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A love for Puppets

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British children’s television in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s made stars of some puppets, from the marionettes ‘Muffin the Mule’, ‘Andy Pandy’, ‘Bill and Ben’, ‘Lady Penelope’, ‘Parker’, ‘Troy Tempest’ and ‘Captain Scarlet’ to the glove puppets ‘Sooty and Sweep’ and ‘Basil Brush’ as well as the American sock puppet ‘Lamb Chop’ (who was still operated by hand). The Pipkins’ ‘Hartley Hare’ was a rod puppet and Jim Henson created many different types of puppets for ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘The Muppets’ which British audiences loved.

Britain’s first purpose-built puppet theatre, The Harlequin Theatre, was opened by Eric Bramall at Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales in 1958, followed by John Wright’s Little Angel Theatre in Islington in 1961, Ray and Joan DaSilva’s Norwich Puppet Theatre in 1980, Gren and Juliet Middleton’s Puppet Theatre Barge on the Regent’s Canal in 1982, and The Biggar Puppet Theatre, opened near Edinburgh by The Purves Puppets in 1986. Artist and Illustrator Mary Shillabeer created various full-scale marionette shows in the 1970s and 1980s, some of which appeared during the Edinburgh Festival, including ‘Peter and the Wolf’, ‘Boite a Jou-Jou’ (The Toy Box) and ‘Babar the Elephant’.

‘Spitting Image’ puppets, created for television in the 1980s by Peter Fluck and Roger Law, renewed the 18th-century tradition of satirical puppetry at a time when many innovative British touring puppet show companies were established, and theatre companies such as Forkbeard Fantasy began using large scale puppetry in their work.

Muffin the Mule, the first marionette to become a television star, is seen here with his presenter Annette Mills.

Muffin was carved in 1934 by Fred Tickner, a famous maker of Punch and Judy puppets, for Ann Hogarth and her husband Jan Bussell, who formed The Hogarth Puppets in 1932. For their show they wanted a comic-looking mule with a big head that could kick his back legs at a marionette clown.

When television started again after the war in 1946, Annette Mills – sister of the actor John Mills – asked the Hogarth’s if they would make some puppets to go with her songs for the programme ‘For the Children’. The Hogarth’s suggested she used some of their puppets instead, so she wrote new songs to go with the puppets she chose – the mule and clown – which she called Muffin and Crumpet.

Muffin was later joined by other marionettes including Mr Peregrine Esquire, Louise the Lamb and Oswald the Ostrich. The act consisted of Annette Mills talking to Muffin and singing songs at the grand piano while he and his friends clattered around on its lid. His operator, Ann Hogarth, also stood there, hidden by a partition.

A few dedicated puppet theatres survive in Britain, often in the face of financial indifference from local authorities, but puppetry in 21st-century Britain is also finding new audiences with companies and productions incorporating puppetry into their work, and of course the beloved ‘Punch and Judy’ is still as popular today as ever for both young and older generations.

What is a mime?

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Mime is a form of acting and drama where the actor uses his body and gestures and also facial expressions rather than words to express his role. Drama started before the Greek times, it was created as a form of entertainment for the local people. In the past, Greeks would hold a festival to celebrate their god Dionysus. She was the god of wine, fertility and celebration. During these festivals, Greeks would entertain the public by holding drama based performances on either comedy or tragedy. Mime artists are called mimics; they exaggerate every move they make so it defines what they are trying to show. A mimic is an actor that acts without words and their entire performance is based on their non-verbal gesture and bodily movements. Mime artists usually act a story through their body; there have been many famous mime artists through the years.

Mime has been around since the ancient Geek and Roman period. It all began when Greek’s started having festivals and carnivals in honour of Dionysus, who is the Greek god of theatre. In the olden days actors would concentrate on their character a lot more than the actual plot of the story this is how mime became an exaggerated form of acting where self-expression is highly important. In Greek times, they had two main genres of drama, one was comedy and one was tragedy, this developed in Athens. During all of these performances in the Greek period, the Catholic Church showed great opposition to mime and drama as a whole, they thought that doing performances about comedies and tragedies shouldn’t be allowed and that performances should be about religion. This is when Mystery and Morality plays started to come in focus which were religious plays. A religious play would be about Jesus Christ and Morality plays would have a good moral and teaching to the story. 

