Tag Archives: parties

Get some inspiration for your next event

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It’s a fact often acknowledged that the event entertainment is often the best part of a show. You want your entertainment to impress people but maybe this is the kind of corporate event where you’re looking to get your message across in a subtle way. Here are a few party ideas to get you thinking.

Pianist

Hiring a pianist for an event isn’t exactly rocking the boat, but there’s a reason why this is a hugely popular form of entertainment for hotels and functions alike. It’s often difficult to pick the right music for corporate events but pianists have the wonderful ability to judge the room and can of course flit between classical and jazz standards and the room requires. Wonderful.

Cello artists

Why have one cello when you can have four? A cello group comprise a quartet of talented musicians who can perform musical tunes from the world of pop right through to the likes of Elgar. Background corporate entertainment doesn’t have to mean ‘boring entertainment’, which is exactly where a cello group come in! They are sure to make clients and colleagues remember the wow factor at your event.

Lookalikes

The very definition of background entertainment, lookalikes simply need to stand about and do exactly as every other guest does at an event. Just blend in with the crowd. Of course, that’s easier said than done when you look like Brad Pitt, Prince William or Simon Cowell, but their job is simply to get people talking. So if your corporate event is all about networking, then hiring a few celeb lookalikes might be just the thing! Alternatively, you might like to consider costumed characters.

Harpist

Is there anything more beautiful than the sound of a harp? If there is, then we are yet to discover it! One of our most requested acts for events and weddings alike, a harpist adds elegance and a relaxing quality to any corporate event. Brilliant for guests’ arrivals as well as drawing proceedings to a close, hiring a harpist for an event is sure to go down wonderfully.

Jazz

Many people are a little afraid of hiring percussion for a corporate event, especially as background entertainment. Nobody wants a huge clanging of a symbol as guests are trying to talk with one another – rest assured that all of the musicians you see advertised are experts in their field and are sensitive to volume levels. A jazz trio or quartet might be just the thing you’re after to set the mood.

Great ways to remember your event

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Be it a corporate event, private party or wedding there are a number of ways to look back on your event that don’t include photography. Here, we run through five brilliant ways to remember your event!

Caricaturist

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

Silhouette Artist

The heights of the vaudeville era are in full display in the form of a silhouette artist, who can snip your profile into a piece of black card in the space of a matter of minutes. The best bit about this incredible form of entertainment is that you can go home and frame your silhouette later, with each individual creation being stuck onto a quality back lining.

Screen Printing

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

Ideas for a Toga Party

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A Toga party! A night to celebrate your pledged Greek loyalty by participating in traditional toga wear and drinking games. We should preface this guide to Greek-glory-seeking by recommending you party responsibly by hiring Party Buses or Chauffeurs to get you where you need to go. Now grab your bedsheets and your beer, and let’s have a Toga Party!

The Attire

There are only a few requirements for throwing a Toga Party. First and foremost: dress code. No Toga, no party. To create your Toga, you will need white bed sheets, rope sandals, and an ivy headdress. Cut, wrap, and tie your bedsheets into a Roman-inspired dress. This is a universal look, but creativity is expected. Construct an ivy halo from materials found at your local craft store (if you’ve been day-drinking and this sounds difficult, the halo is optional). Throw on the hippie rope sandals you’ve been saving in your closet since freshman year, and you’re ready to go!

The Drinking Games
Organised games for your party-goers are a must. Expect your guests to be three sheets to the wind at this point, so keep game rules buzz-friendly. Choose games like Chariot Races, where participants will pair up for a piggy-back race to the finish line without spilling their beers, or Still As Roman Statues, where your party-goers will pose as Greek statues and see who lasts the longest. Beer Pong and Flip Cup are also acceptable.

The Entertainment
Although Grecian-inspired games and drinking contests are entertaining in their own right, it’s best to have multiple forms of event entertainment for your guests. Book a DJ or Band to keep the party alive all night long. Hire a Bartender to serve up Roman-inspired cocktails and beer.
Togas, drinking, and Roman-inspired games – it’s pretty hard to mess this up. Just have fun and drink responsibly, and don’t forget Toga! Toga! Toga!

Musical Retirement Entertainment

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For almost everyone, music is the key to many wonderful past memories. And it’s one of the easiest ways to host some retirement party entertainment! Take your residents on a walk down memory lane with a musical group.

1. Barbershop Quartet
With perfect pitch and harmony, a barbershop quartet can dazzle any crowd! They generally have a large repertoire of tunes from years past and love singing for older crowds. If your guests have a request, most groups are happy to oblige. And get ready to see the ladies swoon!

2. Boogie Woogie Tribute
The Boogie Woogie is best known for those who lived through World War II. With lively patriotic songs, they entertained troops and kept their spirits up during a tough time in our history! Show your veteran retiree how much their service has meant with a Wartime tribute act. Songs like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Pistol Packin’ Mama” will keep the crowd swaying to the beat!

