Tag Archives: booking

Christening Entertainment

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After the Christening ceremony many couples now opt for a family private party, complete with live music and children’s entertainers.

The christening or baptism of a baby or child stems from the Christian religious practices of immersing oneself in water to wash away sins (The Greek word ‘baptizo’ literally means to immerse, plunge, dip, or bury in water) and in later years the ceremony became associated with the taking of a name to symbolize new life. Adults may choose to be baptised later in life but whatever the age of the participant, the naming ceremony whether religious or otherwise is usually followed by a family celebration.

Make It Musical

Regardless of the size of your christening or naming-ceremony, musical accompaniment will both enhance the atmosphere and entertain your guests throughout the day.

Classical music such as string quartets, harpists and singers are popular choices for the ceremony, with jazz bands, swing bands & pianists proving good choices for the drinks reception afterwards.

If you will have a good number of children attending then it pays to hire entertainers to keep them occupied. Have a look on Red Masque’s Directory of Children’s entertainers, magicians and street entertainers. Also think about face paints & fancy dress costumes which are always a great way to keep them entertained.

Fail Proof Entertainment

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If you choose a great event 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. Have a look at websites like www.venuefinder.com for venues in your area and visit before you hire. 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.

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. We’ve even had brides tell us that the band ended up being the most crucial part of their whole wedding day, simply because they made the evening so unforgettable.

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 wedding 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.

It’s 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 event 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.

History of the champagne glass

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When hosting a corporate event and even a private party we guess most would have champagne glasses. When the subject of champagne arises, it’s often accompanied by a debate on which glass best suits the sparkling wine. However, the evolution of the champagne glass is much more complex and historically significant than a discussion of glass shape would at first imply.

Here, we briefly explore the history of the champagne glass, and the effect that a glass has on the taste and experience of a sip of champagne.

Champagne and the Restoration
Champagne, though not quite as we know it today, first arrived in England with the exiled Norman, Chevalier de Saint-Évremond, in 1670 and rapidly assumed prime position as Charles II’s favorite libation.

Shortly after, in 1674, the invention of lead glass by George Ravenscroft changed the art of glassmaking forever. Ravenscroft’s discovery was only made possible by the higher temperatures maintained over longer periods achieved by coal- (as opposed to wood-) fired ovens. It would, of course, have important ramifications.

The Importance of Lead Glass
Lead glass paved the way for innovative new techniques. First, glassmakers could manipulate their material in its softened state for longer. This led to glass free from the trapped air bubbles so characteristic of earlier English, Bohemian and Murano glassware.

The Late Victorian Era to the 1920s
One of the great myths about champagne (aside from that concerning the contribution of Marie Antoinette) is that the coupe was simply superseded by the flute. In truth, there has never been one dominant type of champagne glass.

As champagne consumption spread, so did the variety of glasses. In England, glassmaking was in demand among crystal manufacturers such as Edinburgh and Leith, and Thomas Webb & Sons (later Webb’s Crystal Glass Company Ltd.). Their owners would travel the world in search of both designs and customers.

Where to have your party

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When your corporate event or private party has come to a close, the food’s finished and it’s time to crack open another bottle of bubbly and get the party started. Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy. Get a function in a town hall and you might not have anywhere to set up a party band; have an event in a hotel and you might find your night winding to a rather quick close when the music is turned off at eleven to accommodate the other guests. Here are some venues below that would be perfect for an all night party..

Gibson Hall
For those of you who would love an outdoor reception, finding one in London can be tricky – unlike an isolated country venue in London you run into the risk of the surrounding neighbours putting in a noise complaint and getting the party shut down. Fortunately, Gibson Hall, a former bank transformed into a beautiful venue for hire, boasts a stunning courtyard garden and no noise restrictions – you can host a magical garden wedding beneath the stars without having to worry that you’re about to get told to ‘turn it down’.

Smiths of Smithfield

This venue is perfect right next to the City of London it’s conveniently located in the bustling hub of the city. The restaurant’s two private rooms can be opened out for larger parties and – most importantly – it is licenced for live music right up until 1am, so you can keep dancing as long as you’d like. The restaurant is even a short walk away from some amazing London clubs so, if you really aren’t ready to stop, you can head on over to keep the night going.

Southbank Centre
Ideal for any celebration – This world famous multi-art centre is known for its unparalleled festival programme, reaching 6.25 million people a year and featuring 5000 events by world-class artists.

The Level 5 Function Room is the largest of their events rooms; it comes with free Wifi, a fully integrated PA system and can be opened out onto a balcony for incredible views of the London skyline.

The room is accessible by lift – so you won’t have to worry about lugging heavy speakers up and down stairs – and comes with a variety of optional hired extras. These include: A sound technician to set up, two radio mics, a plug in and play system for background music. The room is licenced for entertainment until 2am, so the party doesn’t have to end.

Product launch ideas

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A product launch brings in huge numbers and the feedback you receive is invaluable. Not only that but a good product launch will ensure that people remember your brand and you may just notice a number of people sharing your special hashtag all over social media. How to attract the public to your product launch though? Well, we have a few party entertainment ideas.

