Category Archives: Event Entertainers

Nothing beats a good fun day.

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Here at Red Masque, we offer a wide selection of fun and exciting equipment to help make your event a huge success.

Whether it’s a small corporate fun day for 50 guests or a large scale event for up to 3,000 people, we advertise entertainment for all ages to keep everyone entertained all day long.

There are key aspects you need to take into account when planning such event. From safety and insurance to risk assessments, it’s imperative to have all the necessary legislation in place.

To ensure your Corporate event or Family Fun Day is a giant triumph and goes ahead without any hiccups, here are 6 key things to think about when planning a fun day…

Whatever equipment you’re hiring be it the side stalls and rodeo bulls or deck chairs and inflatable slides, each piece of equipment will have its own comprehensive risk assessment to ensure it is safe and secure to protect all those on the premises. 

It is compulsory to carry out a risk assessment in order to comply with current UK safety regulations and laws. If you have never done this before, rest assured it isn’t as scary as it sounds. 

Besides, once all the paperwork is out of the way, you can concentrate on organising a successful event!

Now there is the general risk assessment of the site plan, such as the routes in and out for cars and attendees, and you’ll obviously need a safety plan for any marquees etc. you have.

If you don’t want your fun day to be a wash out, choose the date carefully. Summertime is better for outdoor fun but as we all know with the great British weather, a contingency plan is always needed in case it rains!

Try to do your homework too and find out if any other big community events are taking place around the same time. If the date clashes it will affect how many people turn up. 

How will people know about your fun day? Promote the event through local businesses, press, radio, newsletters, emails, digital PR and posters. 

Marketing is key, so shout about it through all possible platforms including online blog posts, paid search and social media. 

What’s more, shout about it DURING the event. Get a hashtag going on Twitter, encourage spectators to share pictures on Facebook and Instagram and get lots of photos to give the press.

 

Top Tips on Getting the Best Out Of Your Wedding Entertainment

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After the wedding dress, your wedding entertainment is the next thing your guests will remember about your wedding, so make sure their memories are good ones!

Don’t go cheap! Professional entertainment is like any other service… you get what you pay for. Remember if you pay peanuts you will get monkeys.

Booking a Band, DJ or Photo Booth just because they give you the cheapest quote, very rarely has a happy ending. Red Masque receive calls regularly from brides who have been let down by their entertainment supplier, often this is less than a week before the big day. You don’t want that worry for the sake of sometimes only a couple of hundred pounds.

Make sure you have a contract, which clearly states what their price includes. This contract should clearly state: arrival, start, performance and finish times and if you are booking a musical entertainer, make sure you know if they will be supplying the speakers and lights and any other necessary equipment for the performance.

Insurance! Anyone you book (even a non-musical entertainer should have public liability insurance. If they don’t, you run the risk of the venue not allowing them to perform. Check with your venue how much cover they will need, most venues will ask for cover between £2,000,000 – £5,000,000 some larger more prestigious venues will ask for cover up to £10,000,000.  This we may add is very important.

Find out what system they have in place if a member of the act is unable to perform. We all get ill from time to time and are unable to do our job. Most professional acts have ‘substitute’ performers in place can step in at short notice to replace the missing performer.

If you’re booking a band, choose one that will try and suit everybody’s musical tastes. You may be the biggest fan of heavy metal and plan to mosh on the dance floor all night long, but the chances of older guests wanting to listen to this is slim! By just choosing a band according to your own tastes, you may end up with a very quiet dance floor. Instead you may want to consider choosing entertainers who can play some of the music you love but also a mixture of classic floor fillers. We like to call these bands ‘Versatile Function Bands’.

Do look after your entertainer(s) to enable them to put on a better show. For an evening performance a band will typically arrive at around 5.30pm to set up and are not usually on the road again until after 1.00am. That’s a minimum of 7 ½ hours at your venue, not to mention the time it took them to get there and the time it will take them to get home.

