The christening or baptism of a baby or child stems from the Christian religious practise 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.
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 hiring a string quartete, harpists or solo singers are popular choices for the ceremony, with jazz bands, soul bands and pianists proving good choices for the drinks reception afterwards.
Many Christenings now also run on into the night with a party function band or DJ.
If you will have a good number of children attending then it pays to hire entertainers to keep them occupied. Check out Red Masque’s directory of great children’s entertainers, magicians & street entertainers. Also think about face painting & fancy dress costumes which are always a great way to keep them entertained.
Tag Archives: hire
Birthday Celebration Ideas
The tradition of holding a party to celebrate the anniversary of birth began centuries ago in Europe when it was feared that evil spirits sought out people on their birthdays. To protect them from harm, friends and family would gather around to bring good thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off evil spirits, and candles were placed on cakes to transport the birthday wishes directly to God.
Initially, only royalty was deemed important enough to have a birthday celebration, but the tradition soon spread with the introduction of the children’s party in Germany, the Kinderfeste.
For the trivia buffs amongst you; the lyrically astounding ‘Happy Birthday to You’ song was written in 1839 by sisters Mildred and Patty Smith Hill!!
Birthday party fancy dress themes work really well let your imagination run wild…
It’s good to ensure there are plenty of attractions to keep guests talking & mingling so you could also consider casino tables which can tie in nicely with a James Bond theme, for example, and create a space for guests to meet, mix and break the ice. Also check out our celebrity lookalikes who will work the floor & get people talking.
For a rocking party, you could book a party band to play songs fitting to that theme or just a general Rock, Pop, Soul, and Swing or even a hired Jazz band to keep your guests dancing all evening long.
Hiring a Celebrity lookalike of your favourite celebrity would be a great touch. For a great surprise you could hire some comedy music acts who can act “incognito” for part of the evening before bursting into song when your guests least expect it!
Hire your very own ‘sell out performance’
You know that sinking feeling when you just miss out on tickets to see your favourite musicians? It is a sad and sometimes frustrating moment – However Red Masque directory have a solution that could work out cheaper than using those extortionate touting websites.
How often have you eagerly anticipated seeing your favourite band or artist live onstage, only to discover that tour tickets sold out in nanoseconds on the one morning you had a meeting at the Slough office?
Or have you calculated that with the combined cost of decent tickets which don’t have a restricted view or are so far back you need binoculars, travel costs, parking, over-priced drinks, programmes and inevitable late night burger at 1am, you’ll be pushing £200 each?
Luckily, there is an answer – book a Tribute band instead. For the cost of you and five mates attending a major gig), you can hire a superb tribute band or act that play all your favourite tracks, not just the ones nobody wants to hear from their new album. And there are lots of tribute acts for hire to choose from too!
Robbie finished the UK leg of his tour in early July at the O2, so unless you can afford the cost of tickets PLUS air travel to Australia, you won’t be able to see him live this year! Instead, book a Robbie Williams tribute act for all those hits like ‘Angels” and “Rock DJ”. If you prefer his swing albums, why not book a Rat Pack tribute act, who perform all the great hits Robbie covers in his swing shows, such as “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”, “Mr Bojangles” and “My Way
Want tickets? You Should Be So Lucky! Kicking off with shows in Liverpool, Kylie embarks on an arena tour of the UK in September, and already its standing room only or those pricey “packages” for almost every night. So, why not book a Kylie tribute instead and have a superb night with 100% pop diva fun for friends and family, without the travel and hassle
Recreate the magic that’ll never happen again with tribute bands for some of the world’s most famous artists and bands. Tribute bands play all the hits you love, have all the moves, the costumes, the style. It’s a great way to enjoy the bands you loved as they were in the hey-day, and without the senior citizen bus passes. Tribute bands for hire are terrific as fundraising concerts and events, as well as party entertainment. See our Tribute Bands on the Red Masque directory and you won’t look back…
Go Vintage…
Vintage themed corporate events are a big hit this year. There are all sorts of great vintage style corporate entertainment to be hired, including: a 1950s inspired pool party, complete with dressed up waitresses and synchronised swimmers; seeing the likes of 40s/50s dance troupes with a Vintage DJ….
Why not have your very own Vintage theme party and serve up vintage style beverages– why not browse our Red Masque website today to arrange the ideal food and drinks entertainment for your corporate event.
Book string quartet for your vintage corporate event to give your guests the rare opportunity to relive the 1950s musical trend that was three-part harmony singing. Close harmony singing requires huge talent and many years of practice, and when executed magnificently, like our artists can, your guests will be blown away!