Famous Mime artists.

Charlie Chaplin was a famous English comedian and was also a successful film director. Most of his films had slapstick comedy but were also based on social themes of the time. Charlie Chaplin was inspired by a French silent film comedian called Max Linder. Chaplin was hugely influenced by him and later dedicated one of his films to him. Chaplin was an actor for 75 years and he started acting at a very young age. Charlie Chaplin was known for his acting and his great films; he is one of the best mime artists in the world and is currently a legend. Many people get inspired by his work.

Marcel Marceau was a famous French mime artist who died recently on 22nd September 2007. Marcel Marceau was known for his striped pull over and his battered silk opera hat. This was his costume for one of his characters “Bip”. Marcel Marceau performed all around the world and was known by many people, his mime acts where inspiring and he wanted to spread the “art of silence” all around the world so people could learn to appreciate it. 

Mr Bean is a British television programme, and Rowan Atkinson is the main character. His character is based on a child’s mind in an adults body, this character was developed when Rowan Atkinson was in university. Rowan Atkinson plays his character in a mime with random sounds that complete the character and the atmosphere of the performance. Rowan Atkinson is one of the best mime artists now and he is known for his character all throughout England.

Professional entertainers are second to none…

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You need to put on a show or want a different kind of ‘wow’ factor to greet your guests, or you want to use as a distraction when you are changing scenery. Well why not hire Acrobats that can put on an amazing choreographed performance jumping over your crowd or through fire.  

Another act to consider is Ariel performers which can be quite beautiful.  Imagine the scene, your guests have sat in their seats a few hoops or ribbons come down over your guest heads and the most dazzling display of performers gracefully move in sync like ballerinas in the sky. 

A tightrope walker could also be considered where they too walk high up over your crowd’s heads taking entertaining to another level 

Do you want to have a circus in your own back garden? Or you may be hiring a piece of land that could have a circus erected, everyone loves the excitement of a circus and if you wanted to hire one then we have the right circus at Red Masque directory for you to hire.

You could be holding an extravagant party for somebody or it could be for a corporate evening.  The choices are endless; it’s good to know that Red Masque only advertise the best of the best.

You may want to hold a children’s party where a clown is needed to entertain the children whilst you sit back and have a well-deserved break.  Our clowns advertised come in many shapes and sizes, some can do magic, balloon modelling or some that do good old fashioned ‘slap stick’ humour. Whatever you would like your clown to do we have the best advertised on our Red Masque entertainment directory.  

Fill out an online booking form so your chosen act is able to contact you to take things further.

Anything you can imagine; you can hire!!

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From a corporate event, to a special birthday, a funeral or a Wedding hiring some unusual acts or entertainment will truly make any event very special and unique.

May we nudge you in the right direction and think about hiring some fairground rides. Everybody loves fairground rides, it maybe the horse carrousel, dodgems or the ghost train. You will be the envy of your guests when you set up your very own fairground and it could be in your back garden, if indeed you have one big enough.You maybe organising a special birthday, teenagers birthday or a prom and this would definitely be a hit, especially when their will be a ‘select few’ invited which means no queues!! All the fairground rides are of excellent quality and condition and you will have somebody on hand to check your rides are set them up for your perfect event.

If you have booked your fairground rides, then you need a few stalls and games to go with them. You could be having a charity event, where all game proceeds go to your favourite cause, or you could just want a hotdog or candyfloss stall to treat all your guests to something naughty but nice. 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.

For music; you could hire some steel drums, samba, to reggae music that would play and will really get your guests in the party mood, it’s all about fun, feel good music that will get your guests swinging those hips and get everybody in the ‘party spirit’.

You could indeed want a carnival feel party and need some high-lifting music to get you in the mood.  You can be assured that here at Red Masque entertainment directory we advertise only the very best that are not only very professional but will tick all your boxes and make your carnival event a very memorable one indeed.