A basic hot meal, soft drinks and a room to get changed in and chill-out in when they are not performing can make the world of difference to any hard working performer. No one can work to their full potential on an empty stomach or look their best by getting changed in their car. If you want to get the best out of your entertainers, treat them (almost) like they are a guest.

Check the minimum stage size that the entertainer(s) needs to perform. Stage areas that are the wrong size can cause problems for many performers and can sometime mean they cannot perform to their full potential.

Bands from every era…

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60’s bands and tribute acts are very popular, from Beatles to the Rolling Stones, most of us even if we were not born in this era have heard of the ‘swinging sixties’ where the miniskirts and beehives were all the rage. Why not have a 60’s evening where everybody can get involved young and old and have fun dressing in the sixties clothes of that bygone age, we are sure granny has some ‘get up’ still in her closet and if not she can advise as to what to wear. Then comes the fun part, where your 60’s band or tribute act comes alive on stage to make your 60’s party complete, all are extremely professional and will have everybody dancing the whole night away.

The funky 70’s where soul and funk was everywhere and the dress was bold, bright with lots of glitter, the Jackson 5 to Motown to name just a few, the music today is just as popular and dressing the 70’s way is a scream!! If you wanted a 70’s act or Tribute band then look no further then Red Masque entertainment directory. We have only the best advertised which are all very professional. Each act is able to work out with you to arrange your perfect 70’s event.

The 80’s are defined by lots of different genres of music, more commonly we remember Wham, Madonna, Aha, Bananarama  to name but a few. We all remember the dodgy hairdos and very strange fashion, but we cannot deny the music from that era was unforgettable. You could be having an 80’s party or a school reunion where 80’s music would be very nostalgic to your event which will take you back to being a spotty teenager again drooling over Adam Ant or Blondie.

What defined the 90’s with music?  Well, it seems that you were either into Rock Bands like Blur or Oasis or you were into Rap with the likes of Tupac or Jaz Z or R&B when it got a huge boost from talented singers like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, or bubble-gum ruled the latter-half of the decade thanks to the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.

So if you were thinking of hiring a 90’s act or Tribute band you have so many genres to choose from depending on your taste of that era.

All you really need to know is that you will be booking the best bands from any era that you choose that will transport you back in time and make it an event to remember.

Make it a Birthday to remember…

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Why not hire a Character musician for a ‘special birthday’ to sing to your special someone, or a group of musicians to sing as you dine.  Songs can be chosen or you can even make it comedic every-time your host for the evening starts to speak you’re Character musician breaks into song!!

Another genre to consider is a Choir; Choirs are very uplifting and can instantly give any event a special mix of wellbeing and’ feel-good feelings’.  From Classical , ‘street style’  or Gospel there are many genres that your choir will be-able to master where young or old will enjoy these special choirs. You could be having a wedding, launch party, corporate affair or private party where a ‘surprise choir’ could start to sing.

A good DJ is a must, they are able to work a crowd and know which songs to play to get all your guests on the dance, we at Red Masque Directory have the perfect DJ and VJ’s just for you to hire. Using up to the minute state of art light shows on the dance floor, you are guaranteed your venue will be transformed into everything you dreamed of and more.

Classical music is a must if you are you having a very classy affair that demands the very best, or having a theatrical evening that needs a full orchestra to make your play even more dynamic then hiring our Classical music artists will be a very good decision on your part. An Opera singer is another classical act that can be hired for you event.  Singing the very best West End songs or traditional opera with the likes of ‘Nessum Dorma’ sung either by a tenor or prima donna.

Having a Jazz band, Swing Band, or even a Brass band at your event would be the ultimate showstopper.   You could hire any of these professional bands at your party or event depending on what ‘theme’ you were organising.  A Jazz band could be for a 20’s party where everybody is dressed in the era’s attire. The ultimate Swing band could be hired with a crooner singing the old hits of the 40’s or 50’s.  The choice is definitely yours.  It is good to know that Red Masque entertainment directory have only the best acts for you to hire at your birthday party event.

Hire just one, or mix it up a bit and have an extravaganza evening which will certainly be the Birthday celebration of the year!!!!

