Category Archives: Party

Music entertainment to book

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Life and Soul

The great sound of Motown and Soul are always a crowd pleaser – be it young or old you cannot fail not to love the old Motown grooves that will definitely have Auntie Eileen dancing the night away!!

If you are planning to have a party and think that having a ‘soul night’ is something for you then Life and Soul would be perfect for a night to remember. Red Masque has some of the best Motown and Soul entertainers like Life and Soul and are guaranteed to always be professional.

A themed night wouldn’t be complete without that era’s music so think about the finer details, for example you wouldn’t want your guests dressed up in 70’s gear and then have up-to-date music playing, get them in the mood to have some fun and remember the nostalgia of the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s!

Undercover Superstars…

Good singing surprise acts always has a great appreciation from guests – but music comedy acts can be even funnier especially when you’re not expecting it to be funny.

If you want a comedy evening with a difference then why not book a Undercover Superstars that will be a talking point for a long time to come.

They work together with you to hide professional vocalists ‘undercover’ at your event as waiters, chefs, bar staff…even guests! We’ve also arranged firemen and other emergency services, army officers, rather random country walkers, terrible-at-public-speaking seminar hosts, and all sorts of other wonderful characters. At the given moment, after having fooled everyone at the event into believing they are working at the party, they shock everyone and burst into song!

Undercover superstars is one such act that you definitely should hire. You could be having a private party, product launch, corporate party or any event that would benefit in such an act.

Soprano Bella

Opera singers are very moving even if you didn’t understand the language you can guarantee that is would get the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. These trained singers are very talented and breath-taking.

Soprano Bella is able to bring the best of both worlds to your event, from Abba to Opera they will please all ears. Soprano Bella are specialists in providing the most fantastic and original entertainment for an important function.

You may be organising a theatre production and want an Opera performer, a funeral where you want your favourite piece of music to be sung for your loved one.

Funky City Party Band

If you’re ever organising a party then a party band is a must – the live ensemble of instruments being played is quite unique and sounds fantastic. Party bands are able to play all genres of music that will guarantee to get your guests on the dance floor.

Funk City are a 100% live band and there are no backing tracks involved. They have performed as venues all over the UK and for every type of event and the live music they perform is suitable for any age group for 8 to 80.

There are many types of music entertainment to hire, you will see a vast array of professional and highly acclaimed artists on our directory. We are sure you will find the perfect artist to suit your event.

Office Party Tips

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People get nervous at corporate event parties. Its that time of year again and nervousness can equal erratic behaviour so reduce the stress by setting some ground rules. Make sure you answer the following questions:

Whether you plan to host a big bash or a small gathering try these suggestions:
Be as generous as your budget allows. Your employees work hard and they are looking for a show of appreciation. They view your generosity as a barometer of their performance.

Try to go somewhere different. If there is a tavern or restaurant close by your employees are probably there all the time. Why not drive an extra 5 minutes and meet at someplace different?

If you have the party on premises, make sure to decorate. Telling them to meet in the cafeteria will excite no one. Asking them to join you on the beach (a decorated themed area) they’ll know it’s a special day.
Invest in a cocktail waiter. They’ll monitor and control drinking. They also can make attractive and fun “virgin” drinks. People like picking a non-alcoholic “cool” option. Letting employees pour their own can be a problem and asking an employee to tend bar may be putting them in a bad spot.

Have a theme for your party. We mentioned luau because it’s always a hit but casino and Mardi Gras are also real favourites that can be planned for 10 or a 100.

Will there be alcohol at the party and if so is it open bar or cash bar?
Are spouses and dates invited? This is particularly important if the party is off your property.
How long will the festivities last? Not everyone can get there at 5:30 so it’s nice to know people will still be there later in the evening.

What’s the proper dress? Not usually a big problem and not necessary in a majority of cases, but if you are hosting the party at a private club or a place no one has been to before a heads up about what to wear can save some people serious embarrassment.

Think about providing some great party favours or even door prizes. It’s nice to walk away with a remembrance of a great time. Finally make sure you have fun. If you’re a manager, mingle with your employees they’ll appreciate it and you’ll enjoy it.

NYE Ancient Rituals

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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, 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.

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.

New Year’s Eve Party Ideas
If you’re prepared to travel it’s well worth a visit to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations. Because most pubs and restaurants get rammed to the rafters, many people prefer to throw a private party. If you hire a party venue it pays to book well in advance, (12 months or more!)

Live Music
For a rocking party, you could book a live band. “Ceilidhs” are perfect for NYE parties and work well with the Scottish Hogmanay theme. Hire a band with a caller to shout out the dance moves and you’re away!

Other popular choices include rock and pop function bands, ratpack / swing bands, soul bands or rock n roll/swing jive bands to keep your guests dancing all evening long.

Also traditional for the strike of midnight, book a Bag Piper!