And don’t forget the decorations it will make a bland place into something magical.  When you organise your party you will be surprised that many people forget about decorations; professional decorations would do your venue justice, or if a wedding venue where a ‘church hall’ could do with a little softening.  However big or small our event we have the perfect event decorators that will transform any room or place into something special.

So, do you dare to dream? With Red Masque your dreams could become reality.  Just look on our gallery and see for yourself what other party entertainment and entertainers we have advertised!

Ice and Lights; the perfect combination…

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Ice sculptures promote class and beauty so whatever your event you will be sure that these sculptures will cry out just that. An intricate Ice Sculpture can be extremely intriguing and also very beautiful. You may want to make a dramatic statement for your event and an Ice Sculpture would be the very thing. From centre pieces on dining tables, two sculptures depicting two lovers entwined on your very special Wedding day.

Your event wouldn’t be any sort of event if it doesn’t have the right lighting; it can bring your special event to life and create the atmosphere that you are hoping for.  You may have a large event where dramatic lighting is needed for a theatrical performance or just a small affair where a few lights would give that intimate feeling of warm and very cosy.  Whatever your event private or corporate we are sure we have the perfect lighting advertised within our Red Masque directory.

You can never be 100% sure of the British weather and hiring a Marquee is a smart if not a must if you are having an event outside or indeed you are bringing your guests from inside to outside to celebrate or to watch some hired acts.

You could be having a Wedding in your back garden or want to have a marquee for your children’s birthday party where making mess outside is far more appealing than clearing up your house afterwards. Marquees can be used for many purposes; from dance floors to banqueting you will find your perfect marquee that will make your event very special indeed.

If you need staff to meet and greet your important guests, then promotional and/or event staff could be just the thing you have been looking for. You could be having a launch party where staff is hired to wear your brand or dressed in a certain way in which they really stand out. They are able to tell potential clients all about your product whilst being very professional at all times.

You may want some ‘eye candy’ to serve drinks on trays as your guests arrive, which will look very opulent indeed and make the first impression a good one.

Having a Middle Eastern themed night?

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Have you ever wondered about Belly dancing and how it came about?  

According to some, the dance form that today many call ‘belly dance’ is extremely old and traces of it can be found up to 6,000 years ago, in some pagan societies who used to worship a feminine deity, to celebrate women’s fertility as something magic. However, there is little evidence that early pagan rituals are in any way connected to belly dance. This type of dance is supposed to be indeed good for preparing women’s body to give birth, but there does not seem to be proof of any link to ancient fertility rituals. In spite of this, there has been a tendency, in the last 40 years, to associate belly dance with spirituality and the power of the feminine. This may be due to the fact that the feminist movement, in the 1970s and 1980s in the USA, rediscovered belly dance as a form of dance that empowers women.

What we called today ‘belly dance’ seems to be the specific type of dance that comes from Turkey and Egypt. By looking at the specific movements of belly dance, some say that there could have been an influence coming from India. Indeed some movements, such as the head slides, are found both in Indian dance and in belly dance. Hence, it could be that populations migrating over the centuries from India to the Middle East and northern Africa brought their dance traditions with them, influencing the way local dances developed. Also, I think that belly dance owns a lot, in terms of dance vocabulary, to African dances. If we think about hip and chest shimmies and circles and body undulations, these are also present in African dances and in South American dances that derive from African traditions. However, each dance tradition has changed and adapted these movements so that, for example, shimmies in belly dance have a different feeling from African shimmies.

A proper chorological and historical study of dance and movement should be done in order to confirm how and when these influences developed, but it is difficult for such an ephemeral product like dance. Nevertheless, it could be attempted in the same way that linguists have studied the history of languages and traced migrations from ancient India to Europe with regards to the Indo-European languages, although movement did not leave a trace equivalent to written texts for languages.

Belly dancing has been a type of social dance since unmemorable times. It was and is danced when women gather together to socialise. In Egypt, dance has always been part of wedding celebrations, danced socially by people attending parties and professionally by performers who are paid to dance for special occasions. This is the typical baladi dance. Nowadays, the music played most commonly at weddings and social gatherings in Egypt is shaabi. The type of dance associated with shaabi music is very similar to baladi dance with hip articulations and quite grounded, but it does not have the same structure, as the music is different  (shaabi music is composed by individual pop songs, while baladi is mainly instrumental music which is improvised but follows a set pattern, hence a baladi dance performance follows the same pattern translated into movement).

