Musical events

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We all love musicals. Even those people who say that they don’t can be found screaming Grease Lightning at the top of their lungs at private parties every summer. It makes sense then that musicals from the West End and Broadway are therefore commandeered for corporate events and private parties. They’re generally happy, always fun and are perfect for getting the party started. But what’s possible?

Mary Poppins
Famous for dancing penguins, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Dick Van Dyke’s horrendous cockney accent, this is a musical that combines animation and live action to great effect. A family classic for all the family. But how does that translate to events? How about hiring some costumes and umbrellas and create a wonderful Poppins medley in any Event Venue. Incredible, vibrant and a really great theme.

Phantom of the Opera
Why not assemble cast members from the West End to reprise their leading roles as Christine and the Phantom respectively, put them in the world famous costumes and perform a few classic songs from the smash hit musical to a hugely appreciative corporate events crowd.

Sound of Music
How about a corporate event put together singers are decked in full lederhosen for a merry West End sing-song of all the hits from the Sound of Music. Do-Re-Me, So Long Farewell, 16 Going on 17, Climb Every Mountain and My Favourite Things can all be belted out to a costumed audience, who absolutely adored it. Such an idea won’t be perfect for every corporate gathering but it certainly shows what one can do!

Mamma Mia
Ah, Abba. Knowing Me, Knowing You, Dancing Queen, Waterloo… The hits are endless and as a result, we’ve had a hit show in the West End for more than a decade (and a film where Pierce Brosnan reveals his god awful singing voice) For this particular event, you can combine the mega hit Glee with songs from everybody’s favourite Swedish pop quartet. The result will be fabulously fun and entertaining party that everyone will enjoy.

The resonance of the Cello

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The sound of the Cello is very familiar with its deep tones and haunting sound, perfect for classical corporate events and private parties.

Not only is the cello a small version of the violone, but a violone is also a large type of viola. Hence ‘little big viola’. We admit they could have just gone with ‘small violone’ but where’s the fun in that? With the ‘violoncello’ all too often truncated down to ‘cello’ in modern times, the name of the instrument often had an apostrophe sitting in front of the ‘c’. This abbreviation has fallen by the wayside in recent years – much like the Waterstones apostrophe – and as such, we’re left with the cello being called the cello!

The cello is a relatively large instrument – one might even think of it as a massive violin – but did you know that the cello isn’t even its full name? The word ‘cello’ is merely an abbreviation of the word ‘violoncello’. If you don’t speak Italian then at a stretch, you might think the name means ‘violin cello’ but you’d be wrong.

When translated literally, it means ‘little big viola’. Confused? You see, the cello (or maybe we should call it a violoncello to be true to its full name?) is in fact a small version of another instrument, which is known as a violone. If you’ve never heard one of those then you’re not alone; only a few players around the world specialise in this instrument and the closest you’re going to get hear one in an ordinary setting is by listening to a double bass (which combines features of both the viol and the violin families).

So although you might think The Massive Violins have a hilarious name it’s actually rooted in history.

80’s retro party ideas

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The eighties appear to be everywhere at the moment and we thought we’d help you out in looking to hire entertainment for an 80s themed party by accumulating a few fab acts inspired by the decade that brought us Bananarama, The Bangles and Bros

Speedcuber

Alongside video games, the Rubik’s Cube is a classic image that embodies everything we remember about the eighties. Rigid corners and sides, incredibly dull colour schemes and a finale that’ll leave you amazed and overjoyed. Yes, speed cubers don’t just solve the blasted puzzle but do it so quickly that you’ll be desperate to learn the tricks of the trade! You get to mess it up and less than ten seconds later, you’ll get it back in perfect condition! How? We have no idea but it’s crazily impressive entertainment to have at your event!

Hula Hoopers

We were unsure if hula-hooping is more of a seventies or eighties thing, but whichever one you decide, we still think it’d look right at home at a 1980s themed evening. These amazing hula hoopers can revolve hoops around various limbs at the same time, all whilst chatting to you and posing for selfies. An incredible skill matched with a marvellous costume, Hula Hoopers make for tremendous party entertainment.

Retro Games

Let’s be honest, if you’ve arranged an eighties party and there’s no Pac Man, Dig Dug or Galaxian, then someone’s going to have to apologise! Yes, some of those games may very well have been created in the 1970s but the 1980s are when they really took off. With our Joypad retro game hire, you’ll be able to play all your favourite 8-bit hits including Super Mario, Sonic, Tetris and more!

