Tag Archives: entertainment

All night with Michael Buble

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A lot of the time we get feedback on acts that are on our advertised on our website. This is a great way for other event hosts and party 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 private party!

I was searching for some kind of fun and unexpected entertainment for a birthday party for my Grandmother’s 80th. We were having live party band after dinner but I wanted something to kick off the party with a spark of fun after everyone arrived.

Our family knew that Grandma adored Michael Buble. 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 Grandma’s 80th birthday arrived. I was so excited when my party entertainer to came in, when he walked into the party there was definite ‘stage presence’ he engaged with my Grandma and his stage act dance was so authentic. She blushed but loved every minute of it.

A group picture was taken with the Michael Buble lookalike surrounded by all our guests.

One of our guests, who is 70 years old, came up to the hired party entertainer to tell him he had met the real Michael Buble. He was gracious and listened to her story all the while keeping in character. Our friend was delighted and said he was just as charming. He talked about him all night long.

I knew I found someone special in this act. He was not only charismatic, young and talented; he was charming and a delight to work with!

Well done Red Masque and of course Michael!!!

Non-refundable deposits

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When you enter into a contract with your entertainment provider, whether it’s a wedding band, a magician or a DJ, you normally will be expected to provide some kind of non-refundable deposit along with your signature to secure the date. The amount may vary, but a 50% deposit is fairly common.

If you’re planning a party and this is first time you’ve ever bought entertainment services, this can be a scary thing. What if the event gets cancelled? What if someone dies the week before? What if it rains on our outdoor beach birthday party? Do I get my deposit back?

Of course the answer will depend on the wording of the deposit clause in the contract, but most likely if the event is cancelled because of unforeseen circumstances; you will likely be out your deposit. But let’s dig deeper.

It’s easier for people to understand why a caterer or even a venue would request a deposit. They have to buy food or they are reserving the space exclusively for you and must turn down other business. But a musician isn’t purchasing any perishables, right? Well, not exactly. The busy nights for any event entertainer are Saturdays, followed closely by Fridays. There are only 52 Saturdays in a year and each one represents an opportunity cost. If for example a family tragedy occurs 2 days before your graduation party, the band still needs to be compensated for that Saturday night that they committed to your party. It is entirely possible that they have turned down other clients to commit to your party. While it’s very sad that a member of family decided to pass two days before your big event, this is not the fault of your hired act.

What can you do if the unforeseen happens? The first thing is to have a conversation with your hired entertainment. While they may be under no obligation to reschedule, many will try to work with you and apply part or all of your deposit to another date. The flexibility they have will depend on how in demand they are, how full their calendar is and on what day of the week you want your new date.

You certainly can’t expect them to bump another client because you need to reschedule. And nor can you expect them to give you another Saturday night on the busiest part of wedding season. But maybe they’re willing to apply all (or some) of your deposit to a Tuesday night, or an off-season Friday night.

This is a conversation you can have with your entertainer BEFORE signing the contract. Ask the “what if” scenarios. Just understand that if this conversation drags out too long, your vendor may start to question your commitment to the date.

Another option is to take out Event Cancellation Insurance for your date.
What is typically covered by event cancellation insurance?
Fire, earthquakes, flooding, blizzards, hurricanes, terrorism, headline entertainers or speaker cancellation, outbreak of disease.
Event cancellation insurance probably won’t cover things like lack of ticket sales, or the time spent planning the event.

May Day celebrations

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It may not be as hugely popular as it has been in the past, but May Day is still a much-loved event in the UK and as such, various towns, villages and cities will be celebrating it in some form, generally in the form of a mini festival for the day! You can’t hold an event without having some entertainment but what sort of things are out there for May Day entertainment? Well fear not, because we have put together five fantastic May Day entertainment ideas for you to try next year!

