Tag Archives: theme

Party themes to consider

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If you’re prepared to do a bit of decorative work (or have the budget to hire a party organiser) then you can theme your venue or marquee to look like a beach bar, a scene from the Arabian nights or even the Wild West! Fancy dress is optional though it does help bring the whole thing together.

Possible theme locations include The Wild West, Beach/Tropical/Hawaiian, New York, Las Vegas, African/Safari, Ancient Egypt, Atlantis, Ancient Rome, Mardi Gras/New Orleans, the list goes on

In terms of making your party venue look the part, you can choose from a wide range of props and accessories. For example, for a Hawaiian themed party you can hire a bamboo beach bar, free standing & table top palm trees, hula hoops, flower garlands, surf boards, fishing nets and sand pits!

Remember to ensure you have plenty of ice breakers to keep guests chatting and mixing. Close up magicians, caricaturists, meet and greet all work well, as do Chocolate Fountains! For something a bit different, try singing waiters who will really bring the house down!

Live Music. For a Las Vegas or New York themed party, have a look at Frank Sinatra or Rat Pack singers or celebrity lookalike singers. Use your imagination and your themed evening will be a real treat!!

Toga, Toga Toga

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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 shop. Throw on the hippie rope sandals you’ve been saving in your closet since freshman year, and you’re ready to go!

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.

Although Grecian-inspired games and drinking contests are entertaining in their own right, it’s best to have multiple forms of party 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!

Pirates of the Caribbean themed party

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If you are fans of Captain Jack Sparrow, we thought it might be fun to run through a few pieces of the best party entertainment that are sure to impress at a themed party. Whether it’s for a corporate event or a private party, it’s time to raise the Jolly Roger and look through the spyglass of entertainment on our roster.

Costumed Characters

Of course! The first thing your guests will see upon entering your party are the themed costumed characters meandering amongst your guests. From Jack Sparrow himself to Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, you can rub shoulders with the best of them. Not wanting to be on the side of the goodies? No problem… Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones can be arranged if desired!

Miss Thunderpussy

What sort of Pirates of the Caribbean party would it be without some form of swashbuckling music entertainment? Red Masque can provide a pirate themed entertainment for your event! Miss Thunderpussy has entertained thousands more people . A fab act that combines comedy with wonderful show tunes, she is sure to go down a storm!

Coxtails

“Why is the rum gone?” is perhaps the most famous line from the entire Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. We don’t expect you to be able to enjoy a party without rum and thankfully, you won’t have to if you hire some tremendously talented cocktail shakers! If rums not your thing then that’s just fine – other spirits are available – but personally we think a rum and coconut concoction will certainly fit with the Caribbean theme.

Flight of Fancy

Anybody who has seen Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl will be able to tell you that the curse causes an entire crew of pirates to turn into skeletons at night! Argh! Pay homage to this classic of cinema by booking Flight of Fancy an aerial hoop circus performers that could don full skeleton makeup to spook out the crowd and serve champagne upside down!!

History themed events

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When it comes to themed parties, many people tend to pick something based on a television show, film or book series. They might even theme it around the current time of year or something that’s currently in the news. But why not have more historical parties? History themed events can be great fun.

It’s no good holding your historical themed party in a venue that doesn’t suit what you’re aiming for. Sure, you could probably hold your event in the local village hall but it doesn’t exactly scream Henry VIII and grandiose, does it? What we’re trying to say is that it doesn’t really scream ‘ye olde’ when it was built in the 1970s. No, what you need is to hire a venue for your event that actually has a bit of history to it! We’re thinking Historical Royal Palace Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House or even the British Museum, which has a fine catalogue of ancient items nestled within its walls. So if you want to go historical, start with the setting!

We know that not all people like fancy dress, deeming it to be a lot of effort compared to just turning up in your work clothes. But not every event has a historical theme affixed to it! Costumes are a must if you want to take guests back in time properly and if you’re really wanting to make your party stand out, why not hire costumed characters to complete the look? Coming with astonishingly detailed costumes that make for fabulous photos, we provide actors who can play anyone from history be it a poor peasant worker through to royalty!Don’t forget to hire a costume for yourself as well!

