Tag Archives: fun

Great ideas for the oldies

Posted on by

Someone special in your life is about to turn 80 years old or even 90. It’s a milestone! They’ve lived a long life and you’re ready to celebrate. Here are a few party ideas to make your loved one’s birthday special.

Know the difference between surprising and startling.

Many older people like quiet, calm surroundings. It’s very sweet to throw them a surprise party, but you don’t want to alarm them. Instead of leaping out from behind furniture and shouting “SURPRISE!” just assemble the guests in a room with balloons and party hats. The surprise will speak for itself.

Select your guest list carefully.

You know your loved one best. Would they prefer a small, intimate gathering of close family and friends, or a big surprise party with extended family? Make sure the guest list works well with the environment they favour.

Opt for daytime over the evening.

Chances are, at the age of 80/90, they’re early to bed, early to rise. You don’t want to plan a party for them in the evening hours when they may be tired or not up for it. Instead, opt for a midday party or luncheon. That way, they’ll have plenty of energy to keep up with their guests!

Get sentimental.

One of the most important things you can give someone for their 80th/90th birthday is your appreciation for the memories shared. Collect photos from other family members and friends to create a slideshow. Pair it with a beautiful song and you’ve got yourself an unforgettable birthday gift. Just don’t forget the tissues!

Take photos.

This is a big moment in your loved one’s life and you’ll want to look back on it someday. This is a great opportunity to get a photo of multiple generations if you have extended family present. Ask your Photographer for advice on staging your photos and make sure to get some candid shots as well!

Celebrate with a custom cake.

This is a special birthday! Ask your Cake Decorator to create a cake that celebrates the occasion and ties in the birthday gal or guy’s interests. You could get a cake inspired by one of the activities they love like crossword puzzles, gardening, knitting, painting, or card games.

Serve their favourite foods.

You probably know them pretty well by now. Whip up some of their favourite dishes or hire a Caterer to do the cooking for you. Nothing says “special birthday” like a buffet in your honour!

Entertainment is a nice touch for some.

For many, entertainment is a great way to celebrate a birthday. Some older folks don’t always have the energy to go out to a concert, but you can bring the show to them as an alternative! If they love music, search for an act you think they’d like. Opera, Jazz, Barbershop Quartets, and Singing Telegrams are all great options! On the other hand, if your loved one has a great sense of humour, you may want to hire a Comedian to entertain your family instead. You could even fill them in on some of your family secrets for a special roast – all in good fun, of course!

At the end of the day, you just want to make sure that the birthday boy/girl is feeling loved and appreciated. They’ve made it this far with the help of wonderful family and friends like you. Now go give them the birthday party of a lifetime!

Unforgettable Stag Weekends

Posted on by

Your best mate is getting married and you’re on the prowl for ideas to make his Stag party unforgettable. As hard to believe as it may be, not every man’s dream Stag party involves a stripper jumping out of a cake. For the men looking for something different for their parties, here are five unique suggestions.

Explore.

If there’s a place within driving distance that your friend has always wanted to go to, now’s the time to do it! Get your best friends together and explore. Go on a hiking expedition and climb that mountain he’s been talking about, or go white water rafting, rock climbing, or kayaking. Have some fun in the great outdoors

Viva Las Vegas

If Vegas is too far for you to travel, bring the excitement of the casino to you by hosting your very own Casino Party Blackjack, Roulette, Slots, and other games will get the competition started. Don’t forget to hire a cocktail waiter to whip up delicious drinks and Las Vegas Style Entertainers for the live show!

Go for a beach holiday weekend

Spend the weekend at the beach with your best friends! Take advantage of the waves by surfing or playing water sports. Have your very own party on the beach, complete with a pig roast!

Night Out On the Town!

Treat your friend to a night out on the town with his best mates. Grab dinner at that new restaurant he’s been dying to try, go to a wine tasting, and then finish the night off with a burlesque show! If there aren’t any burlesque clubs near you, you can hire Burlesque Dancers for a private party.

No matter what you decide, make sure that your last hoorah before the wedding is memorable and leaves the groom feeling lucky to have such great friends at his side!

Fundraising Ideas

Posted on by

School Fundraising Ideas

Whether you are raising money for tuition, a new computer room, extracurricular activities, or volunteer programs, school fundraising is a must for most schools. There are plenty of great fundraising activities for schools.

Student Serve-a-thon: Create a twist to your typical walk-a-thon or jog-a-thon event and host a serve-a-thon where parents and students work together to serve their community. Instead of walking for a cause, students donate their time mowing the lawn for an elderly neighbour, or cleaning up rubbish at a local park, or tutoring a younger student… this is a great way to earn money while helping those in need. Make your event a greater success by offering prizes to top entertainment performers and classrooms.

