Tag Archives: find

How to entertain the simple way

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Universal Party Truths: The first guest will arrive early. The pots and pans won’t be washed. And a half-dozen people will squeeze into the kitchen while you’re still slicing and dicing. Instead of fighting the facts, finesse your game plan. With these clever tips, you can keep your guests happy and occupied—and make yourself less stressed, from hello to good-bye.

For the smoothest entry, give arriving guests a clear destination. A small table done up with essentials is a friendly gesture, and it frees you to get back to the kitchen if needed. Try to offer bar access from more than one side, to prevent a cue. Stock generously and make sure you chill white wine for two hours in advance so guests won’t need to come looking for anything—ice, glassware, bottle opener, condiments—but reserve some surface area for mixing drinks. Nobody wants to mix up a Manhattan in mid-air.

Guests go where the action is—besides, they want to socialise with the host. Be ready to make them feel welcome.

Give over the far end of your kitchen counter or island to appetizers, so people know exactly where they can linger without being too in-your-face.

Welcome help. Reserve certain small jobs for early birds and those who shy away from being chatty. Offer the sorts of tasks you could give to an older child: setting out dishes and cutlery, plating hors d’oeuvres, filling the water jugs, or putting bread rolls in a basket.

Hide signs of stress. If anything makes a guest feel guiltier than watching the host do dishes after the meal, it’s watching her do them before the meal. Use the dishwasher as a hiding spot for dirty dishes even those you’ll ultimately wash by hand.

Go with the sort of low-key nibbles you would find in a classy bar: small bowls of nuts, Bombay mix, and olives.

Spirited conversation is a dinner party’s bread and butter, but sometimes it needs a nudge.

Manage moods. At holiday time, people tend to arrive hungry (and ready to indulge), so don’t make them wait too long for the main event.

Use a white tablecloth, white dishes, and just one or two rich accent colours and centrepieces should be tall enough to talk under or short enough to talk over.

A place card for everyone. Seating plans may seem formal, but they actually make guests more comfortable. Think about who would benefit from particular placement: small children (seat near a parent), couples (split them up to encourage mixing), and hearing-impaired guests (reserve a quiet corner chair or seat them front and centre, depending on personality). Then fill in the blanks.

Turn a table into a convenient, arm’s reach refilling station. Load it with wine, jugs of water, and spare utensils to eliminate supply runs.  

Be present. Each time you get up to fetch something, you essentially abandon your guests. A host’s primary duty isn’t to feed people but to spend time with them. Serve family-style, and forget cleaning up mid-event. Carrying plates to the kitchen is one thing; but once you turn on a tap, you’ve dissolved the festivity.

Relocating for sweets and coffee lets guests stretch their legs and switch up conversation partners.

Cheer at the finish line. Champagne after the meal is a nice surprise. It’s one of those delightful little touches that people remember.

To really spoil guests, set out the dessert —fancy chocolates or salted caramels—while you ready the baked goods. (Don’t forget the desserts that guests brought!) Sweet cheeses and nuts with a dessert wine provide the right coda for the sugar-averse.

Thinking about 2016 summer

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Much as we love advertising entertainment for corporate events and weddings, it’s often a nice change of pace to remember the little people and to also remember that after Christmas you’re going to have to be thinking about Summer and BBQ’s (which is rather something to look forward to) 

To keep the youngsters busy, how about a Circus performer and a glamorous Circus Workshop with juggling displays, plate spinning unicycling and lessons in the age-old art of the Diablo. These circus performers will have the kids entertained for hours whilst their parents got on with the more pressing concerns of the rest of the event.

Young or old a magician with some of that ‘close up magic’. Close up magic specialist and all round entertainer give guests a bewildering display of sleight of hand and mentalism taking in card tricks, mind reading and more. 

A Portrait Artist drawer is very charming and quite flattering in a playful, unique style. Guests seemed to love a portrait artist and although they maybe a bit nervous as how they will be portrayed they can’t wait to see the result and a is a great keepsake!! 

A Steel Band is great background music for any event and will perform suitably exotic and energetic set of tunes that will transform a very English garden barbecue into an equatorial island party. Warm, enthusiastic and hugely entertaining – a steel bands infectious passion for their music will be passed on to everyone who hear them and will proved to be the perfect soundtrack to the event.

Themed event evening

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Event planners love organising a party around a specific theme. It makes sense since most guests turning should at least have some familiarity with the world they are about to experience. Perhaps the most popular party theme out of the many out there are parties based around Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Putting together Alice in Wonderland party ideas is something that simply requires imagination and a whole lot of fun. 