Sweets for your sweets!

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We love our Canapé Girls for hire here at Red Masque directory and our clients love them too. So what could make them even more fabulous?

The Canapé girls have been planning new fabulous costumes for a while and here they are!  They all have our new fabulous light up bespoke designed trays. Depicting everything vintage and garden tea party, these beautiful canapé girls are a fabulous and unique way to help serve treats, sweets, cakes and canapés to your event guests.

The Canapé trays are now even more spectacular with super bright LED lights adding illuminated colour to each of the canapé hostesses. The colour can be themed to each costume, to your event or even colour changing. So with the combination of this fabulous addition and their outstanding costuming, our canapé hostesses are sure to stand out from the crowd!

One of the Canapé ladies is Perfectly pink is adorned with traditional English garden flowers, sparkling Swarovski crystals, cameo brooches and of course pearls and even has a full tea set in her fabulous wig – topped with a cute teapot!

Another Gorgeous Canapé lady is surrounded by traditional garden flowers, beautiful brooches, sparkling Swarovski crystals and strings of pearls with vintage decorative doves hidden in her hair!

Complete with their purposely created Perspex serving trays, these gorgeous girls can serve selections of sweets, canapé’s or cupcakes. The Canapé trays are now even more spectacular with super bright LED lights adding illuminated colour to each of the canapé hostesses. The colour can be themed to each costume, to your event or even colour changing. So with the combination of this fabulous addition and their outstanding costuming. The canapé hostesses are sure to stand out from the crowd! These fabulous crystal chandelier headdresses can always be seen across a crowded room, catching the light, sparkling and shimmering. Perfect for black tie in their fabulous white silk tail coats, they are beautiful way to serve your guests at award ceremonies, black tie events and parties.

Some ideas for a great proposal…

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There are many ways that you can make a grand proposal to your loved one. You may have the perfect one lined up but if you need a little help. We have made some suggestions:

1. Love Letters: Just Mind the wind.

If you wife to be is a country girl at heart, the prospect of getting up and going outside on possibly a very cold day will certainly not faze her. The idea of going up in a helicopter and viewing the beautiful British countryside that she loves will definitely excite her though. Then, imagine her face when she views the words ‘Will you marry me?’ written across the hill…breath-taking! I have met someone recently who instead of actually writing it on the hill just used paper to create the shapes of the words. Unfortunately, it was a rather windy day and he had to use his faithful friends to lie across the paper to ensure she did not get a mangled message!

Alternatively, recently a farmer in Gloucestershire allowed a creative groom to write the letters ‘Will You Marry Me’ on his sheep. As far as we’re aware no sheep were harmed in the creating of this proposal.

2. Enter Loversville

As its’ name alone suggests that the village of Lover (pronounced like Dover) is one of the UK’s most romantic destinations. Located just south of Salisbury on the edge of the New Forest this tiny village is an ideal place for couples to visit, if only to pose by the village sign for an amusing photo opportunity!

Also in Wiltshire, is the interesting heart shaped wood on Huish Hill near Pewsey. Created by Lady Keswick in 1999 as a memorial to her brothers the wood has developed nicely so that when in season it appears to look like a giant red heart. This phenomenon is due to the woods being planted with two varieties of Hawthorn which produce pink flowers. Totalling an acre in size, the wood is visible from the top of Huish Hill and is really spectacular!

3. Stop the press; or the traffic at least.

Why not show the world, or rather a high percentage of commuters, how much you love the woman in your life by proposing on London Bridge, during rush hour.

OK, so it may not make you the most popular guy in London, but it will certainly win you an infinite amount of brownie points for the most imaginative and heart felt proposal.

4. Get a Cheer

Picture the scene, you’re having an amazing time at Glastonbury, it’s warm, the sun is setting and you’re watching your favourite band perform on the stage. And then you get engaged; now that’s quite perfect.