Well it’d hardly be a historical affair without some form of comedy would it? The royals famously enjoyed being entertained at their banquets by many a fool and you can recreate this by hiring royal footmen or jesters to add to the flavour of your historically themed event. They don’t just meet and greet either; the jesters are able to perform on stilts, entertain with incredible acrobatics and can even hula hoop if you ask them to! t their antics!

It Isn’t really a party if you don’t have music now, is it? We acknowledge that the idea of long summer nights is now a couple of months behind us, but that’s no excuse not to have some form of olde entertainment front and centre for guests to enjoy. Be they providing background music or a short and intimate show, lutists are sure to impress. With full regalia as standard, you’ll almost certainly believe that you have gone back in time.

The Christmas Song that wasn’t

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If you can recall the very first lyrics to Jingle Bells sound eminently Christmassy; “Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, over the hills we go, laughing all the way…” Horses aren’t really associated with Christmas and although snow certainly is, there’s not really anything else to link the song to everybody’s favourite Christmas holiday entertainment song. The reason for that? It isn’t a Christmas song.

You might think of Jingle Bells being a Christmas classics, it isn’t actually a Christmas song! Read on to find out more to the history of this festive tune. Or not-festive tune as the case may be.

The song we sing today was written by a man named James Lord Pierpont in or around 1850. Nobody is exactly sure of the precise time at which it was written or indeed, where. What we do know is that Pierpont was an American and although he hailed from Medford in Massachusetts, he only published the song when living in Savannah, Georgia. The only reason that this is of importance is that both towns lay claim to being the birthplace of Jingle Bells.

You see, although we only ever sing the first verse and chorus, there are many more lyrics to Jingle Bells that none of us really know. Some believe that the song was written for children to sing to the congregation at Sunday School. The verses none of us know go in a pretty intriguing direction with references to the sleigh crashing, a race with another sleigh owner and picking up women: “Now the ground is white, go it while you’re young, take the girls tonight, and sing this sleighing song. Would children sing that? Probably not, though one could easily argue for the innocence of youth.

Others believe that Jingle Bells is actually a drinking song. Historians are aware that it was a hugely popular song to sing at private parties, with guests ‘jingling’ the ice cubes in their glasses as they sang. Jingle all the way indeed! So which holiday is it about? If we go back to what we’ve previously written, the clue might be found in the history of Medford, Massachusetts. Back in the 1840s and 1850s, the Medford Sleigh Races were a hugely popular event with townsfolk cheering on the sleighs as they tore around the town. But they didn’t take place in December! They actually took place during Thanksgiving, which makes Pierpont’s classic ballad a song for the holidays, just not the one we all thought!

May the force be with you

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Star Wars never goes out of fashion so 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.

Upon entering the party, have a drink – a Star Wars cocktail perhaps? – at your Star Wars themed bar 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 hired 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 lightsabers.

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 mindset for what is going to be a thrilling experience.

We love a BB-8 inflatable balloons, naturally you can always pick someone else from The Force Awakens, but BB-8 is quite clearly the cutest choice. 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 underway, 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’!!!

Halloween party ideas

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Halloween isn’t really as popular here in the UK as it is in the US, where they go absolutely crazy for All Hallow’s Eve. Even so, we have noticed a significant upturn in Halloween-themed events over the last few years so here is some spooky entertainment for your next party.

Costumed Characters
Is it fair to say ‘costumed characters’ when what we mean is something far scarier? We normally hire costumed characters as vintage entertainment for corporate events and they tend to be a lot more demure! They can either liven up their usual outfits or simply go all out on the scares and have ghastly ghouls and terrifying vampires. Stuck for ideas? Zombies are always popular.

Magic
What can be more fitting for a Halloween party than a bit of magic for the event. Whether you identify as a witch, wizard or warlock – to name just a few – a magician is the perfect accompaniment for any event. You’ve heard of magicians managing to make pens disappear but what if, just for Halloween, that pen was actually a bone from a skeleton? Numerous additions can be made to keep things creepy!

Stilt Walker
We absolutely love circus acts and a stilt-walker is sure to astonish your guests on Halloween, as well as being a brilliant choice for photo opportunities. Your stilt walker could come with unique costumes and will surely be a sight to see and of course with it being Halloween the costume will have to be spooky!