Alice in Wonderland

Well… No event is complete without an Alice, right? For many children’s parties, parents prefer Alice to simply be a walkabout costumed character allowing the kids to interact with Alice throughout the day. When it comes to Alice in Wonderland party ideas for adults though, there are a multitude of possible ideas, only limited to your imagination. You could hire a contortionist to play Alice, she could really squeeze into those small spaces then!!

With the UK seemingly more in love than ever with Alice in Wonderland (the theme has also been used for corporate events and Sweet 16 parties), the multitude of characters allows some truly inspired work.

Frozen themed parties…

One of the most popular films of the last few years, Frozen continues to take the world by storm, especially in the 2-7-year-old age bracket (if that’s an acceptable place to bracket off ages rather than the usual ‘3-5’) and you’ve no doubt been asked to host a Frozen party for your little one. But this is not just a theme for children, oh no! What with Christmas parties being upon us, this is the perfect time to ponder turning it into a Frozen theme but with a number of additions to ensure that any Scrooges at the party quickly turn into the embodiment of Christmas cheer!

Ice Sculpture

Any Frozen fan worth their salt will tell you that he is an iceman, responsible for cutting out blocks of ice for the people of Arendelle. Now since an actual iceman cutting out blocks of ice at a party probably isn’t that exciting to watch (and transporting the pre-cut ice is probably hugely expensive), what better way than to bring the magic of Kristoff’s profession to light with some Frozen ice sculptures! And by that we mean an ice sculptor creating a model of Olaf for your Christmas Party. 

Fake Snow

Because what could be more Christmassy than fake snow? You may be thinking that fake snow indoors just doesn’t work but cast your mind back to the very beginning of Frozen where Elsa first uses her powers, creating lovely little slopes of snow which she and her sister Anna play in. Naturally you can also make your own Olaf out of the snow and pose with it at a frozen photo booth too!

Costumed Characters

To be honest, this one is just a given. The very least that people would expect from a Frozen-themed Christmas party are some themed walkabout characters. Now you may be thinking, “But isn’t that more of a thing for children? Adults wouldn’t like that would they?” But you’d be very, very wrong for costumed characters are one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Guests can never get enough.

Naturally there are many, many more ideas that unfortunately couldn’t be included; from incredible Frozen-themed cocktails. To get some more inspiration look at our Christmas themed entertainment.

Something special for your event

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If you want something special for your corporate event entertainment, there are a few acts out there that can make your event stand out from the rest.  A Themed Walkabout artist that could be just the thing dressed in the most amazing costume. You could have a group of Themed walkabout artists where each one would take their turn mingling into the crowd, that would be quite a talking point. This artist would be perfect to create the ambiance you desire at your event.

Stilt walkers can be hired for your promotional event which would draw interest amongst the general public wanting to see these very tall people walking around quite confidently on extremely high stilts. A definite crowd pleaser with young and old alike.

Do you need some extra space for a party or special event that you are organising? If so, have you thought of hiring a Marquee or Tent which will provide extra space and less mess for you to clear up after the event.  All Marquees and Tents can be decorated as you wish, and of course they will keep your guests warm and dry in case of the British weather letting you down. 

Whether it be for a fete, Wedding or promotional event we are sure you will be able to hire the perfect Marquee or Tent for you.  

If you are thinking of having a Wedding then hiring a Marquee would be the perfect choice which of course needs a Dance floor which can also be booked with us at Red Masque Directory, you could choose from a mirrored dance floor, to an illuminated dance floor whichever your taste, there is bound to be one that is just right for you, perfect for Grandma or Grandpa to boogie the night away!!

Then what about creating the right atmosphere?  You need all the bits that go with it.  

Decorations that will transform the dullest of rooms into something spectacular, or to create an out- of-this -world experience why no go all out and hire some bubble, smoke and snow machines. Whatever the season you can have snow in summer if you so wish? Continuous bubbles at children’s parties or smoke to create an eerie scene.

Ice sculptures make another impact on your guests which look very classy and are so good to look at you cannot fail for anyone not to admire their beauty.

So go ahead and make your event a very special one indeed by hiring some or all of these fantastic displays which will be talked about for many months to come.

The Dancers

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From belly dancing to Bollywood, acrobatics to dance troupes, all you need to know about booking dancers, dance companies and dance troupes.

What is a dancer or dance troupe and what do they do?