What we call today ‘belly dance’ has always been also a form of public entertainment. Traveller’s tribes, both in Egypt and Turkey, used to perform out in the streets.  So hire one of our Belly dancers from Red Masque entertainment and see this great dance for yourself.

 

Bollywood Entertainment & Indian Wedding Performers

The Entertainment you choose for your wedding day will leave an impression on your guests for years to come! For this reason Bollywood entertainment makes the extra effort to connect with each couple and find the perfect entertainment solution for them. Whether you are looking for a bespoke musical creation, a flash mob to surprise your guests or simply an authentic taste of Bollywood, the Indian Dancers are highly trained professionals who will deliver a performance you & your guests are sure to love. 

Make it a night to remember

Hiring Bollywood dancers can surprise your guests with either the standard Bollywood Entertainment package or even flash mob style, adding a delightfully unexpected element to your evening! Imagine the excitement when colourfully costumed professional Bollywood dancers burst through the door and dazzle guests with their stylish moves!

Starters, main course, dessert, speeches….something’s missing without engaging entertainment. Why not provide the missing piece with our energetic Bollywood dance routines and stunning Bollywood costumes!

Heat up that that dance floor, immediately!

While DJs try their best, all too many weddings experience empty dance floors… don’t let it happen to you! The Bollywood acts work alongside with your DJ to offer a seamless transition from highly watchable entertainment to lively party; getting your guests up and dancing in no time. Bollywood acts can offer interactive workshops to teach your guests a few Bollywood and Bhangra dance moves to familiarise them with Indian Dance and get them moving well into the night! Workshops work particularly well for themed events!

May bank holiday shenanigans

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British bank holidays are public holidays and have been recognised since 1871. 

May Day on May 1 is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures. Dances, singing, and cake are usually part of the celebrations that the day includes.

In the late 19th Century, May Day was chosen as the date for International Worker’s Day by the Socialists and Communists of the Second International to commemorate the Haymarket affair in Chicago In those countries that celebrate international Worker’s Day, the day may also be referred to as “May Day” but it is a different celebration from the traditional May Day.

May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries. May Day is most associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility (of the soil, livestock, and people and revelry with village fetes and community gatherings. Since the reform of the Catholic calendar May 1 is the Feast of St Joseph the worker, the patron saint of workers. Seeding has been completed by this date and it was convenient to give farm labourers a day off. Perhaps the most significant of the traditions is the maypole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons.

The May Day bank holiday, on the first Monday in May, was traditionally the only one to affect the state school calendar, although new arrangements in some areas to even out the length of school terms mean that Good Friday (a common law holiday) and Easter Monday (a bank holiday), which vary from year to year, may also fall during term time. The Spring Bank Holiday on the first Monday in May was created in 1978; May Day itself – May 1 – is not a public holiday in England (unless it falls on a Monday). In February 2011, the UK parliament was reported to be considering scrapping the bank holiday associated with May Day, replacing it with a bank holiday in October, possibly coinciding with Trafalgar Day (celebrated on October 21), to create a “United Kingdom Day.

Knowing that you’re going to be having a long weekend off isn’t that a cause for a celebration: why not get back to basics and host your very own ‘May Day’ celebration, from live music to themed entertainment. With another bank holiday soon approaching at the end of May isn’t it time you booked some great party entertainment from Red Masque?

Some ideas for a great proposal…

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There are many ways that you can make a grand proposal to your loved one. You may have the perfect one lined up but if you need a little help. We have made some suggestions:

1. Love Letters: Just Mind the wind.

If you wife to be is a country girl at heart, the prospect of getting up and going outside on possibly a very cold day will certainly not faze her. The idea of going up in a helicopter and viewing the beautiful British countryside that she loves will definitely excite her though. Then, imagine her face when she views the words ‘Will you marry me?’ written across the hill…breath-taking! I have met someone recently who instead of actually writing it on the hill just used paper to create the shapes of the words. Unfortunately, it was a rather windy day and he had to use his faithful friends to lie across the paper to ensure she did not get a mangled message!