Fireworks & Event Suppliers
It’s now become traditional to set off fireworks at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Arrange a professional fireworks show from around £1500 or you can buy DIY firework kits from reputable suppliers

A party to remember…

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Remember that if guests are travelling from out of the area, it helps if the venue is easy to find. Consider how easy it is to find parking, and also how much accommodation is available near by. If you choose a great party venue you won’t need to spend as much time dressing it up to look good. There are loads of interesting venues out there to suit a wide variety of styles and themes.

Entertain Your Guests
Most people are happy to have a party DJ, but anyone who’s been to a party with a live band will tell you how much better the night was. You need something to really get guests excited and live party bands do exactly that. They’re interactive, energetic and fun. Not everyone likes to dance, but with a great live band, performing the best classic and modern party songs, even the most ardent anti-dancers will be rocking out, arm in arm, singing along on the dance floor with guests they only met a few hours ago.

Welcome Guests
Giving your guests a drink is a small touch that really shows you care about welcoming your guests, and it ensures everyone feels positive as soon as they arrive. It’s your way to thank people for coming, and it gets people in the mood to party.

In a practical sense, it also helps to alleviate the early queues at the bar, something which is sure to dampen spirits and cause frustration.

Some venues will arrange for a member of staff to personally serve drinks as your guests arrive, or you can choose to have a selection of drinks available on tables near the entrance

It’s also worth trying to book a party venue where the bar is in the same room as the party, otherwise your dance floor will only ever be half full. If the bar’s in another room, people will hang around talking when they go out to get a drink, and the reduced numbers can make the party room feel empty.

What Makes A Great Party?

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Ask most of your guests and they’ll say they had a great time if they were up dancing all night to the music they love. But how do you know what music they’ll love? Surely everyone has varied tastes?

When guests decide to get on the dance floor at a party, there’s a certain process involved of losing their inhibitions as they escape into the exciting world of music & lights. Memories and emotions can be ignited by the DJ’s choice of music and songs, often taking people back to their youth. What a great journey this can turn out to be if the DJ perfectly judges all the right tunes to play for your guests.

A good DJ can read the crowd to ensure a full dance floor

A good DJ should have a passion for all genres of music so that he can predict the response of people in the room when he plays certain classic songs from his collection. It is important for a DJ to read his crowd and he should instinctively know what kind of music will get people dancing.

If you are providing a DJ with a playlist, it is advisable to allow the DJ some discretion to choose which tracks to play from your list and at what time to play them.

It can be quite a challenge for a DJ to get guests dancing, especially early on at a wedding where many of the guests might not know each other. Sometimes interaction over the microphone is required to help people feel more relaxed, and occasionally a little encouragement can be given to help create that essential party spirit.

There are a variety of different techniques which can be used and this is where DJ’s have varying styles and approaches. Some people like a DJ to be vocally interactive with their audience, whereas others prefer the more modern approach of minimal talking with the focus mainly on good music and taking requests.

When to book a DJ
If you leave booking a DJ for a party to the last minute then it is likely that you’ll end up with a less experienced DJ. The best and therefore most popular DJs get booked well in advance. If your event is on a Friday or Saturday night you should look to secure your DJ around one year in advance.

Plan a successful event

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Use these tips below to help reduce your event budget, engage your guests, and plan a more successful corporate event or private party…

1. Hire Experts

Hiring expert party suppliers is a safe way to minimize potential hitches at an event. Make sure the planner has worked on similar events in the past as many types of events have their own special event organizers like ones who arrange a wedding, a charity function, a party at a nightclub, or a conference.

2. Stick to a Theme

Creating and sticking to a theme establishes an atmosphere that attendees can easily understand and enjoy. An event’s theme can be as simple as constantly using a logo or more involved with communicating a brand identity. In either case, the theme should be consistent from the messaging to the materials. Invitations, photo backdrops, signage, tableware, apparel, takeaway gifts, hashtags, etc. should all adhere to the theme.

3. Reserve a Venue Early On

Hiring a party venue in advance allows organizers to begin marketing efforts in advance, which would lead to more early bird sales. It also has a budgetary advantage as other venues with similar capacities and layouts could have significantly lower prices when reserved a few months before the event. Contacting potential venues early on also provides more leeway regarding the dates as the venues are more likely to negotiate and provide a discount. Adequate organisation prior to choosing a date ensures that other competing events aren’t scheduled around the same time or that your event doesn’t coincide with certain holidays that would impact attendance.

Swing and Jive

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Why not hire some great entertainment for your corporate event or private party, for the best music, Swing and Jive performers make for the best entertainment..

Most swing and jive performers have a deep-rooted affection for the music they perform and it shows in every moment of their performance. Many have a signature style of performance too, whether it’s pared-back skiffle versions of classic tracks or retro-arrangements of contemporary pop anthems.

Nearly all swing and jive bands will have a distinctive look, incorporating vintage fashions, authentic period instruments and some of the coolest haircuts.