Living Statues
What could be more brilliant at a Halloween party than the idea of hiring living statues to jump out at your unsuspecting guests? A group of statues that move when you look away, or go one further than that by rigging up a statue with makeup to ensure that as you walk past, he cries blood. This will be a huge hit on this Halloween!

Party themes to consider

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It you’re prepared to do a bit of decorative work (or have the budget to hire a party organiser) then you can theme your venue or marquee to look like a beach bar, a scene from the Arabian nights or even the Wild West! Fancy dress is optional though it does help bring the whole thing together.

Possible theme locations include The Wild West, Beach/Tropical/Hawaiian, New York, Las Vegas, African/Safari, Ancient Egypt, Atlantis, Ancient Rome, Mardi Gras/New Orleans, the list goes on

In terms of making your venue look the part, you can choose from a wide range of props and accessories. For example, for a Hawaiian themed party you can hire a bamboo beach bar, free standing & table top palm trees, hula hoops, flower garlands, surf boards, fishing nets and sand pits!

Remember to ensure you have plenty of ice breakers to keep guests chatting and mixing. Close up magicians, caricaturists, meet and greet all work well, as do Chocolate Fountains! For something a bit different, try singing waiters who will really bring the house down!

Live Music. For a Las Vegas or New York themed party, have a look at Frank Sinatra or Rat Pack singers or celebrity lookalike singers. Use your imagination and your party themed evening will be a real treat!!

Get planning New Year’s Eve early

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Because most pubs and restaurants get booked up and rammed to the rafters, many people prefer to throw a private party. If you decide to hire a party venue it pays to book well in advance.

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 of the best party themes we have listed to get some inspiration for some great party ideas.

It’s good to ensure there are plenty of attractions to keep guests talking and 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.

Party Bands

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.

Travelling

If you’re prepared to travel it’s well worth a visit to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations!!

But, whatever you decide to do, make sure you do what’s right for you.

The year of the Dog 2018

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Chinese New Year celebrations last for 15 days. Fifteen. Now, if you’re anything like us, you just can’t see yourself partying for 15 days without losing your job, so for the sake of having one big celebration, this is how to throw a Chinese New Year party for one night only.

Set the theme

It’s customary to ask your guests to remove their shoes at the door. All of this is said to lead to good luck and a smooth transition into the new year. Once your home is spotless, it’s time to decorate.
Red and gold – that’s your colour scheme. In many Asian cultures, red envelopes symbolize a monetary gift for a special occasion. So, you may consider sending your invitations in red envelopes to go along with your theme (you can include chocolate coins to replace the money). You’ll want to hang beautiful Chinese lanterns throughout your home (and outside, too, so that new guests can easily identify your home). Cover your table with a rich, red table cloth and use gold-trimmed plates or gold napkins, placemats, or other finishing touches. Many choose to adorn their tables with Chinese dragons as centrepieces. However, you can also decorate by placing bowls of mandarin oranges (which represent wealth, luck, and happiness) out for your guests to enjoy.

You can also hire party suppliers, which are great for this type of event. It adds to the ambiance to have some music playing in the background. Consider instrumental, western, pop, or ethnic music to add to your event.

Dinner is served!

Crispy Duck, spring rolls, lettuce wraps, won tons, and crispy orange beef, chicken chow Mein are just a few dishes you can serve at Chinese New Year. If you’re not up for cooking, hire a Caterer to make up delicious traditional Chinese dishes for you and your guests. Your desserts should be orange based or otherwise relate to your Chinese New Year theme. When it comes to alcohol, you should talk to your Bar man about serving drinks that involve oranges. Do not serve anything with cream or that is white in colour, as white represents death and mourning.

Party favours

Buy Chinese take-out boxes and fill them with party favours for each of your guests. Some great favours to celebrate Chinese New Year are chocolate gold coins, fortune cookies, oriental fans, Chinese opera masks, character bead bracelets, mini paper lanterns or dragons, and other traditional Chinese sweets or gifts. If your budget allows, you may also consider booking a Photobooth for your corporate event and laying out themed props. You and your guests can pose with paper dragons, red boas, and other fun props – and the photo strips make great party favours!

Chinese New Year is all about new beginnings, luck, and happiness. So celebrate with your loved ones and have a happy new year!