This actually happened to a young couple in 2010 and Chris Martin announced; “I don’t know if you saw, but someone just proposed and got a good answer” The audience all cheered in celebration, and he then went onto explain that he would dedicate the next song to them! Imagine getting a cheer from 20,000 people after you have just got engaged, I think that would make it pretty memorable. 

5. Melt your snow queen

The Dolomite Mountains in North Eastern Italy is a ski resort with over 1, 200 km of slopes, which leaves plenty of open space for a romantic and secret proposal. If you and your girlfriend are both a fan of the slopes, this would be the perfect place to visit and pop the question.

The Dolomite’s have been described as brighter, more colourful, and more monumental than any other mountain range and are unique in that they seem to be architecturally inspired. Deodat de Dolomieu discovered and clarified the exceptional composition of the stone, giving the mountains their name.

So there you have it, our suggestions for the most romantic and memorable proposals. Take them as they are or with a pinch of salt, but whatever your proposal idea is, make it personal to you and no-one could say no.

Of course if you look at the party entertainers that are located on our website there are countless ideas that you can feed from. Try hiring something a little unusual to give your wife to be the proposal she so deserves…

There’s no such thing as bad publicity

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Adding to the expanding list of controversial things Kanye West done in his career, he’s recently been reported to have told a disabled man to “stand up” at one of his concerts in Sydney!!!

But what can this self-proclaimed “god” teach us regular folk about being an entertainer that’s on the face of almost every news site going right now? Surely just that doing controversial things sells records?  

After thinking about the ridiculous concept that is Kanye West – a man who’s referred to himself as the “Steve Jobs of fashion” – here’s a list of 4 things he can teach you about being an entertainer

People love a villain

Just think of all of the times you’ve heard about Kanye West in the news and think about how many papers an article about him sells. Let’s take a look at his controversies throughout the years, shall we?

That Taylor Swift incident, hilarious outbursts on Twitter, ‘’George Bush doesn’t like black people”, calling himself Yeezus, marring Kim Kardashian, punching a paparazzo, several outbursts at members of the press and award organisations and now – apparently – heckling a disabled man.

And what’s the theme here? 

He sells papers, gets page views and gets people going – both those who love him, and those who hate him.

His persona isn’t just that of an egomaniacal idiot or “douche”, it’s a cynical, carefully honed personality that makes sure whenever he needs to sell some records or get in the press; journalists are hungry to write anything and everything about him.

So, we may not have Kanye West for hire at Red Masque entertainment directory but we may have a ‘celebrity lookalike’ or we may have some ‘comedians’ which could tell some rather controversial jokes that would really get your crowd talking; for the wrong reasons? Who cares? If they’re talking, that means you’ve made an impression…..right?

Time to plan New Year’s Eve 2015

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Plan your New Year’s Eve party this year and make it something truly amazing by booking from Red Masque entertainment directory. You will be able to use a lot more imagination than you thought possible – making 2016 come in with an even bigger bang!!!!

The celebration of New Year is one of the oldest annual rituals, observed globally for thousands of years by all the ancient civilizations from the Egyptians and Mayans to the Chinese and Maoris.

It is possible to take part in a New Year celebration almost every month of the year as our own western observance of New Year’s Day on January 1st only came into practice around 400 years ago.

Most of the older traditions base their new year around important social or astrological activities; the Egyptians celebrated the feast of Opet during the Nile’s inundation, the Mayan New Year varies Chinese New Year changes annually with the year of the Monkey starting on January 22nd 2004 while the Celtic celebration of Samhain is held around Halloween.

Did you know? The first people to make resolutions were the ancient Babylonians over 4000 years ago, in the belief that whatever they did on the first day of the year would affect their entire year.

The ancient Babylonian New Year was dated to the first new moon (visible crescent) after the vernal, or spring, equinox (usually March), so if you need an excuse to party, Red Masque entertainment can offer a whole year of new and unusual opportunities!

