Retirement party ideas

If you’re planning a party for a work colleague, a novel party 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!

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.

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 tribute act? The options are endless.

We also have a great range of lookalike artists for hire 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 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 host 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.

Helping you make the right choice

Red Masque will help you filter available options. You can get several options when thinking of hiring bands, singers, musicians, comedians and other artists. You may be confused especially when you don’t know any of the artists in person. You can save yourself the trouble by ensuring that Red Masque only advertises the very best and whatever choice you make will always be the right on

An entertainment directory is known for offering unique services at wedding receptions, meetings, corporate events and other special gatherings. We at Red Masque have artists who may be musicians, comedians, and singers and so on. They can thrill your guests at any event. There’s a lot to gain from us. Here are some of the benefits:

We advertise artists which we think are exactly what you want. You are able to contact various artists of your choosing and meet if you so wish to choose suitable music or songs for your event.
You can save enough time and energy when you engage a good party entertainment directory. In most cases, we have taken care of the brain work you would have carried out, and have the best unique and highly acclaimed artists in the business.
With a reliable entertainment directory, you can get suitable price for hiring a band. You can also get the right price for other artists you may want to hire.

To locate us, you have to come online; which is the first step. There are lots of agencies offering unique services on the internet, but you need to consider some factors when looking for the right agency. You have to compare several agencies before making your choice. When you book one of our advertised artists you are able to arrange a private interview to help you make the right choice.

Brazilian fever!!

Here are a few party ideas that we think are going to be huge this year. A Brazilian themed party, thanks largely to the Olympic Games arriving in Rio de Janeiro. With Rio 2016 just a few months away, we thought it might be prudent to go a little more in-depth on exactly what you can look into for Brazilian party hire this year. From music to dancers, we have it all for your corporate event or private party!

Brazilian Bateria Samba Dancers

Perhaps the first thing that people think about when they picture a Brazilian party, the Brazilian Bateria dance troupe actually specialise in a whole lot more than just samba, also able to dance Baile Funk and Brazilian Axé to get the party started! Their high energy routine can be presented as a stage performance or in a wandering Brazilian carnival style. Oh and to put you at ease, hiring Brazilians Carnival dancers for your event doesn’t mean you have to dress like them, though we think you’ll agree that they look fabulous!

Bateria Drums

You could just have your colourful costumed dancers jiving to the sounds of Spotify, but to really ramp up the Brazilian energy in the room, we recommend bringing in a few Bateria drummers or a Latin band to enhance the flava of your party. With a multitude of instruments to choose from, the percussion will wow the crowd. There’s so much choice that the Rio 2016 opening ceremony will feel like it’s happening right in front of you!

Dancing Characters

As incredible and beautiful as Brazilian dancers are, you might be thinking that you need a little more colour and a little more Brazilian carnival flavour! Not a problem. The costumed dancing characters include flamingos, peacocks and more! Eye catching and sure to amaze your guests, there are tens of costumed dancers to choose from and each one will look incredible in your party photos The best bit is that you can even hire them on stilts for maximum impact!

Football freestylers

Although it’s Rio 2016 we are celebrating this year, the sport most associated with Brazil and a number of countries in South America is undoubtedly football. Football freestylers will stun the room with their impressive footballing skills! The perfect antidote to the colour and glamour of the rest of your Brazilian party, ‘freestyle football for hire’ is sure to be a match winner!

Capoeira

To end your evening, why not indulge in a little Capoeira dancing? An Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music and dance is technical and graceful in equal measure. Incredible performed to live drums, the act can also perform to any music style desired. Though if you’re going for a Brazilian party atmosphere, we recommend you steer away from the slow Classical numbers!

Comedians and Hosts

We all have our favourite podcasts. At Red Masque we often get a lot of bookings for comedians who are often a lot more expensive than people expect. If only there was a way to combine these two difficulties and find out about incredible up and coming comedians for your event…

Thankfully we have many comedians advertising on our Website which will cater for absolutely everyone, from drag queens to comedian duos or just a good ‘stand up’ guy. You will know that they are all on ‘top form.