School Garage Sale

At least once a year, people clean out cupboards, attics and garages to discover things that are accumulating dust. A community garage sale is a great way for people to get rid of these items while donating to a great cause. An event like this also brings parents, teachers, students and members of the local community together in a social environment. There can be virtually no costs to hosting the event especially if it’s held at the school. All people do is drop off their items, and then organize a group of volunteers to help with sales. Consider adding a coffee and bake-sale as part of the event so people can eat and drink as they shop.

School Fete

Some schools achieve great success hosting a fun, interactive event for the local community. Not only can these fundraising events bring in a great deal of money, but they also provide an excellent opportunity for families and students to socialize. You can raise funds by charging a small admission fee for guests. Then raise additional funds by selling raffle tickets to participate in games, contest or purchase food. You may want to consider bringing in a vendor with bouncy castles or other inflatables. Have each class put together a different themed basket to raffle off.

Sales contest

Product sales are a great way to get students involved in raising funds for your school or organization. Many schools sell sweets, magazines, holiday items, and gift or discount cards. There are many benefits of selling discount cards. They are small and portable with a low overhead cost, and can be easily mailed at the cost of first class mail because of their size. Be sure to add in incentives and awards for top fundraisers to build in some healthy competition and encourage participants to raise more money.

Sports Fundraising events

Sports fundraising ideas provides a great way for coaches, parents, and schools to raise funds for new equipment, team uniforms, or travel funds for competitions. In addition, sports fundraising teaches children the importance of community service and being part of something larger than themselves. Sports fundraisers can also tie in values such as teamwork, sportsmanship and more.

Football fundraising

Fundraising is a great way for football teams, summer leagues and traveling teams to earn extra money for team uniforms, new equipment, training tools, entry fees and referee fees for traveling teams. Why not organise a sponsored football kick about or a penalty shoot-out? Don’t forget to buy some medals for the winners.

Dance Team Fundraising

If you are a dance or cheerleader team, consider hosting a dance-a-thon. This type of fundraiser works just like any walk-a-thon, however instead of walking… participants are dancing! Pick a day where dance team members and teachers teach dance lessons to others in the community. Incorporate fun dance performances as well to keep attendees entertained. Bring on a local business to sponsor and give all participants a t-shirt.

Team-Building Events

Another interesting idea for teams with older participants is a “team-building” fundraising event, such as a fundraising treasure hunt or relay race. Teams must delegate about the most efficient route to take, assign team members roles, and work together to accomplish their goals. This could be a great fundraising idea for a debate team or chess team. Funds are raised through team registration fees, plus individual pledge donation requirements.

Multi-sensory party ideas

Posted on by

Looking for inspiration? Look at these suggestions on how your event entertainment can be made to appeal to all of the five senses.

1. Lights on, for a visual spectacular

Think you’ve seen everything London has to offer? Think again. Give your event a whole new look by holding it in one of London’s iconic landmarks – but as you’ve never seen it before. Everyone knows Tower Bridge, but what if it has your logo or a hologram shining on it? It has been done before but what if it was for your event?

That’s exactly the high-impact visualexperience Harness the power of cutting edge projection mapping techniques to create visual illusions that will stay in your participants’ memory long after your event is over.

2. Get theatrical

Harness the talent of London’s abundant supply of performers to create an unforgettable, totally immersive corporate event. Why not turn your event into a Circus Event? On arrival, guests will walk through the mouth of a clown before being welcomed by a giant elephant, attached to a hot air balloon, floating above them, while a lone strange ring master played gypsy folk songs on the accordion. Very surreal or very entertaining? You decide!!

3. Switch off and boost the taste buds

For a truly unforgettable product launch, team building activity or food and beverage tasting, try depriving your participants of one of their dominant senses – eating in the dark heightens the focus on the food’s flavours and textures. The experience of specialist restaurants such as London’s Dans le Noir shows that events that include dining in the dark offer participants the opportunity to enhance creativity, break hierarchical barriers and interact more meaningfully with each other.

4. Add colour to create the right mood

Match the meeting room colour scheme with your meeting’s objectives. According to the findings of psychologists at the University of British Columbia, colour schemes really do make a difference to participants’ performance. Their research showed that people in a room painted red performed much better at skills that required accuracy and attention to detail, than people in a blue room. But those in the blue room outperformed the red group on creative tasks requiring imagination by twice as much.

Try a venue like 8 Northumberland Avenue, London’s most central venue, where its white walls mean that you can used coloured lighting to create exactly the mood that matches your meeting’s goals.

5. Use music to generate emotions

Add music to your event strategically, to generate the emotions you want your audience to feel at specific times during their meeting. A recent report suggests that well-chosen entrance music can set the right mood for the meeting. During brainstorming or problem-solving sessions, light classical music speeds up thought, while music related to the conference topic can also be used to introduce activities or illustrate key points, creating immediate recognition and adding to the meaning of the event.

Finding the right type of musicians is made easy by looking on Red Masque directory where you will find London’s most requested professional musicians, from classical to jazz and swing – and beyond!

Next New Year’s Eve Party Ideas

Posted on by

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 venue it pays to book well in advance, ( 12 months or more!)