Comedy dance groups

Nothing quite says the 1980s like questionable facial hair and the rise of the shell suit, which dominated high streets for some bizarre reason. Why not hire a comedy dance 80’s act who bring a touch of comedy to a routine and can actually dress in pretty much any way that you require. We’ve

Canape Girls

There’s just something about the 1980s, isn’t there? When it comes to picking a party theme, it has the right mixture of questionable cool alongside the ridiculous. Canape Girls are available to present your guests with a variety of flavoursome foods, Canape Girls will look right at home at your event with a flamboyance that wouldn’t look out of place in a Peter Greenaway film.

Fire act events

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Fire acts know how to get a party going and instantly provide a warm atmosphere to proceedings. If you’re looking to hire fire acts for your corporate event or private party then you know where to come. You’ll see something that is entertaining, safe and perfect for all guests to enjoy. .

Way back in 1658, a nearby volcano erupted and laid siege to all in its wake. Incredibly, the town of Nejapa managed to avoid most of the destruction when the lava stopping just short of the local church. According to folklore – and it is a bit hazy – the town’s patron saint, San Jeronimo, wanted to douse the area in fire to get rid of the Devil or saved the town by stopping the lava from reaching the sacred building that bears his name. Whichever way you look at it, locals believe that San Jeronimo saved the town in some form so to celebrate they chuck fire at one another. That’s probably the only part of this festival that isn’t disputed.

So how do you set up the world’s most volatile festival? First, you soak rags in kerosene for a month before the matches and lighters are brought out. Wearing Halloween costumes – we know it’s starting to sound a lot like The Purge – participants then wear protective gloves and chuck fire at each other. That’s it. That’s the only rule. Even if you’re only watching, you’re still allowed to be hit so maybe observe from affair. Not only do people chuck the fire at each other, they even engage in hand to hand combat. It’s chaos. Utter chaos as you can see below.

As of 2016, ‘few serious injuries have been reported’, although what denotes serious is never explained. You can rest assured we’ll never advertise this form of entertainment for your event but it’s certainly a fascinating fact, isn’t it?!

Historical party events

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When it comes to themed parties, many people tend to pick something based on a television show, film or book series. They might even theme it around the current time of year or something that’s currently in the news. But why not have more historical parties? History themed events can be great fun and here we’ll run through a couple of good ideas to get you up and running.

We know that not all people like fancy dress, deeming it to be a lot of effort compared to just turning up in your work clothes. But not every event has a historical theme affixed to it! Costumes are a must if you want to take guests back in time properly and if you’re really wanting to make your party stand out, why not hire costumed characters to complete the look? Coming with astonishingly detailed costumes that make for fabulous photos, we provide actors who can play anyone from history be it a poor peasant worker through to royalty! Don’t forget to hire a costume for yourself as well!

It’s no good holding your historical party in a venue that doesn’t suit what you’re aiming for. Sure, you could probably hold your event in the local village hall but it doesn’t exactly scream Henry VIII and grandiose, does it? What we’re trying to say is that it doesn’t really scream ‘ye olde’ when it was built in the 1970s. No, what you need is to hire a venue for your event that actually has a bit of history to it! We’re thinking Historic Royal Palaces Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House or even the British Museum, which has a fine catalogue of ancient items nestled within its walls. So if you want to go historical, start with the setting!

Well it’d hardly be a historical affair without some form of comedy would it? The royals famously enjoyed being entertained at their banquets by many a fool and you can recreate this by hiring royal footmen or jesters to add to the flavour of your historically themed event. They don’t just meet and greet either; the jesters are able to perform on stilts, entertain with incredible acrobatics and can even hula hoop if you ask them to! We admit that this may not be as historically accurate as other suggestions but we’re fairly certain that your guests will be beaming from ear to ear at their antics!

It’s not really a party if you don’t have music now, is it? We acknowledge that the idea of long summer nights is now a couple of months behind us, but that’s no excuse not to have some form of olde entertainment front and centre for guests to enjoy. Be they providing background music or a short and intimate show, lutists are sure to impress, you’ll almost certainly believe that you have gone back in time.

Entertainment for team building

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Augmented Reality Treasure Hunt
AR or augmented reality is all the rage thanks to the launch of Pokémon Go. It’s a simple enough technology that even the most technophobic of guests will be able to understand. The virtual reality game makes use of your GPS and camera on your phone to create fun photos and make it appear as though you are not alone in the room. It’s not just Pokémon or solving clues that the technology is limited to either. As the photo shows, you could hold an entire band in your hand!