3. Gospel Group
Depending on the religious diversity of your guest, a Gospel group may be a meaningful performance for them. As people are nearing the end of their lives, faith begins to play a bigger part. Booking a Gospel group guarantees a great show!

4. Crooner
Crooners were king in the ’40s and ’50s, with their smooth voices and sultry songs. Some of the best artists in history came out of this era, including Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby. Your residents are sure to feel some nostalgia with a performer like this! Whether you want an actual Rat Pack show or just a Frank Sinatra tribute, these performers love an older crowd that appreciates their act.

5. Beach Boys Tribute
Gaining popularity in the 1960’s, the Beach Boys launched a new type of musical sound with their “surf songs.” Their killer harmonies and clever lyrics helped them rise to the top of the music charts. Booking a Beach Boys tribute band is definitely one of our more energetic ideas for retirement home entertainment! If you want to see your residents groove to the music, you can’t go wrong with the Beach Boys.

A Traditional Christmas Party

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There are lots of ways to celebrate Christmas at the end of year office party. Many companies go for a themed occasion deciding that ‘Christmas’ doesn’t suffice. There’s Winter Wonderland, Narnia, Frozen, Nightmare Before Christmas… But you can also strip it back a little bit. Away from the electronic entertainment and acts that require a loud sound system. You can take it all the way back to traditional Christmas party ideas, perhaps highlighting the true values of the holiday.

Costumed Characters

The number one thing you need to do if your employees are going to really feel as though they’ve gone back in time is to hire costumed characters. They don’t have to be famous Victorians but one or two certainly look nice (Charles Dickens for example), whilst others can mingle with the crowds, adding to the atmosphere of the occasion. A Dickensian Christmas is actually another popular theme; why not add Scrooge to the festivities whilst you’re at it?

Christmas Carol Singers

What Victorian Christmas party is complete without some Christmas carol singers. The best thing about this form of musical entertainment is that the group can wander about the venue, singing as they go, or you can make their background music a centre piece to the party.
Christmas Brass Band

In the same sort of territory as Christmas carol singers, a Christmas brass band can provide all the Christmas classics your party requires. They can either stick to strictly Victorian carols or play a few more modern Christmas hits once the drinks start flowing (nobody will notice the change of era once they’ve downed yet another sherry). Perfect for evoking the spirit of Christmas, opting to hire a brass band for your Christmas party always goes down well.

Victorian Performers

When thinking back to Victorian times, you might find yourself wandering what they managed to do with themselves with no television or films. We know, it’s hard to imagine. Of course, it was the theatre that they loved to visit and no doubt they were entertained by street performers en route.

Parlour Games

With all this wonderful Christmas entertainment on display, you might be thinking of wanting to hire interactive entertainment! This doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice your Victorian theme and bring in loud noises and bright lights; we’re talking parlour games like quoits. If anyone is successful then they may just win a Christmas present from the company or maybe a little more time off. Go on, be generous, it’s Christmas!

Oh and don’t forget your Christmas tree. We recommend a living one to scare patrons as they arrive!

Award ceremony event ideas

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You don’t have to book entertainment for an awards ceremony but it certainly helps. The truth is that awards ceremonies can be stuffy affairs, especially for those who aren’t lucky enough to win on the evening. One sure fire way to make them enjoyable for everyone (and to mitigate the loss of not winning an award) is to hire entertainment for an awards ceremony, sit back and watch as everyone has a great time downing the free drinks! But what sort of entertainment should you be booking for the event?

Meet and Greet Acts

Arriving at an awards ceremony can be a daunting affair. If you’re particularly unlucky then you might well be going alone to the event and although happy to attend, it is a tad alarming to think you might be eating dinner with people you don’t know and could feasibly in for a quiet night; nobody likes starting conversation with strangers. If you book meet and greet acts for an awards ceremony though, this fear dissipates instantly. Guests will arrive and are instantly able to relax as they marvel at costumed characters or stilt walkers.

Circus Acts

Following on from the stilt walkers, hiring circus entertainment for your awards bash is a hell of a way to get the party started on the night! The lights go down, there is a palpable sense of expectation! Hoops, LEDs, aerial silk artists swinging from the rafters…Circus entertainment is an amazing way to impress everybody which will not only ensure impressed coos from the audience but also a lot of sharing on social media!

Awards Host

Well… You can’t exactly have an awards ceremony without a host can you? For the smaller companies and their awards evenings, this is often somebody from the company, perhaps the CEO making a couple of awkward jokes before making way for Barry from Accounts, a man whose humour doesn’t match his enthusiasm blundering through the evening. Once you’re more established though, you can book a presenter from the telly or an established comedian who will keep the laughs coming throughout the event.

Finale/After Party

Who doesn’t like a good boogie at the end of an event? The answer is of course ‘nobody’. If
there’s one thing sitting in chairs at dining tables for three or four hours makes you want to do, it’s getting to your feet and dancing the night away as soon as possible. The band who provided the award stings can play some songs whilst other entertainment is also just as well suited to such an evening! LED Canapé Girls are sure to impress whilst photo booths provide a unique opportunity for someone to show off their award with a humorous prop in tow.