Lian The Robotic Man
Stop for a moment and imagine what you’d do if a walking robot came out of nowhere, started dancing around to a hit pop tune and then managed to announce your product to the world. You’d be impressed, right? Lian the Robotic man can do all that and much more! A hit at corporate events all over the world. A brilliant example of strolling entertainment that is a little bit more unique than most acts in the industry!

Illusionists
Who doesn’t love magic? Rather than be specific by naming one of our brilliant magicians, we thought we’d go all-encompassing and simply suggest hiring a magician for your next product launch. Whether making your company business cards disappear and reappear or producing the exciting new product into your hands, magicians are a brilliant way to launch a product and it’ll certainly be a memorable moment for the members of the public lucky enough to see the magic first hand.

Chicks on Sticks
You need only look at Chicks on Sticks not only are these wonderful entertainers on stilts – so sure to draw a crowd from far beyond the eye can see at street level – but they can also offer up a drink or two to your guests as they arrive. A sparkling sensation for events far and wide, we highly recommend this entertainment and they have been particularly successful at product launches in the past!

Splitting Images
A celebrity lookalike is great for pulling in the crowds. Not only will a good lookalike be able to pull off an uncanny impression of a popular character or celebrity, but they’ll also be more than happy to pose for photographs and video. Sneak your brand into the shot and hey presto, your product is going places! Fun for all sorts of brands and product launches, a celebrity lookalike is an absolute must.

Don’t waste anymore time

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If you don’t want to use an entertainment directory, you can go ahead to hire a band by yourself. You have to create time to locate a reliable band. You need a band that has the best musical instruments. Such a band should also have the best artists. You need a band that has experience in covering different kinds of corporate events. You can be sure of entertaining your guests when you find such a band. Of course Red Masque has done all the hard work for you and you will find excellent artists just waiting to be picked by you.

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 music band that will 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.

Again, you can decide to hire a DJ for the corporate event. The DJ will play popular recorded music at the event. You can choose the specific musical pieces that will suit your audience. You must sit down with the DJ to arrange all the songs. You have to avoid playing songs that will not be suited to certain guests.

It’s important you decide on the best attire for the DJ or the band you’re hiring. Corporate event requires corporate attires. The band or the DJ must appear cute on the very day of the event. They have to entice the audience by their appearance.

Meanwhile, you need a good MC for the corporate events. You can hire a professional MC that renders quality services. You can also engage a DJ that also serves as an MC. This saves you some cash in the process.

Music for your Irish party

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We thought we’d provide a few ideas on Irish entertainment. When thinking about the Emerald Isle and the entertainment that it has provided to the world, an obvious place to start is the harp.

It is known that the harp was revered across Celtic culture and Europe in the 1100s with various leaders having their own resident harpist who enjoyed a high status and special privileges. What did they have to do? As one might expect, they were expected to play music in accompaniment to other forms of party entertainment – poetry recitations or reading of psalms, etc. Alas, no music for the harp is written down from this period.

As any lover of history may tell you, Celtic culture wasn’t as popular as it used to be and the social status of a harp player began to lessen as the years wore on. No longer retained amongst the higher echelons, they took to the streets, performing as travelling musicians to the delight of crowds. Perhaps they were enjoyed too much; although the Irish harp was a symbol of the country and embraced around the world, it was now see as an emblem of resistance against the Crown and England. It was henceforth banned from the end of the Middle Ages and in just a few centuries, the Irish harp had all but disappeared.

…Well, almost. In 1792, a group of harpists travelled to Belfast for a traditional harp festival. A passionate musician, Edward Bunting, noted down the music they played and it is thanks to him that traditional Gaelic music lasts to this day; it had never previously been written down on paper (presumably because nobody ever saw the point or most harpists couldn’t read or write sheet music.)

There are less than a dozen Celtic harps that have survived from the medieval period. The oldest one is also the most famous – the Trinity College Harp, upon which the official emblem of Ireland is now based. It can be seen if you decide to visit Trinity College in Dublin and no doubt, you’ll learn even more about this lovely instrument.

Wreck-It Ralph

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If you are thinking of holding a Wreck-It Ralph party. Have no fear for we are here to help!

Circus Strongman
Perhaps the most obvious party entertainment booking for a Wreck-It Ralph theme is the booking of a strong man. Wreck-It Ralph is famed for his strength – in fact it’s essentially his one big character trait in the first film – so why not book a real life strongman for your event? From bending metal bars to breaking blocks, you are sure to be impressed!

Joypad
Another no brainer when it comes to booking acts for a Wreck-It Ralph party – he is a video game character after all – Joypad video game hire is all about booking retro games to play at your event. From the Atari 2600 to the SNES, Sega and beyond, we guarantee that guests will be constantly coming back for more. Why obsess over the latest technology when there is so much fun to be had with 8-bit and 16-bit games? Whisper it, you may even be able to book the 64-bit N64!