For entertainment that really gets your party started, it’s hard to beat a professional dancer for sheer energy, visual impact, and more than a touch of glamour.

Dancers and dance companies perform choreographed routines that combine music and movement into an energetic and elegant form of entertainment. Most dance groups offer a range of traditional, classical and contemporary dance styles, including elegant ballroom dancing, street dance, Las Vegas style showgirls, traditional Irish dancing, Latin American tango, Spanish flamenco, and the more risqué charms of burlesque.

Most dancers and dance troops offer either a standard show that can be adapted to your venue and event, or as bespoke option to create exactly the mood and feel you require for your event.

Whether you’re looking for a solo belly dancer to surprise guests at a birthday party, or classical ballerina to add grace and elegance to your product launch, dancers and dance groups provide an energetic, engaging, and ultimately highly entertaining show for your guests.

What to look for in a quality dancer/dance group

Dancers can be formally trained at dance schools, ballet schools and performance academies, or some may just be naturally good at dance. So, it’s not always a measure of quality to look at the training each dancer or members of a dance troupe have received. The exceptions are, of course, classical ballet and ballroom dancing, both of which involve many years of training, and there are definite advantages of years of training for dance forms such as jazz, tap and Latin American dance.

So, also look for the levels of professional experience dancers and dance companies have. If they have performed at major venues, in professional dance shows, ballet companies or West End shows, or have performed for global brands, chances are they are of high quality, have relevant experience, and deliver a great show.

Most dancers and dance troupes are extremely versatile, often offering a wide variety of dance styles for your event. Chances are, if a dance troupe focuses exclusively on one or two dance styles or forms, they will have a high level of expertise in these forms and therefore put on a more authentic show.

Some of the dance companies featured at Red Masque Directory will create bespoke shows just for you, and bring in dancers and performers with the correct level of skills required. So, just because they don’t specialise in Street Dance for example, they can probably call on some very good performers if you require a bespoke urban style performance.

Take a little time to look at the Profiles of dancers and dance companies here on Red Masque Directory. All companies will feature photographs of their dancers, and some offer video, a great way to see what they look like in action.

Swing and jive is back!

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Swing and jive bands bridge the gap between the cool, laid-back sounds of jazz and classic rock bands, while performing some of the most iconic songs from the 1940s onwards. Swing and Jive Bands form the best of retro classic music that everyone knows bang up to date with energy, enthusiasm and superb musicianship. 

The style of swing and jive ranges from gentle lounge to irresistible dance floor filling sets that bring fresh energy and vintage fashions to any party, wedding or event.

What to look for in quality swing and jive bands

The best UK jive and swing bands share three essential qualities: extensive repertoire of music, excellent musicianship and an infectious sense of fun!

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 you’ll see this side of London Fashion Week…

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!

The best way to ‘get’ what a band does is to hear and see them in action. Many of the swing and jive bands at Red Masque directory feature both demo tracks and videos on their Profile page. This is a great way to discover the best band for your event, both in terms of look and sound. Try and listen to their demo tracks through quality speakers in a room rather than headphones or through your phone – it’ll give you a better feel for how the band will sound live.

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

Freak out!!

Chill out or boogie on down with the superb sounds of some of the UK’s finest soul, Motown and RnB (rhythm & blues) acts. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about booking a soul or RnB band for your special occasion.

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.

What does Christmas mean to you?

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What does Christmas mean to you? From the first day in January to the last day in December, not a single day goes by where you’re not dreaming of mince pies, planning your festive wrapping paper or writing your wish list to Santa. So it’s pretty safe to say we at Red Masque are passionate about what we do! Because here at Red Masque we love Christmas, which is why your party ideas are here on our website.

The office Christmas party is a tradition looked forward to by many and is a great way to say thank you to your staff for all their hard work over the year. Whether you’re looking for an exclusive fully themed extravaganza, a table at an awe inspiring shared party where you can mingle with other groups or a selection of Christmas party venues where your staff can enjoy nibbles and a few drinks! We only advertise the most trusted and respected acts and suppliers, you’re safe in the knowledge that your party is going to be one to remember. 

Throughout the year we always keep abreast of any new event industry trends and we take great care in making sure that current acts, and suppliers always are rated with the level of excellence that we believe clients deserve. We’re continuously looking to source new suppliers, entertainers and venues for our website; ensuring that our themes and offerings are new, fun and fresh every year.

Exclusive events give your employees a chance to really bond with each other. Think about organising a bespoke party which can see personal touches and your own branding brought to life in an event just for you. 