It’s also important to recognise that people expect something a little special on New Year’s Eve so don’t be afraid to go all out. Why not have a look at some party themes we have listed previously to get some inspiration for some great party ideas.

Throwing a private new year’s eve party;

It’s good to ensure there are plenty of attractions to keep guests talking & mingling so you could also consider casino tables which can create a space for guests to meet, mix and break the ice. Also check out some mix and mingle acts who will work the floor & get people talking.

Live music

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

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

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

Fireworks

It’s now become traditional to set off fireworks at midnight on new year’s eve. You could arrange a professional fireworks show or you can buy DIY firework kits from recommended suppliers.

Whatever you decide to do, we at Red Masque wish you a very Happy New Year!!!!

How to entertain the simple way

Posted on by

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.

The Dancers

Posted on by

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.

Plan your very own winter wonderland

Posted on by

Decorations

Decorations make a bland place into something magical.  Professional party decorations would do your winter wonderland justice, however big or small have the perfect event decorators advertised that will transform any room into something special.

You will be amazed at just how the right decorations can transform your venue and really make believe the theme in which you want to create. 

Fairground rides

Everybody loves fairground rides, and this would be perfect for a winter wonderland theme, you could hire a horse carrousel, dodgems or the ghost train. Traditional fairground rides were usual at Easter, but now people are now hiring for Christmas too.

If your garden is big enough then you and your guests will be very privileged to have all the rides for yourself, but if organising for the public or for a large corporate event you may have to think about designated queuing area.

You will be safe in the knowledge that all the fairground rides are of excellent quality and condition and you will have somebody on hand to check the rides safety under the health and safety.

Fairground stalls and games

If you have booked some fairground rides, then you need a few stalls and games to go with them.   Imagine the aroma of candyfloss, hotdogs and toasted chestnuts smelling which will definitely bring in a crowd!

The ambiance that comes from these stalls are second to none and your guests will very much enjoy the ‘fairground’ scene with sights and sounds familiar to their childhood. 

Fantasy photos and booths

These are very fashionable at the moment, so how about your guests making up their own photo dressed in a Santa suit, Rudolf the red nose reindeer or a little elf? These photos will last forever and you’ll always know it was taken at Christmas!!

Great fun and very popular, these booths will be well received.

Giant games

A winter wonderland garden party with giant snakes and ladders, or chess – how perfect and what fun!  We are sure you will find the perfect giant game to compliment your event.

Dressing up nice and warm with some mulled wine handy, this party would be great fun for adult and something a bit different.

So now we have given you some food for thought for ideas and inspiration for your winter wonderland Christmas party, we are sure you have some other ideas that can be found on the Red Masque directory.

Festive events

Posted on by

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.

5 beautiful venues outside of London

Posted on by

We all love London. Even those that claim they don’t still find something to enjoy, even if it’s for just one day a year when the London Marathon arrives or maybe even once every few years when it hosts the Olympic Games. Even so, it’s also nice to have a break from the capital city on occasion and these five venues are great places to hold your event if you’re planning to escape the M25.

Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons

Le Manoir is nestled in the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Great Milton and is renowned as one of Britain’s finest gastronomic experiences. Not bad, eh? It has held two Michelin stars for an incredible 29 years, so if you’re a foodie then we can’t think of many places that would be better to hold your event. Surrounded by smart lawns and stunning orchards, this really is a gorgeous venue to celebrate your anniversary or indeed get married!

Wrest Park

Most people’s commute through London is about an hour but what if you went the other way instead? Well, you may very well end up at Wrest Park is a French chateau-inspired building that affords breath-taking views of its fountains, statues and ornate Baroque buildings. Available for party events both inside and out, this is a magical setting for activities and team building days for up to 1,500 people.

Chewton Glen

What a photo. Blue skies, croquet, on the outskirts of the New Forest— What more could you want from an events venue? A bit of a ‘modern classic’, Chewton Glen provides an ideal setting for meetings, incentives and social gatherings. With a variety of function rooms and extensive facilities (which also include golf, tennis and a spa), this is the ultimate venue to impress. So be sure to dress up and make a day of it!

Hedsor House

Located within almost 100 acres of impressive parkland and situated on the doorstep of London, Hedsor House is one of the most picturesque and private wedding venues in the UK. When you book, it’s yours for the day with the only limitation being your imagination. Wow! Yes, it’s a blank canvas of a venue and you may recognise it from The Golden Compass, where Nicole Kidman was able to call it her home. Having rubbed shoulders with Hollywood, its next big event could be yours!

Pennyhill Park

Located just south of London in Surrey, Pennyhill Park is secluded within 123 acres of woodland and parkland, a 19th Century mansion framed by terraces, formal lawns and flower beds. Wonderful for a wedding or just a private party, it is an immaculate venue for an intimate party and allows up to 190 guests to help celebrate your big day.

After all that, it sort of makes us wonder why we’re based in London!