melds perfectly with the Holiday season; various bands can play all the hits your DJ would have played and provide some originality and festive cheer on top. Perfect!

Illusionist

Or maybe without a DJ, you really are fixated on just using the iPod from Andy in Accounts. Since the rest of the office are scared of animals and possible living Christmas trees, in that case you are left with only one option, especially if everybody adores magic. Sure, you could go for an Illusionist – make your guests the centre of attention whilst the illusionist does his amazing magic before their very eyes, where everyone if trying to work out just how he does it!! 

Of course, none of this matters if you have your heart set on a DJ… So don’t delay, get in touch today!

Children’s Christmas parties

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It’s hard to contain children’s excitement at this time of year, and who would want to!? Plan an early Christmas party for the kids to kick off their festive celebrations, get them into the holiday spirit and release some enthusiasm. It might see you through until December 25th with your sanity intact!

It’s a busy time of year with all that Christmas shopping, wrapping up the gifts and planning to do, so there’s no need to go overboard with the jingle-bells and whistles. Stick to party fail safes when it comes to food and games and give them a seasonal twist; you can keep it simple and still create a magical party, saving valuable energy for Christmas planning.

A children’s Christmas party is a great opportunity to use party plates and tableware with a bright Christmas theme, a seasonal backdrop for their preferred party foods. Friendly Christmas characters You’ll be using your best crockery and more sophisticated Christmas party decorations over Christmas with all the family, so the brighter the better here when it’s just for kids! Streamers and other paper decorations are inexpensive and will effectively deck out the room.

Santa’s Little Helpers

The fun needn’t break the bank; at an expensive time of year, why not try some creative activities Lay down plenty of newspaper and get them to make some Christmas cards using potato stamps and silver paint or glitter, wrapping-paper shapes and glue.

If you prefer, get everyone into an apron and have a Christmas biscuit-decorating session. You can buy or bake the biscuits in advance and provide different coloured icings and toppings, such as sweets.

Children will love to get involved in the Christmas preparations and will have something special to take to their loved ones at home-time.

Rocking around the Christmas Tree

Try a seasonal spin on traditional party games to keep kids amused inside. How about a game of Christmas-related charades; or pass the Christmas parcel? You could hide chocolate coins around the house for a proper treasure hunt, and play musical snowmen to a festive soundtrack; just make sure they freeze when the music stops! Get them each to have a go at an exciting Christmas piñata. Hang prizes on the tree or place them underneath it, to find after each game.

Festive Feasting

At each place at the tea table, place a cracker with their name on, or perhaps something for them to wear; a Santa hat, some reindeer antlers or a Rudolf-red nose.

Keep it simple and go for favourite party staples, but give the presentation a festive spin. Satsumas are child-friendly easy-peelers and packed with cold-busting vitamin C and a bowl of them will brighten up any table. Give some favourite sweet or savoury sandwiches a fun twist: roll up fillings in bread and slice into pinwheels, or cut into triangles and stack them up like a Christmas tree, dotted with cherry tomato ‘baubles’.

Add edible glitter to jewel-coloured jellies for some seasonal sparkle. Popcorn can be shaken in melted butter, sugar and cinnamon for extra winter warmth. For a festive finale, a chocolate Yule log will provide a show-stopping cake, complete with alpine accessories, such as skiers and reindeer, on top.

Jingle Bells

With the prospect of so many presents just around the corner, it’s great to fill kids’ party bags with something a bit different to add to the Christmas build-up. When it’s time for their sleighs arrive to take them home, why not put a decoration for the tree into their party bag along with a few sweets? They’ll enjoy adding it to their tree at home and will keep it year on year. As a twist on the party bag, why not send them each off with a little stocking instead?

If you would like to send them off with something more than a full tummy, a Letters to Santa Kit will ensure a buzz of excitement and remind them all that a visit from Father Christmas is not far away – and that he only visits little children who are good!

An extra something, like a little labelled bag of glitter and oats to scatter on the doorstep on Christmas eve especially for the reindeer will enhance the magic of it all. A really special finale could be a surprise early visit from Father Christmas himself, to hand everyone their party bag and to listen to their Christmas wishes.