Best time to book a Christmas party

If you want to book the perfect Christmas party then it really is best to book early, particularly if you plan to go bespoke. We recommend booking in the summer months.  Now we know that sounds early, especially when it’s BBQ season and sunny, and we know that during the summer, Christmas events are the last thing most people think about but it really is the best time to book: you get first pick of all the new packages and themes. Long story short, the sooner you book, the more choice you’ll have and the more perfect your party will be!

Festive events

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PARTY BUTLERS

Now girls, you know you need the ultimate party butler or butlers for your Christmas party! Or even if you don’t even have an excuse for a party!!  A bit of eye candy never goes a miss, he’ll be able to serve up your favourite drinks all evening.

Whether he is topless or naked (of course an apron to cover his modesty) then these butlers will certainly liven up your event.  Serving up some treats for you girls or mixing a few of your favourite cocktails, these toned butlers will be just perfect.

ROBOTS

How about having a Robot or two at your festive event? These must-have robots are quite handy at serving too. They are all the rage at the moment from talking robots, to serving robots, they can even meet and greet your guests which of course will be a talking point for months to come.

You can ask your robot to customise your event so you get him to do the right thing at the right time, for example it maybe a group of robots performing a dance or just one or two mingling with you crowd – you have to agree this is very unique!!!

SNAKE PERFORMERS AND CHARMERS

Ok, so snakes may not be very Christmassy but you could add a little ‘Middle Eastern’ theme where Lebanese food could be on the menu, but how about going that extra mile and hiring a ‘snake performer’ to really get that ‘Middle Eastern’ feel to your party.

We have only the best Snake Performers on our website advertised which is guaranteed to be extremely professional and of course ‘snake friendly’. 

STILT WALKERS

Being a stilt walker is no mean feat, it takes many hours to perfect the art of walking for long periods of time, with their colourful costumes and amazing routines high up in the clouds at least you’ll never lose him!!

Dressed to impress your very own stilt walker would be just the thing to get your crowd talking, these Stilt walkers can be a feature at your Christmas event, mix and mingling, serving drink and just generally brightening up the atmosphere.

THEMED WALKABOUT

No Christmas party would be complete without a themed walkabout artist; this well be just the thing.  Father Christmas, elves, or snow queens or how about arranging a magical enchanting ice-queen themed party, where your themed walkabout artists are dressed from head to toe in white ice-like costumes.

From medieval artists, to around the world themed dress, your party will have that perfect atmosphere that you were hoping for when you book one or more of these themed walkabouts.

A Vintage affair

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Tuesday was what would have been the 125th birthday of Agatha Christie. As we all know, she has unfortunately not quite managed to live to 125 years old, but to celebrate the birth of the creator of Hercule Poirot and The Mousetrap, which is still going strong on the West End after 60+ years, we thought we’d pull together a few vintage acts to get you pondering a vintage party theme!

Upon entering what is no doubt a sumptuous English country mansion (for which you have booked for this occasion), the first act that will bring you beautifully into the vintage theme are a jazz band. As you whisk a Champagne flute from a passing tray and sample a posh canapé, these superb musicians will perfectly set the tone with some vintage-style background music at your event.

As you pass into the next room – perhaps even a private dinner – a party performer can be there to greet guests with his unique vintage vaudeville entertainment. Calling to mind the many talented circus performers and silent comedians of the past, mime entertainers can juggle, spin plates and use an assortment of items including tablecloths, hats and crockery, which will have you convinced you’ve stepped back in time. A vintage mime performer who can perform for up to thirty minutes at a time, you and your guests are sure to be impressed!

Who better to work the tables than a charismatic and charming event magician? Magicians for parties are known for their witty repartee and abundance of magic tricks to stun and amaze. Be it a signed and folded card appearing in his mouth or correctly mindreading colours that a guest has picked on a card. Magicians can do it all. Magicians are a great vintage entertainment that will fit perfectly with your party theme.

Yes, there’s always room for classical music at a vintage themed event all are classically trained acts and it simply comes down to whether you’d prefer a quartet or a duo. Spectacular music in a stunning setting, what could be better? Agatha Christie certainly enjoyed fine music and there’s nothing better than strings in a great hall.

Why not book a harmony band of the 30s and 40’s, they will Provide the perfect soundtrack to your event, harmonies have stunned audiences for years and never cease to go out of fashion?

Of course, there are numerous acts that are perfect for an Agatha Christie or vintage theme (Great Gatsby) so feel free to take a look around the Red Masque directory and see what takes your fancy!