Mash Machine
If you want to combine technology with fun, the Mash Machine is a must. Essentially a music creation station, guests move pieces onto the machine to create their own tune. The best bit? You can use whatever you like to work with the machine and even download your music afterwards. Why not have the characters from the film moving about a top the machine!?

Sweet Caterers
Fans of the first film may remember that a big part of the movie is the video game Sugar Rush, which features an edible landscape for all to enjoy. Thankfully there are numerous acts that can provide edible treats and even though Willy Wonka doesn’t exist, this is the next best thing! Tasty air emanates from these magical edible mist orbs and there are also options for chocolate fountains, chocolate taps, popcorn in any flavour and much more!

Costumed Characters
Last but not least, it’s the most obvious Wreck-It Ralph booking of the lot; Costumed Characters. Whether you’d like to book Wreck-It Ralph, Fix-It Felix, Jr or Vanellope von Schweetz, it’s all possible. Why not go the extra mile with some more theme ideas including wall murals and more?
We hope this gives you some idea of what you can achieve with a Wreck-It Ralph themed party and we hope you enjoy the new film!

Scary films for your next Halloween

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When it comes to Hallowe’en, you could theme a Halloween party in a generic manner with cobwebs, spiders, skeletons and pumpkins. But if you want to give your Hallowe’en party a horror film list, here are some very cool film and entertainment ideas to make it an evening nobody will ever forget.

Stephen King’s It

The beauty of hosting a Hallowe’en party themed around Stephen King’s It is that the whole event is incredibly simple. Book costumed characters to dress in yellow coats holding red balloons – ideally facing away from guests – and book a clown (naturally with horrific makeup) to stalk the event and scare guests. If you want to take the theme further, by all means have a paper crafts table where attendees can make paper boats, which can handily be pressed down and act as a name tag. Clever.

Saw

Though we frown upon the idea of forcing two groups of guests into doing tasks to save their limbs, you can still have some fun with a Saw theme. Keep the lights down low and have an unseen voice speaking to guests as they enter. Add a digital clock counting down to zero – what will happen next? – as a unique way to say that food is now being served and yes, Jigsaw can always be cycling around the venue on his tricycle. Feel free to theme the event with numerous tasks from the movie franchise as well.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Another easy theme to set up – simply hang an ‘Elm Street’ sign in your event space to create the titular setting – the beauty of holding an A Nightmare on Elm Street Hallowe’en party is that Freddy Krueger haunts the teenagers in their dreams. When it comes to event themes, nothing is more broad than ‘dreams’ as an idea because it be anything you want. Book macabre dancers, circus acts, costumed characters– Anything at all! Just be sure to have Freddy interrupt each scene throughout the evening (or perhaps meander through the audience) to ensure that the scares keep coming!

Night of the Living Dead

Not every Hallowe’en party has to focus on the slasher genre! George A. Romero’s franchise about ‘living dead’ or zombies as we now call them is sure to impress when guests enter a venue to be greeted by a horde of the undead. We highly recommend booking a photo booth to capture the experience and numerous attendees can enjoy an evening of avoiding the zombie outbreak. Marvellous.

Halloween

John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise is perhaps the most famous of all horror movies. Not only did it give the world Michael Myers, a deranged masked killer who famous brings all manner of terrors to Jamie Lee Curtis’ main character, but it also spawned a number of sequel including the frankly mad Halloween III, a film that focuses on the idea of a song turning the public insane. We highly recommend not only booking a costumed Michael Myers to scare patrons but also playing ‘Happy happy Halloween’ on a loop to really send those in attendance insane.

Strolling Entertainment

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If you’re planning entertainment for an event or party, be it corporate or private, strolling entertainment may well enhance your event far beyond what you first envisaged.

When people first think of hiring event entertainment, they normally think of having a band at the end of the room, blasting out a variety of hits from the 60s to the 80s. If a band isn’t in the budget, then perhaps a DJ, who will remain static as they whirl through a selection of pop hits. But not many people seem to appreciate how fantastic strolling entertainment can be.

From acoustic bands to strolling classical duos, there is certainly something for everyone. It ensures that nobody misses out and everybody gets seen. And there’s more than just music!

Caricaturists can ensure that a good number of guests will walk away with a memento from your day, whilst silhouette artists have to be seen to be believed. They literally walk around the party with some tiny scissors and black card, before snipping this way and that way for just a few minutes. Before you know it, there’s an incredible likeness of yourself suitable for framing. Amazing!

In this social media age, everybody always wants to be taking pictures and sharing things over Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Are you more likely to get people doing that and chatting at how amazing the entertainment is with a function band in the corner or with a circus acrobat effortlessly lifting one of your colleagues into the air and posing for the snap? Exactly.

Entertainment should be at the centre of your event and can be a fabulous idea for enhancing any occasion. Be it weddings – where the entertainment can form the icebreaker

So next time you’re thinking about a band and hey, they are perfect for certain events, why not add in a little strolling entertainment whilst you’re at it?