But why are we telling you all this? Well, unless you’re a big fan of comedy and the live stand-up circuit, you may not be aware of some of the names you see advertised on Red Masque directory, but rest assured they are just as funny as the hired comedians you have heard about and are wanting to compare your event and the best bit is that they are often a fraction of the price! Why spend £25,000 when you can spend £1,000? Comedians and hosts are by their very nature fairly expensive – they have to hold an entire event together – but many of the newer folks on the circuit are both passionate and eager to please, so do consider saving some of your budget for other forms of entertainment (including live awards stings) and featuring a fab new comedian at your event!

If you’re wanting to hear exactly what some of these comedian’s sound like before booking them then feel free to ask them and they are sure to have dvd’s that they can send you of past gigs. Younger comedians are cheaper and some are even better than the established names you know so get in touch now to make your event a budget friendly but frequently funny affair!

And just think… A few years from now you can brag to your friends and colleagues that you hired wonderfully famous awards hosts and hilarious comedians to hire for your awards before anyone knew about them!

Make it an event to remember

We at Red Masque have the best unique artists to hire out for your special event; we have below suggested some great things to consider. It’s quite hard to come up with different things to do so we hope we have just given you a little taster of what we have on offer:

If you do decide for your party that you are going to travel into town and visit some extravagant wine bars, why not hire a limo and be treated like a star all night too! You could include some true star quality and hire your own Paparazzi photographers to follow you wherever you go – you’ll be guaranteed to attract plenty of attention and have some fabulous shots of your night to treasure forever!

If you think that your party group are the outdoors type, then have you considered organise some giant games to play outside. Another great idea is circus training! Your party can learn a range of amazing circus tricks taught by professionals and come away from the party with a skill to enjoy and show-off for life. These artists are so much fun and guaranteed to thrill all your guests.

How about a Murder Mystery Night? Mingle your guests with brilliant characters and watch a murder unfold before your eyes leaving the guests as detectives trying to found out “who dunnit”! It’s a superbly thrilling evening where you learn who to trust and who not to trust while you work out who committed the terrible crime but beware of twists in the tale….!

Alternatively, you could hire some themed dance acts to really get all your guests in the spirit at they dance the night away in their themed dress. Don’t forget to include some suitable dance entertainment such as some Burlesque dancers which will be very entertaining for both sexes. There are a whole host of party entertainment to book, just glance through all of our entertainment for hire to give you some more ideas.

We hope we’ve given you some food for thought.

Creative ideas for corporate events

Here at Red Masque we think we are tooled with some of the best acts for your party which will capture your imagination. So, what are the best of the best for corporate entertainment hire for your next corporate event in 2016? Red Masque directory have the hottest trends and acts for corporate, and company parties to ensure your VIPs are very impressed and your boss is very happy.

Circus act entertainers have given the world of corporate entertainment a whole new generation of aerial artists, defying gravity to present unique. Even if you haven’t got a skyscraper to use as your stage, these circus-inspired artists can perform in almost any space, for any corporate event.

Aerialists use aerial circus and dance theatre with dynamic lighting and music to create evocative shows using trapeze, ropes and silks. Available as a solo artist for smaller venue, or as large a troupe as you wish, their show can be tailored to create the atmosphere you require, whether humorous, quirky, elegant. With a range of associated acts, including aerial champagne pouring, we are sure you will find your perfect act on our website.

The fascination with all things 007 is as strong as ever. The difference for 2016 is that people want to be Bond, to immerse themselves in a world where tech is top, and glamour is king.

Offer your guests a total 007 experience: an elegant stately home or iconic venue, set up as a celebrity lookalike James Bond complete with elegant hostesses serving martinis (shaken not stirred by expert cocktail waiters). Then add musical entertainment combining iconic Bond movie soundtracks and characters with dance and spectacle, such as a top party function band with a James Bond set.