Jazz bands and orchestras dominated what we now call the ‘vintage music scene’ of the early 20th century, which became popular in the 1910s in New Orleans and quickly spread to the UK and Europe. We have a huge collection of jazz bands, duos, trios and Jazz artists for hire to give your vintage themed corporate entertainment the sophistication and class it needs – enquire today!
Where jazz brings sophistication, class and charm; swing, jive and rock n roll will bring movement and lots of it! Get your guests dancing all night long with one of Red Masques directory artists using swing bands, jive bands or 50s style rock and roll bands.
When you book your corporate entertainment through Red Masque entertainment you are guaranteed a class act from professional musicians and entertainers.
To book your ideal vintage corporate entertainment, just click on the band or entertainer’s name and fill out and online booking form there and then. You are then able to discuss in personal all your needs and wants for your important corporate event.
Let there be light!!
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a major feature of most modern technology such as TVs, tablet computers, mobile phones and remote controls. Read this to find out why LEDs are so important to Red Masque’s party and event entertainers and even their existence…
It’s one of those little things we take for granted, the glowing LED light that shows us that something is ON. Be it red or green, it’s a light that says, “Notice Me”, and it’s probably the one thing you can see at a gig when all the lights go out on stage.
The Prize had been won by three Japanese scientists, who invented blue LEDs. Their work led to the development of today’s LEDs, as used extensively in screens for TVs, PCs, phones and tablets.
However, the acknowledged inventor of the red LED, was not recognized, and was allegedly miffed at being left out from the $1.1million prize.
It’s a sort of chicken and egg thing: without the red LED, there would be no blue LED, and without the blue, no LED screens. Just to confuse the issue further, the first LED was actually created by a Russian scientist who died in 1942.
The reason we sympathise with both sides of this argument is purely because LEDs play such a key role in our entertainment directory.
• Most of Red Masque directory musicians use a PA system, and try finding one of those without LEDs on it.
• All of our artists have mobile phones, so they can contact us and clients about bookings, wherever they are in the country. What lights the screens? LEDs.
• And, of course, you wouldn’t be able to see our website in all its glory on your mobile or tablet without LED technology either.
There is one set of performers, however, who literally wouldn’t exist without LEDS; our LED light show performers. By whirling and twirling LED sights, these talented artists create intricate patterns and optical illusions in light for both inside and outdoor venues, without the concerns over fire regulations and health and safety of their ‘real’ fire and glow counterparts.
Equally, any artists using a mobile device in their act, from iPad magicians, portrait artists and hired caricaturists to function bands offering iPod-based DJ services would quite literally be out of a job.
And DJ’s and rock band lighting would be heavier, more expensive and considerably less exciting, as LED lighting is lightweight, energy efficient, cool to the touch and can create a whole variety of colours without the need for coloured ‘gels’.
A thriller night…
If you are planning an extravagant Halloween night this year make sure you hire some spooky acts from Red Masque directory. Halloween is a night when we celebrate all that’s ghoulish and ghastly about Britain. For a party with more pumpkins than most, here are our top devilishly spooky suggestions for your own awesome Halloween party event.
Set up a screen in your garage, shed, or front room, beg or borrow an LED projector, and decorate with suitably spooky fake spiders webs. Then, throw open the doors of your monstrous new movie house! Go traditional with hot popcorn, or enjoy a witch’s brew of cocktails created by cocktail waiters. Pop on a CD of classic horror themes, or hire a string quartet to play them for you! Then, sit back and relax and scream the night away with your favourite horror flicks, from “Psycho” to “Nightmare on Elm Street”. Or choose the comedy route with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, “An American Werewolf in London”, animation gems “The Corpse Bride” and “Frankenweenie”, the Bette Midler classic “Hocus Pocus” or cult “Carry on Screaming”!
Spare the neighbours the horror of trick or treating and invite the local kids to enjoy Halloween Serve steaming bowls of chilli con carne, add in tequila shots for the adults, and finish the whole effect with a party function band playing modern pop classics.
Banish the evil spirits that walk the earth on All Hallows Eve with your own fire celebration. Order in a hog roast, light the torches, and dot about those pumpkins you’ve been carving for weeks. Greet guests with walkabout artists or invite guests to create their own costumes from scratch. Provide a peppery feast with stuffed chilies, hot curries or spicy chicken wings, before everyone boogies on down to hell-raising music from a sizzling Rock band. Finish the evening to perfection with a hired fire performer lighting the sky with spark and flame.
Convene your own witches’ coven by getting the girls together for a costumed tour of your city’s most haunted pubs! (So, instead look for pubs or clubs offering something special in the way of live music.
It’s the dance video that spawned a revolution, and it’s never really been equalled. Until now; get a dance group to teach you and your guests the classic moves of the Thriller video, and hire in ghoulish costumes to dance in and the 1980s fashions were horrific enough!! Then, crank up the soundtrack, power up the iPad, and capture your finest Thriller moves for posterity. Or moonwalk the extra mile and hire a party function band to play the track live, followed by more demon tracks to keep those un-dead guests throwing their best moves on the dancefloor.