One of the key features of swing and jive bands is that their sound is immediate, energetic, almost raw, as opposed to the overproduced sound of carefully-tweaked pop album tracks. It’s this upfront, energetic sound that makes these kinds of bands so great for live events, as guests pick up on the band’s energy and your party suddenly gears up a notch or seven!

What music do swing and jive bands perform?

These bands draw their music from the rich legacy of tracks from the 1930s onwards, including authentic 1940s arrangements, 1950s classic rock n roll, 1960s crooner classics right up to contemporary tracks with a retro twist.

For Jive Bands think:

1940s – up-tempo Glenn Miller Band, Count Basie, The Andrews Sisters, Cab Calloway
1950s – Bill Haley, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis
1960s – Nina Simone, The Rat Pack, Aretha Franklin

The Postal Museum

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One of the hottest openings this year is undoubtedly The Postal Museum, a unique look at how London’s postal services have been ran for over 100 years. We don’t want to hype it too much but you do get to ride a two mile train underneath London!

The Postal Museum will offer a fascinating and often surprising look at the very first social network. London’s letters and parcels used to manoeuvred from place to place via a special train line, which has now been modified for guests to enjoy as they travel through this subterranean landscape.

Having your very own private train is probably the best entertainment of all. What else can you get when you hire the Postal Museum for your event? Available for both corporate events and private hire, the venue’s spaces include the Mail Rail depot and the Postal Museum itself.

The Mail Rail depot is a must-see for your exclusive party! Within captivating architectural features, guests will be able to dine and drink to their heart’s content and there can even be an opportunity to ride the train! A hugely adaptable space, you could hire a band for a dance or make use of the vaulted brick arches in a completely unique way. From receptions to product launches and even award ceremonies, this is a truly exciting new space in London’s event world and holds up to 275 people!

Perhaps you’d prefer your guests to stay above ground? No problem! The Postal Museum itself offers a contemporary space that’s light, bright and perfect for a stunning summer’s night. Featuring a private courtyard and innovative living wall, it’s ideal for cocktail receptions or summer parties. Looking to enhance the space by booking some entertainment? No problem! Holding up to 140 people, you may even like to enjoy a private museum tour whilst in attendance.

Nice to see you…

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The Generation Game was part of British Saturday night television for many years, the Generation Game is a fun filled interactive event. This ultimate day of games, quizzes, and challenges will have your group in fits of riotous laughter and mayhem!

Imagine your colleagues competing to decorate their very own cake in the style of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ while others try to outdo each other in tablecloth whipping! And for trivia boffins the events proceedings kick off with a quiz and rounds off with a memory challenge.

The Generation Game could be run during the day for corporate events or private parties (between courses of a meal or after-dinner entertainment.) Each round could be presented by a professional compere, all of whom come from a comedic background to make sure your event is filled with laughter. Groups of between 8 and 10 compete head-to-head, with each round designed to include every member of the team. After each round you will present the famous ‘scores on the doors’ so teams can see where they sit on the leaderboard.

Games ideas.

Great British Bake Off – Cake decorating
Whip It- whip the table cloth away from a set dining table
Conveyer belt memory game
What are the benefits of this team building exercise?
Laughter Guaranteed
Professional comedic host
Rounds to appeal to everyone
Real back to school childish fun
Can run during the day or evening
Something completely crazy and different
Prizes for the winning team

This event will please the most serious of people and get them to show their true fun side!

Halloween party ideas

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Halloween isn’t really as popular here in the UK as it is in the US, where they go absolutely crazy for All Hallow’s Eve. Even so, we have noticed a significant upturn in Halloween-themed events over the last few years so here is some spooky entertainment for your next party.

Costumed Characters
Is it fair to say ‘costumed characters’ when what we mean is something far scarier? We normally hire costumed characters as vintage entertainment for corporate events and they tend to be a lot more demure! They can either liven up their usual outfits or simply go all out on the scares and have ghastly ghouls and terrifying vampires. Stuck for ideas? Zombies are always popular.

Magic
What can be more fitting for a Halloween party than a bit of magic for the event. Whether you identify as a witch, wizard or warlock – to name just a few – a magician is the perfect accompaniment for any event. You’ve heard of magicians managing to make pens disappear but what if, just for Halloween, that pen was actually a bone from a skeleton? Numerous additions can be made to keep things creepy!

Stilt Walker
We absolutely love circus acts and a stilt-walker is sure to astonish your guests on Halloween, as well as being a brilliant choice for photo opportunities. Your stilt walker could come with unique costumes and will surely be a sight to see and of course with it being Halloween the costume will have to be spooky!

Living Statues
What could be more brilliant at a Halloween party than the idea of hiring living statues to jump out at your unsuspecting guests? A group of statues that move when you look away, or go one further than that by rigging up a statue with makeup to ensure that as you walk past, he cries blood. This will be a huge hit on this Halloween!