Add in some more celebrity lookalikes and a John Cleese lookalike the ‘new’ Q, who sets your guests site-specific missions to test their skills.

Bespoke dance groups provide a superb spectacle that transcends language, and can be precisely tailored to your corporate event theme. From ballet dancers to contemporary rock dancers, your guests can enjoy a show full of energy, passion, augmented by state of the lighting and sound systems.

Whatever the occasion, you’ll find a dance troupe to suit; that can offer themed events such as Arabian Nights, Argentinean Tango, Burlesque, Flamenco, Irish Dancing, Ballroom Dancing, and Vegas Showgirls for example.

The ultimate surprise

When you’re planning an event, you want to keep your guests entertained throughout, so the energy and enjoyment never dips. Giving them something new just when they are least expecting it is a great way to create a buzz, and to give guests something to talk about apart from the food or the football! And nothing fits the bill quite like a surprise act, be it singing waiters, firemen, or chefs.

Hiring singing waiters, policemen, firemen and a whole host of other comedy singing acts from Red Masque directory to make your event unforgettable. Discover what surprise event entertainment for hire we offer and how they’ll positively impact your event!

The idea is really simple; your guests have no idea that the waiter who has been serving them, or the fireman who seems to be worried about the smoke alarms, are in fact highly talented singers, ready to grab a microphone and burst into song. As one waiter starts to sing, another suddenly joins in, and then a ‘guest’ can’t seem to resist joining in either. It’s particularly effective during a formal dinner.

It’s a great way of breaking up a meal and giving your guests something hugely entertaining when they are least expecting it!

The voices, the energy, the performance, they are all something that you just can’t duplicate in any other way. The ‘singing waiters’ introduction is a light way to create a surprise and add a great deal of fun.

What the guests see, of course, is just the end product of a great deal of planning and preparation. Professional entertainment acts make sure that everyone behind the scenes is in the know and fully prepared, while the real guests haven’t a clue what’s going on! It’s also about preparing a scenario that is perfect for your event.

The most romantic day

It’s hard to find a better day to propose on than Valentine’s Day, which is already considered worldwide as the most romantic day of the year. The easy side to a Valentine’s proposal is that you know you will be spending it with your partner, so it’ll be no surprise that you are making plans. The hard part is to think of a unique way to propose that ensures you get the answer you want! Red Masque entertainment directory has put a few ideas together of the best ways to make your Valentine’s Day proposal the best it can be.

Proposing in front of a crowd adds the excitement and romantic atmosphere that your partner will want from their proposal. You could invite some close friends to a party and propose or, you could go to a theatre performance and arrange with staff to propose on stage during the interval. Alternatively, you could pay for an ad at the cinema to play during the trailers. Just make sure with these ideas that you get tickets early as Valentine’s Day tickets sell out quickly!

If you and your partner are always joking around and laughing together, it might be a good idea to incorporate this side of your relationship into your proposal. This will make the proposal especially personal and add extra suspense. One idea we love is to organise a scavenger hunt for your partner! Put together some clues and hide them all over town, each one leading to the next, ending up with a ‘marry me’ note and the ring at the end of the hunt. You could use all your date locations to hide each clue for extra romance.

How amazing would it be to capture the moment of your proposal in a photo to keep forever? We love the idea of taking your partner to a photo-booth to propose. This could just be an ordinary Valentine’s date; you could claim you just want to mark the day with a picture. Then whilst the photos are taking show your partner the ring and see her reaction! Some re-prints of these would make great save-the-date invitations! Alternatively, you could hire a paparazzi photographer to hide nearby the scene and take some secret snaps of your proposal and your partner’s reaction. These pictures, if you keep them a secret, could be the perfect wedding day gift for your partner!

Another public way to propose would be in a restaurant. You could hire a string quartet to come to your table while you pop the question? Book a table at your partner’s favourite restaurant and have the chef write ‘marry me’ in sauce on the desert plate. Or ask the waiter to use your own inscribed plate so that once your partner has finished eating, the message will be revealed. Again though, make sure you book early as restaurants are hot venues for Valentine’s dates!