Most New Year celebrations incorporate the ideas of fertility and good luck with reviewing the past year whilst hoping for a better year ahead. The customs we follow in the UK stem mainly from old Scottish traditions of Hogmanay, whose roots date back to the pagan mid-winter practice of sun and fire worship which later linked with the Roman winter festival of Saturnalia, a decadent and uninhibited feast of food, wine and fun.

If you stay at home, make sure that the first person over the threshold after midnight is a tall, dark, handsome man, preferably carrying coal, bread and whiskey! This is the Scottish tradition of First Footing and ensures good luck, health and wealth for the coming year.

Blondes and red heads are considered bad luck, stemming from the fear of rape and pillage by the fair haired Viking invaders!

In English and German folk belief, special significance was attached to the sex, stature, appearance, complexion and even the occupation of the first person one encountered in the New Year, and over the years we have taken this one step further and made a tradition of kissing a special person (or whoever’s closest to hand) immediately as the New Year is ushered in. So get stuck in and have a very Happy New Year!

Engage in the idea…

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Your engagement is a promise to marriage as well as the period of time between the proposal and your marriage. During your engagement you are said to be affianced, betrothed, engaged to be married, or simply engaged. Future brides and bridegrooms are often referred to as fiancées or fiancés respectively (from the French word fiancé).

Long engagements were once common in formal arranged marriages and it was not uncommon for parents betrothing children to arrange such many years before the engaged couple were old enough to marry. .

Engagement parties.

Some engagements are announced at an engagement party, traditionally hosted by the bride’s parents. These parties are given in the family’s usual style of entertainment. Traditionally, engagement parties were normal parties at which a surprise announcement of the engagement was made by the father of the bride to his guests. Therefore, it is not a traditional gift-giving occasion, as none of the guests were supposed to be aware of the engagement until after their arrival.

In modern times, engagement parties often celebrate a previously publicized engagement.

Because it’s often the case that many guests don’t know each other very well, it’s important to ensure you have plenty of ‘ice breakers’. When two families are coming together for the first time it can be a nerve racking experience and so the more you can put guests at ease the better.

Think about a magician or a caricaturist or maybe even a pianist to play light background music whilst guests arrive & chat.

If you have space then try a jazz band who could play up tempo lively music to keep spirits high and feet tapping whilst you great guests and show off your engagement ring!

Ensure the drinks are flowing throughout the party and in no time the two families will be getting to know each other and soaking up the party atmosphere.

Party themes…

If you got engaged in an interesting location, you might like to theme your engagement party to suit. Hawaiian or beach themes are relatively easy to put together, as are New York, Las Vegas, Mexican, Australian themes etc.

No party is complete without live music so if your budget can stretch to a party function band it will be a sound investment towards ensuring the success of your big night.

It’s important to consider the age range of the guests who will be attending your party as grandparents, although actually some of the ‘most-likely-to-dance’ members of the party might not be quite so keen on hard rock or gangsta rap.

We do the hard work….

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Entertainment is very important in corporate events. Different calibres of individuals are usually invited for corporate meetings and occasions. They deserve to be entertained all through the event. If you’re hosting an important corporate event, you need to plan everything concerning entertainment very well. You need to keep your guests happy and satisfied.

The first step you can take is to engage a reliable entertainment directory. Such as Red Masque our website will help you organize every aspect of the entertainment required for the event. Our portfolio can help you choose the best performers, entertainers and suppliers to entertain your guests. They will save you the headache of making choices by trailing through the internet as we have the best entertainment in one place. They will also save you time since we understand exactly what you need.

If you don’t want to use an entertainment directory, you can go ahead to hire by yourself. You have to create time to locate a reliable entertainer. If you’re thinking of hiring a band for a special event then you need the best artists. You need a band that has experience in covering different kinds of corporate events and knows how to please a crowd. Red Masque has done all the hard work for you and you will find only excellent artists waiting to be picked by you.

Our website has a fantastic array of experts in the field of wedding party and event entertainment, with wedding entertainers and event entertainment, performers and acts to suit every occasion. From Dj’s and Bands to dancers and cabaret shows for the perfect party entertainment with the ultimate wow factor.