Alternatively, recently a farmer in Gloucestershire allowed a creative groom to write the letters ‘Will You Marry Me’ on his sheep. As far as we’re aware no sheep were harmed in the creating of this proposal.

2. Enter Loversville

As its’ name alone suggests that the village of Lover (pronounced like Dover) is one of the UK’s most romantic destinations. Located just south of Salisbury on the edge of the New Forest this tiny village is an ideal place for couples to visit, if only to pose by the village sign for an amusing photo opportunity!

Also in Wiltshire, is the interesting heart shaped wood on Huish Hill near Pewsey. Created by Lady Keswick in 1999 as a memorial to her brothers the wood has developed nicely so that when in season it appears to look like a giant red heart. This phenomenon is due to the woods being planted with two varieties of Hawthorn which produce pink flowers. Totalling an acre in size, the wood is visible from the top of Huish Hill and is really spectacular!

3. Stop the press; or the traffic at least.

Why not show the world, or rather a high percentage of commuters, how much you love the woman in your life by proposing on London Bridge, during rush hour.

OK, so it may not make you the most popular guy in London, but it will certainly win you an infinite amount of brownie points for the most imaginative and heart felt proposal.

4. Get a Cheer

Picture the scene, you’re having an amazing time at Glastonbury, it’s warm, the sun is setting and you’re watching your favourite band perform on the stage. And then you get engaged; now that’s quite perfect.

This actually happened to a young couple in 2010 and Chris Martin announced; “I don’t know if you saw, but someone just proposed and got a good answer” The audience all cheered in celebration, and he then went onto explain that he would dedicate the next song to them! Imagine getting a cheer from 20,000 people after you have just got engaged, I think that would make it pretty memorable. 

5. Melt your snow queen

The Dolomite Mountains in North Eastern Italy is a ski resort with over 1, 200 km of slopes, which leaves plenty of open space for a romantic and secret proposal. If you and your girlfriend are both a fan of the slopes, this would be the perfect place to visit and pop the question.

The Dolomite’s have been described as brighter, more colourful, and more monumental than any other mountain range and are unique in that they seem to be architecturally inspired. Deodat de Dolomieu discovered and clarified the exceptional composition of the stone, giving the mountains their name.

So there you have it, our suggestions for the most romantic and memorable proposals. Take them as they are or with a pinch of salt, but whatever your proposal idea is, make it personal to you and no-one could say no.

Of course if you look at the party entertainers that are located on our website there are countless ideas that you can feed from. Try hiring something a little unusual to give your wife to be the proposal she so deserves…

Booking a top party DJ

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Looking at booking a DJ for your Christmas party but doesn’t know how to get the most bang for your Christmas fund? Well look no further as we’ve compiled some of our top tips on hiring the DJ with a deck to get the dancefloor jumping in bounds of jolly. Or something like that.

Whether you want to put on a festive playlist or if you want to simply leave them to it, getting a DJ to perform at your Christmas party or event is a truly tried and tested way to make sure that the good music keeps on flowing throughout the night.

Let’s just hope your colleagues remember all the hard work and research you put into finding the right DJ for your Christmas party the morning after whilst nursing a familiar combination of shame and migraine. If they do, that’s a sure sign of success.

1. Book early

Now this we cannot emphasise enough book your DJ several months before your Party.

With so many companies throwing a Christmas bash and needing to find the best DJs for their budgets its still mind boggling when it gets to December and yet still someone hasn’t booked yet. 

2. Book through an entertainment agency

This couldn’t really be emphasised enough. As said before, you could spend your time comparing rates of DJ to DJ, sending email after email attempting to get just what you’re after (only to find out they’re booked on the day of your party,).

Or, you could simply talk to those who actually have all of this knowledge stored in their brains and ready to be unleashed at the tips of their fingers. It’s why entertainment agencies exist – to provide a meaningful and effective service at finding the absolute best performer for a brief and budget.