A Vintage Circus Party

Ever since “Water for Elephants” hit the theatres, we’ve been in love with the Vintage Circus party theme. The idea has been around for a while, but it’s still one of the most visually exciting party themes out there! Plus, you can add all kinds of amazing live entertainment to take things up a notch. We have a few ideas to bring your Vintage Circus party to life.

Decorations

Stripes are an easy way to incorporate that circus feel into your party. If you can’t have the actual big top tent, bringing the red and white stripes into your decor will do the trick. Hanging a backdrop of alternating white and red scarves or sheets can mimic the tent, as well. Try and find faded red to add to the vintage theme. Banners with alternating flags are another simple yet effective decoration. Luckily, balloons are inexpensive and fit beautifully into a Circus theme. Hang balloons from the ceiling and pair with white lights or scarves for a simple, yet gorgeous setting.

If your budget is a little higher, you could have marquee letters with lights spell out “CIRCUS” (or maybe the name of the guest/guests of honour).

Invitations are really fun for this theme. Create and print postcards announcing “The Circus is Coming to Town” with all of your event details.

Refreshments

What foods do you love at the circus? hot dogs, or candy floss? All great ideas for your Vintage Circus party! Set up a self-serve table with all of your favourites and let your guests take their pick. Or if you’d rather have someone else take care of the details and add an element of authenticity, try bringing in a company to provide candy floss hot dogs, and more.

If your party includes a cake, there are tons of amazing designs out there. Professional cake decorators can help your vision come to life, or simplify things with a cupcake tower instead! Just frost them in your theme colours, add a printable toothpick flag, and you’re set.

To dress up your food table a bit, print labels in a fun “Circus” font.

Party Entertainment

While it would be amazing to have an elephant in your backyard, it’s not entirely probable. That doesn’t mean you can’t have awe-inspiring entertainment at your Vintage Circus party! In fact, some of our favourite types of corporate event entertainment live in this category. If you have the space, Aerialists put on some amazing shows in the air above the party. Jugglers, Fire eaters, and Acrobats can also take advantage of the area and keep your guests mesmerized.

If space is a little tight, try up-close and personal entertainment like Mind readers, Tarot Card Readers, or Street Magicians Have some kids at the party? Balloon Moddlers and Face Painters are always a great addition to Circus parties!

Star Wars themed evening

Star Wars: For many young padawans and a fair few not-so-young padawans, this is the film event of the year and the only way to properly celebrate will be to hold your very own Star Wars party. Here’s a few ideas to get you started as you ponder whether you should go as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo or Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Naturally upon entering the party, you’ll be wanting to experience the delight of Star Wars from the get-go with a string quartet playing the Star Wars theme. This has worked at many previous film-themed events. It gets people in the mood to have fun and more importantly, puts them in the right mind-set for what is going to be a thrilling experience.

Upon entering the party, have a drink – a Star Wars cocktail perhaps? – at your Star Wars themed bar (or alternatively go with the style seen at the Force Awakens premier party) before venturing on and sampling the entertainment. Hopefully this won’t be in a galaxy far, far away but fairly close by.

As you meander through your event venue, you might begin to notice a few recognisable faces. Whether you’ve gone for lookalikes or costumed characters, a Star Wars party is only really complete when you feel as though you’re in amongst the action. Other Star Wars party ideas might include an area to duel with lightsabres.

We love a BB-8 inflatable balloon hirers, naturally you can always pick someone else from The Force Awakens, but BB-8 is quite clearly the cutest choice (sorry, R2D2 and C3PO). And once that’s done, you can savour the memory of the occasion by basking in the glory of a Star Wars Photo Booth.

And finally, as the party is fully under way, it might be an idea to ask your party band to turn up the music and play the ultimate song. Enjoy your evening and ‘May the Force be with you’!!!