Virtual Reality Team Building
The VR stands for virtual reality, which is similar to augmented reality, but a lot more immersive. Anyone who is involved in the experience must wear a headset in order to take part, which instantly transports you to another building or world, where you have to work together in order to get ahead. Imagine being teleported inside a video game and that is a perfect way to explain the entertainment you’ll get from a virtual reality team building experience. The technology has already been hailed by Facebook and HTC and there have even been corporate events specially created where you get to defeat zombies as a team. What fun!

Interactive Tiles
Dancing is great fun but there are always a few guests at an event who don’t really fancy getting involved as everybody else does the Macarena. The solution? Some interactive tiles of course! Perfect for an enhanced dance mat experience or put in place as a competitive game, interactive dance tiles can be used to ensure that getting fit is a bonus at your party. The more feet the merrier (perhaps the more steps, the bigger the prize?); this is an event installation you won’t want to miss. And yes, you can totally recreate that scene from the Billie Jean music video.

Cycling Competition
This is a fab form of interactive entertainment that allows two guests at your event to compete and see who gets the best time. Wonderful for events or parties where you have a few prizes to give away and the best bit is that there are no bikes endlessly coursing in and around your event. These two pedal powered beasts are attached to a small plinth to take up a minimum of space at your venue. Just plug in and go!

Brilliant ways to remember your event

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Eyecon Art
Technically we’re breaking our own rule in that opening paragraph as Eyecon Art is essentially a photograph. But don’t go thinking that this is the same as hiring a photographer for an event. Rather than capture you standing awkwardly by the DJ as you ponder which canapés to chow down on, Eyecon Art will have you heading home with an incredibly close-up shot of your eye. Every iris is unique and dare we say it, look tremendous!

Caricaturist
If you’re looking to hire a caricaturist for an event, then you have got to make sure that you are fine with having your eyebrows accentuated and your nose looking a little larger than in real life. But that’s all part of the fun! A good caricaturist knows how to draw a cartoon-style representation of their subject without causing offence and the best part is that with modern technology being what it is, you can take home a paper or digital version.

Duke Box
Why does everything that provides a memory of an event have to be visual? The answer is that they don’t, especially when you’re dealing with a Duke Box, a fabulous box of audio delights which allows you to be the DJ! Selecting your favourite hits and making a party to remember from nostalgic tunes to more up-to-date current hits. A duke box not only looks good but sounds great too. Your guests will be gathered around remembering their favourite tunes of yesteryear.

Screen Printing
Whether you call it screen printing, letter pressing or something completely different, these fabulous contraptions can have you created your very own work of art in no time! Popular at Somerset House every summer, you too can discover the art of the print. Remember not to limit yourself to paper or card; should you so desire you can create your design on a T-shirt. Wear your creation and remember that party in style!

Valentine’s day entertainment

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Whether you’re planning a private party where you get to play Cupid or perhaps a romantic offering for those already coupled up, Valentine’s Day can be a great party theme and here are some brilliant ideas (and one novelty one) to get you thinking and keep the fun flowing throughout the night.

If you missed out on valentines this year, why not think about planning something amazing for next. Like it or not, and if you’re single then it’s probably a day you loathe, Valentine’s Day will be on again next year and numerous love hearts adorn the shelves at pretty much every shop you walk into.

Chocolate
Chocolate fountains are brilliant for corporate or private parties as the melted chocolate just keeps coming and an assortment of fruit and marshmallows are always available to dip into the goodness. And when you’re done with that, why not wash it all down with some carefully selected wines, learning about what to look for in a good bottle of plonk? Your partner or future partner is sure to be impressed!

Colour Profiler, Numerologist and Graphologist
Let’s say you’re flying solo at a Valentine’s Day party and thinking to yourself that maybe you should update your dating profiles as you swipe over yet another questionable person on Tinder. A colour profiler and numerologist can help narrow down exactly who you’re after by telling you a little about you! Determining your aura and discovering which numbers are important to you could well help you out en route to a satisfying relationship. A graphologist is also able to be booked; often used in criminal cases, a graphologist also has a capacity for romance – they might even be able to tell you who else at the party has handwriting that suggests a perfect match with you!

An Amazing Party Band!
Come on! If you’re wallowing in the corner watching a couple dance a slow waltz around the room, then it’s time to get on up for the next song because the music is set to rock! Hiring a party band for your party is an absolute must and we have a whole host of amazing bands perfect for weddings and parties who know how to combine the romantic ballads with something a little heavier for those just wanting a good dance. No party is complete without one.