Child-friendly Day

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If you are organising an event of any kind and there are children present then here are a number of ideas to ensure that if yours is a child-friendly day, that the kids are entertained throughout the event to leave the adults to enjoy some adult time…

Balloon Modellers

There are a number of fun balloon modellers to hire that can entertain children in a variety of ways. Not just for children’s parties, these superb artists can make pretty much anything out of their very special balloons. Whether a child would like a dog or perhaps even a hat ‘made’ from Pineapple and other delights, our balloon modellers are more than up to the task. Unlike other children’s entertainment, you might just find your adult guests wanting to get involved as well!

Petting Zoo

The best thing about hiring a petting zoo is that everybody can get involved and enjoy having animals at your wedding. Just like balloon modellers, this idea is perfect for guests both young and old. Children will be in their element as they pet the animals inside the enclosure and they may just be allowed to feed them as well!

Face Painting

A simple and traditional idea and one that always goes down brilliantly, face painting is a hugely popular affair at every event. Whether children would like to go for a tiger look or a butterfly, there are numerous options available to ensure that every single child is happy on your special day. With friendly face painters available all across London, we are confident you’ll be very happy with the results!

Light up your event

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Lighting can cheer up the darkest of places, from pretty fairy lights, to strobes, glitter balls, to stage lights. Lighting technicians have it all for your event. You may have hired a marquee where you want it decorated all in lights, or a backdrop on a stage where the lights make a beautiful scene or to light up your house for Halloween.

Nowadays lighting can be as simple or as sophisticated as you like. You might want to have something spectacular on a bigger scale for a corporate event where a big space is filled with optical illusion lighting, projection lighting or strobe lights to create that dramatic entrance.

If you are hosting a Wedding, or a special intimate function then lights can brighten up the dullest of places, fairy lights can alter the appearance of a drab place quite significantly and make somewhere as romantic as possible.

We at Red Masque advertise only the best in their field who are training to know exactly where different types of lighting can make your event truly wonderful.

We guarantee that by having lights done professionally at your event will make for a wonderful and unforgettable ambiance to your party and event entertainment.

An event well received

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A lot of the time we get feedback on acts that are on our website. This is a great way for other event hosts and planners to hear from the performer’s happy past clients! Sometimes we stumble upon a particularly moving review that makes us proud to connect hosts with extraordinary entertainers. Here’s what somebody hired from our website to liven up their party!

“I was searching for some kind of fun and unexpected entertainment for a birthday party for my wife. We were having live music after dinner but I wanted something to kick off the party with a spark of fun after everyone arrived.’

I wanted to hire something very special for my wife’s Birthday and knowing that my wife adored Fred Astaire I took the opportunity of hiring a celebrity lookalike; and I was very glad I did. I had the opportunity of talking to the act before and to go through all the particulars. The act told me he was rehearsing for a theatrical play in the West End and told me about all the other roles he has been involved with.

When my Wife’s birthday arrived. I was so excited for my hired act to come in. When he walked into the party there was definite ‘stage presence’ he engaged with my wife and his stage act dance was so authentic. She blushed but loved every minute of it.

A group picture was taken with the Fred Astaire lookalike surrounded by all our guests.

A Private Detective event

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Are you a fan of Sherlock Holmes or do you love a good detective series? Whichever person you are; you’ll still love our fabulous ideas to create an un-missable Sherlock Holmes party theme.

CSI

This game basic format allows for a variety of guests to ultimately solve a crime through a variety of teambuilding activities. Do you have what it takes to be a resident of 221b Baker Street or are you resigned to simply writing about the case in a style of Rd. Watson?

Violinist

Aside from cracking crimes, Sherlock Holmes is also known for his love of music, in particular gazing out at London’s clientele whilst playing a good old-fashioned violin. a violinist will no doubt go down a storm at your Sherlock party.

Costumed Character

Now what about putting that violinist into a costume? We can see it now. Deerstalker hat? Pipe? Whether you’re thinking the old fashioned version of Sherlock Holmes or the new Benedict Cumberbatch infused creation, we’re more than confident that tweed will get a look in. But which other characters should be present? Rd. Watson? Mrs. Hudson? An appearance from Moriarty wouldn’t go amiss either.

Silhouette Artist

These amazing silhouette artists can even cut in various props should you desire them. So yes, every guest could be posing with a Sherlock themed prop if you so wanted! All that’s required is paper, scissors and a little time to stand still and your guests can go home with a wonderful original prop to remind them of the evening!

Eyecon Art

Eyecon Art is one of the coolest new acts on the entertainment events circuit. Sitting down with your guests, a photographer will take a photo of your eye, which you can then be sent at a later date. Now in terms of looking for clues, it’s all about seeing the bigger picture…and who hasn’t seen a famous drawing of Sherlock Holmes with a magnifying glass to his eye?

If you’re holding a Sherlock Holmes party or have been inspired by some of the various acts, then do have a look on our website to inspire you even more!