3. Make sure you know what you’re getting

And the hypocrisy comes full circle. Do some research, check out what your DJ can do, what he or she is like, and see for yourself if they’re exactly what you’re looking for. 

Now that doesn’t mean auditioning, no no; that’s a little too much in most cases. It could be. It could be as simple as reading some testimonials or taking some advice from Red Masque.

By doing so, you’ll be better prepared (and in a safer mind-set) to stick with a choice and most importantly, be happy with it. 

4. Explore off peak options

Now of course, everybody wants to have their Christmas party on a Friday – and you all know why that is, don’t you?

Turns out, every DJ knows that too – so expect to pay a premium on weekend nights.

Due to simple supply and demand, the holiday season necessitates a premium due to the sheer amount of Christmas parties going on all around one month. It never hurts to explore different dates and times for your event to get a rate that’s a little lighter on your budget – but won’t leave your wallet feeling too light either. 

It might not always work in terms of pricing, but it certainly has the possibility to help if your preferred DJs are booked up for a certain date. 

5. Think about equipment

Most professional DJs have their own equipment, but they did pay a lot of money to purchase it in the first place so it’s expected that they’ll want to make a return on their investment. In other words, the cost is pushed onto you.

Now you should never force a performer to use equipment they’re not comfortable with or haven’t used before. That’s a given. But when it comes to stuff like PAs and microphones – well, there’s not much variation apart from how loud (and clear) they’re designed to go.

Look to see if your venue offers a cheaper option to hire the PA from and thus you won’t have to pay extra for someone to lug a van full of expensive equipment across the city centre in rush hour.

6. Budget, and budget some more

It’s personal finance 101, but make sure you have a clear indication in mind of what you’re willing to spend when it comes to booking a DJ for your Christmas party. 

Of course, first you have to do a little research into what the general rates are but once you’ve done that, you’ll be in a much more efficient and convenient place to book your DJ without having to worry about negotiating rates or booking a performer too high above or below your initial budget.

7. Don’t hand them a playlist and expect them to play it

DJs are artists too – if you wanted a set list of songs you required playing, do everyone a favour and put a playlist together and leave it at that.

Of course, it’s fine to make requests (it would be ridiculous not to) but professional DJs are experienced at getting the crowd dynamics just right – almost like they know exactly what they’re doing – and making sure everyone has a fantastic time at your Christmas party.

10. Book your Christmas party DJ with us

It’s a shameless self-promotion, but we like to think we know almost everything when it comes to booking the right DJ, act, or performer for any event of any size.

We at Red Masque have every entertainer imaginable to make your party get off to a flying start.  Have a browse through our categories and see for yourself why we are becoming ever so popular.

What’s best for you?

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Events are an intriguing proposition. Depending on the stage at which you are at in life, certain acts may be perfectly suited to you. Others perhaps less so. You’re hardly likely to book a wine tasting for a child’s birthday party and the less said about the ‘Happy 75th’ bouncy castle booking the better. With that in mind, we thought it may be useful to run through a few ideas you may wish to have a look at depending on the life stage within which you currently reside.

Who can forget childhood? A time when you were completely carefree but were still liable to be dragged along to events at your parent’s insistence. Thankfully, many times there were acts at these events that were tailor made for you. Ah, life was hugely enjoyable when you were being entertained by such acts like a hired balloon modeller (“a dog please”) and a children’s entertainer that you happily got involved, all memories of missing your favourite cartoon on television completely forgotten.

The most important part of your wedding day is undoubtedly the exchanging of the vows, declaring a lifelong commitment to one another. Everything else is window dressing but hey, you want the finest window dressing there is. To that end, splashing out for the V&A was quite the declaration of your love. And nobody will forget the reception at the Waldorf in a hurry. And booking stilt walkers and aerialists was a great idea. With the photo booth images providing a fun way to scrapbook your event, everyone went home happy– Wait a second! Was that the Queen in attendance?

Of course, many of the acts depicted here can’t really be compartmentalised and we have lots of ideas that you can look through on our entertainment directory. So have fun, pick some entertainers that would be a real surprise and make your whole event a magical one…