The Wallace Collection

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The Wallace Collection somehow manages to retain its status as a location only the most informed local or tourist knows about. You and your guests are able to enjoy masterpieces in virtually every room and when you hire the venue for your event, the money goes straight back into preserving the collection for future generations to enjoy.

It is contained within 25 glamorous galleries as well as a contemporary glazed courtyard that has to be seen to be believed. All of these areas are available to be hired for your corporate event, private party or for any grand entertainment.

If you’re looking to hire the venue for a reception or dinner then there a multitude of fabulous locations to pick from depending on the numbers of your party. To entertain guests of up to 160 then the aforementioned courtyard is a must, with pre-dinner drinks able to be enjoyed in the Drawing Rooms Suite on the first floor, allowing lucky attendees to enjoy a private viewing which includes the opportunity to see The Laughing Cavalier in person.

The courtyard itself offers an exceptional space with which to enjoy background music from a harp to guitar, right through to a four-piece jazz band for maximum entertainment value! For those looking for a more intimate occasion, the Venetian Room caters to just 24, whilst the Dining Room can hold up to 40 guests.

But perhaps your guests aren’t attending with dinner on the brain? If this is the case, then perhaps they are here to enjoy your wedding day! There are a number of incredible venues in which to exchange vows throughout the capital, so The Wallace Collection focuses on the most important part – the evening wedding reception! Naturally as an event entertainment supplier, we would say this, but we must stress just how gorgeous a reception one can enjoy in the Drawing Room Suite. Decorated with French silk, you will be able to delight friends and family amongst treasures that previously belonged to Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour, to name but two. Guests can then enjoy speeches, live music or a dance to a DJ in the courtyard.
The Wallace Collection really is a stunning space in which to enjoy entertainment and is truly beautiful in the way it blends different styles of the old and the new.

Getting the right entertainment

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So, you have been planning your private party for ages and now the moment has come… the big day is now in sight! Of course, you already have an idea about your venue type, colour scheme, decoration and considered the entertainment

Ensuring you have the right event entertainment can be the difference between a ‘good’ party and an unforgettable one! It’s important to keep your guests entertained throughout and it’s important you get it right… including picking the right venue to suit your plans.

Whichever entertainment you decide on, you need to make sure your venue can accommodate. Whether you have ideas on a party band, or dance troupe you need to ensure the venue suits the entertainment.

We have come up with several foolproof tips to help you make the right venue decision to compliment your entertainment plans. From picking the right sized venue to ensuring you have the correct facilities to work with, we can make your planning a little bit easier.

Space

Ceilidh bands are always a great form of entertainment as they can work as a brilliant ice breaker and really help to get your guests on their feet and dancing. If you have a Ceilidh band in mind, you need to ensure not only that there is enough space for the band to perform,but plenty of space for your guests to get up and dance. If you were planning to have a dance performance, space is crucial and you need to ensure there is enough room for the performers and the spectators.

Other forms of entertainment such as closeup magicians or caricaturists only need space to move freely around tables, whereas more exotic forms of entertainment such as a fire dancer will need a large area for safety reasons.

Stage
Some venues will have a stage or something similar, such as a raised part of the room. These are quite useful particularly if you want musicians or entertainment acts to be seen clearly by your guests.

The size of the stage is also important. If you planned on having a dance troop come and perform, you need to make sure the stage will be large enough to accommodate their routine and numbers.

Accessibility
Checking that your venue is accessible can sometimes be the make or break for your choice. It’s important your venue can be accessed by all. If you’re having a twelve-piece band but your venue is on the top floor of a building with no lift, it’s certainly not ideal for a band to carry all their instruments up. You need to make sure that any equipment or props your entertainment may need can be easily transported to your venue.

Acoustics
Checking the acoustics of the venue before you book is also important, particularly if your entertainment plans involve music. Also take note of the different materials around the venue- if you are planning to have a marquee, remember that material absorbs sound.
If you have no idea about acoustics, check with your entertainment what sort of room or material would be suitable. You should always ask your venue as well.

Curfew?
When viewing your venue option, ask if there is a curfew for loud music or entertainment. You’ll find that quite a lot of venues have this in place, particularly hotels with other guests. If the curfew is ten o’clock and you always imagined you’d be partying through the night, perhaps find another venue that will be able to accommodate late celebrations.

We hope you take this advice on board when you are in the first stages of picking your venue. Remember, if you are completely set on a form of entertainment, you need to make sure it’s doable before you finalise your venue! If you’re still looking for ideas for your event, we have plenty to browse through on Red Masque.