Spectacular displays
As a nation, we like to celebrate a hapless hero, and top of the list must be Guy Fawkes, a man famous for having failed miserably to do what he set out to do. Fawkes and his co-conspirators planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament but on 5 November 1605, Fawkes was discovered guarding a large stockpile of gunpowder in the cellars, after an anonymous tip-off to the authorities. Here’s five great ways to celebrate his non-achievement!
Attending an organised bonfire event ensures you can enjoy the very best of everything in safety, including a bonfire, the burning of the Guy, live music, tasty eats, and of course an awesome fireworks display. Red Masque have many good firework display artists for you to hire for hundreds of charity events every year, so that you can go along, have a good time and enjoy them to the max.
Guy Fawkes Night is a great excuse to have a party where the star attraction is a red-hot band or explosive new act rather than a soggy bonfire or a damp squib! Ditch the rockets and whizz-bang in favour of guitar solos and keyboard wizardry, for a night everyone will remember for a very long time. At Red Masque, we have some of the best up and coming bands in the business.
Bonfires are fun but they are also a liability waiting to happen. So, light up your bonfire party with entertainment that makes the most of fire, light and spectacle without the health and safety issues.
Fire acts create magical patterns in the night sky using fire and sparks, for a show that has deep, primeval appeal. Or opt for the high-tech solution, an LED light show where the ‘fire’ is actually LED lights twirled, swirled and whirled to create incredible coloured patterns and optical illusions. You’ll never look at a sparkler again!
You will have to book will in advance if you want to hire a professional firework display, as they’ve been booked up for months. However, you can book a professional firework display any day of the year through Red Masque so you can enjoy a spectacular display choreographed to your favourite track for your wedding, birthday party, anniversary celebrations, proms party, graduation ball, you name it. Call us for details, and try to book nice and early!
We might have been celebrating Fawkes’ success in July instead of November, had not the opening of Parliament been delayed by the threat of plague – the gunpowder was actually stored and ready from 20th July onwards. So if you’re planning a summer party with a difference, why not celebrate the 410th anniversary of the start of the Gunpowder Plot with a midsummer Bonfire Night party.
And if you do want your own bonfire party in the back garden, always follow the Firework Code keep bonfires small and under control, and warn your neighbours so they can keep pets safely indoors. Have fun!
Now is the time to organise your Christmas event…
It may only be Spring but it’s always best to plan your next Christmas event as early as you can to avoid disappointment. If you want to create your own winter experience, either for a party entertainment, corporate event or business attraction, here are a few hints from Red Masque directory to make your Christmas event wonderful!
If you want a show as part of your event, you’ll need an inside space or warm, dry and well-appointed marquee to hold it in. Acts that look great in marquees include:
• Circus acts, especially aerialists, or silk acrobats!
• Dance groups who can fill the performance area with music, movement and style!
• Experienced party bands for hire that can play in all those cheesy pop hits we love at Xmas!
Make your event great by having sheer variety of entertainment on offer. So, offer lots of different acts to see, rather than one big attraction and people will enjoy the event more.
• Walkabout acts really help build a holiday atmosphere – check out Christmas costumed characters, ice characters and stilt walkers.
• Generate a warm feeling with fire acts to light up the winter darkness
• Conjure up the magic of Christmas with street magicians performing close-up tricks and illusions
Food and Drink
• Hire a hog roast or BBQ for outside cooked goodies
• Offer traditional treats such as roasted chestnuts and mulled wine that fill the air with deliciously Christmas smells!
• Be cool with a Christmas cocktail bar, decorated with ice sculptures serving frosted cocktails or frozen daiquiris (and non-alcoholic drinks for the drivers)
Fun things to do:
Visitors love interactive experiences, (aka things to do). They don’t have to be very fancy, just lots of fun for any age.
• Turn traditional side stalls into Christmas fun, such as a snowball coconut shy.
• Book a winter or “Frozen” themed bouncy castle with integrated rain cover, so the weather doesn’t stop the fun
• Get your skates on and book an artificial ice rink – all the fun, none of the wet! Most ice rink suppliers offer a complete package with chalet, boot hire, and experienced staff trained in the required health and safety procedures.
And if that all sounds great fun but such a lot of work right now, hey, there’s always next year! At Red Masque, we’re already seeing lots of people now booking acts for Christmas 2016, so find your perfect acts now to make your own winter wonderland happen.
Messing about on the river…
You don’t have to own a mega yacht to hold a party on the water! The UK has a great assortment of water-based venues for hire, from barges to battleships; Red Masque entertainment directory has a wealth of entertainment to make your event something really special.
We have listed a few ideas of maritime venues and entertainment that seem just made for each other!
HMS BELFAST IN LONDON
Yes, you can hire this iconic WWII battleship moored on the Thames. Hold an intimate drinks party in the Admiral’s Quarters, or enjoy great views of London from the Quarterdeck with 450 of your closest friends for your wedding reception.
LIVERPOOL LUXURY YACHT
Why not party like a Lottery winner for your hen night on your own private luxury yacht, sailing from the famous Albert Docks in Liverpool out into the Irish Sea to the iconic Anthony Gormley statues (weather permitting). Perfect for you and your very own Ocean’s Twelve (i.e. 12 people max). Then why not book some dancing when you return back to the Albert Docks where you can hire a venue and dance the night away with some great female, male or group singers which will really make your party a night to remember!!
MANCHESTER PARTY BARGE
Manchester barge The Bohemia can whisk you and up to 60 guests along the hidden waterways of central Manchester for a birthday party or anniversary celebration with a difference. With space to enjoy live music on your travels, and a route that takes you past the iconic Old Trafford football ground, this is an evening to savour. Other iconic waterways offering party barges including the Tiverton Canal, Lancaster Canal and the city with more canals than Venice – Birmingham!
For entertainment ideas for smaller venues such as a barge, opt for a compact musicians that play all your favourite hits with the minimum of kit. If these aren’t appealing, why not look on our gallery of artists to see which suits your tastes as we have many to choose from. From singers to magicians, we have every entertainment option covered.
THE BRISTOL PACKET
Charter a boat to party on the River Avon as it flows through the Avon Gorge, under the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge and out to sea. The Bristol Packet company offer a choice of boats, including a traditional river steamer, an Amsterdam sightseeing boat, and an all-weather cruiser made for parties. All boats have a full bar and food can be provided. You will need some music so hire the perfect DJ from Red Masque entertainment directory.
SPITBANK FORT – THE SOLENT
OK, it’s not a boat, but it is very much on the sea! Spitbank Fort is a Napoleonic gun emplacement just 30 minutes boat ride off the coast at Portsmouth. It’s been converted into a luxurious party venue complete with roof top hot pool, sauna and fire pit. Start the fun with water sports during the day, then chill out in the pool before dinner with a drink from the bar, and dance the night away under the stars. No need for you and your best friends to worry about a taxi home either; the fort has nine bedrooms and sleeps 18!
So what acts could you hire for this fort? Pretty much anything you like, as loud as you like – there are no neighbours to annoy!
Retirement party ideas…
Traditionally a gold watch was given to prized employees retiring after 30 years, though long service medals and other gifts were often given depending on the nature of the job or the type of work carried out.
If you’re planning a party for a work colleague, a novel idea is to give a countdown clock which runs backwards for 6 months until the last day of work, ideal for someone whose retirement can’t arrive too soon!
These days the whole emphasis of working life is much more temporary than ever before in history, with few people expecting to stay in the same employment for 30 months, let alone 30 years!
If you, or someone you know, have been lucky enough to keep the same job right up to retirement age then they certainly deserve a fun-filled and exciting send off.
Party Themes…
To decide on a theme for your party, choose something relevant to the retiree, for example a favourite hobby, a work related topic, their favourite musical era or the place they’re retiring to, especially if this is abroad.
A popular theme is to dress up and hire a live band to suit the era when the retiree started work. For the 50’s choose a rock n roll band or Elvis Tribute singer for the 60’s go with a Beatles tribute band, for the 70’s how about a 70’s party tribute act? The options are endless.
We also have a great range of lookalike artists so why not surprise the retiree with a visit from their favourite celebrity or sports star?
Decorate to suit the theme…
You should dress the entire venue with memorabilia, ‘Happy Retirement’ banners and party decorations which follow the theme in seamless detail. Lots of companies supply party props and ‘scene setters’.
If you choose a golf theme for example then decorate the room as a golf course, with elaborate sand pits, flags, golf ball name settings and card board cut outs of famous golfers. Everyone should arrive in outrageous golfing trousers and pringle jumpers, and if your venue is a golf club why not include half an hour on the driving range before dinner?
This is your life!
A great idea for a surprise retirement party is to hold your own version of the TV show ‘This is your life’.
Friends, family and colleagues will love collecting stories, photos and tales of long-forgotten, and often best forgotten antics from the workplace or otherwise. Try and get in touch with old colleagues or long lost friends and invite them along in secret, introducing them at the perfect moment for an emotional reunion.
A confident younger relative or the retiree’s manager should compére the event. Buy a ‘big red book’ as an album for the collection and present it to the retiree at the end of the night.