Layla Rosa

Not exactly a traditional form of entertainment for parties or events, but an absolutely stunning one all the same! This act is a stunning revolving freestyle aerial rig on which two multi-skilled acrobats perform. It’s a beautiful and elegant choreographed circus show or ambient performance.

Morris Dancers

May Day entertainment ideas don’t come much more traditional than this – hiring morris dancers for your event. A tradition that dates back hundreds of years, morris dancers are hugely popular to watch and enjoy, despite at there always being one curmudgeon who moans aloud at their jolly dancing. So get your handkerchiefs, sticks and bells ready for the perfect example of May Day entertainment.

Rachel Haywood

…and the music just keeps coming! Rachel is perfect for a summer entertainment idea, which makes her a brilliant choice if you’re looking for May Day. We confess that May isn’t (strictly speaking) the summer, but what’s the harm in pretending? She is fab musician who provides pan music for a more up tempo set depending on what you’re looking for.

Garden Games

Come on now! It wouldn’t be May Day without a little outdoor fun! From quoits to chess and huge versions of Connect 4 and jenga, there’s sure to be something to entertain kids of all sizes (including the 30-year-old ones amongst us). We’ve also recently seen and enjoyed a fantastic version of Battleship, which utilises binoculars and a bit of dress up. How else would you fill the village green?

Belly Dancer

Ok, so traditionally you would never see a Belly Dancer at a May Day celebration but why not dare to be different and Hire the wonderful Tara Lee. Tara is a professional belly dancer, she performs and teaches both modern and traditional belly dance styles. She also performs Arabic folk dance as well as the whirling dervish. So if you wanted to hire her for a class at your event or just book her to entertain all your guests, then Tara is certainly your girl.

Easter entertainment ideas

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We love Easter and we love chocolate! But what fab ideas are there going on across the capital to keep the little ones entertained?

Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg?

At first glance, you might think that this macabre sounding title isn’t intended for children at all! A murder? Have no fear for this is a charming children’s film in the vein of The Goonies and other classics of eras gone by. Fans of Broadchurch may well recognise the Dorset coastline in a number of the scenes as children at a holiday camp attempt to work out just who killed Nelson Nutmeg, the name of the camp’s mascot. Fun for all the family and it even features Harry Potter’s Ginny Weasley!

Jurassic Kingdom – London

Fans of dinosaurs unite for there is a lot of excitement to be had at Osterley Park throughout the Easter holidays! We adore the use of animatronics at corporate events or private parties and in this exhibition, children and adults alike are free to explore the Osterley gardens and parklands, uncovering numerous life-sized moving replicas of everybody’s Jurassic favourites. From the Tyrannosaurus Rex to the Diplodocus, Triceratops and Pterosaur, you’re sure to have an amazing time.

Make a Mess!

If you have children who struggle to stay clean, then making a mess will be right up their alley. At the London Museum of Water & Steam, guests will be able to take advantage of the museum’s Splash Zones, where kids can experiment with gears, levers, buckets, pipes and more, all in the aim of moving water from one destination to another. You’ll also be able to see live chicks hatching, take part in Easter arts and crafts sessions or follow the cool family trail.

Easter Chocolate Workshop

There are so many chocolate related activities and workshops going on this Easter that we’re unsure exactly which one to recommend though My Chocolate sounds incredible! You can help build a giant flat egg or chick from molten chocolate, learn to create marbled effects through an egg and learn the history of chocolate. Is there anything cooler than knowing historical chocolate history? Probably not. You’ll also be able to decorate your own eggs and presumably eat them too. Yummy! It sounds like something Lick Me, I’m Delicious would be all over!

Pirates of the Caribbean

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As fans of Captain Jack Sparrow, we thought it might be fun to run through a few pieces of party entertainment that are sure to impress at a themed party. Whether it’s for a corporate occasion or a private event, 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.

German Wheel
Who remembers that classic moment from the second film where Norrington and Will are having a sword fight on a detached water wheel whilst Jack is inside, upside down and generally all over the place on the same wooden structure? The amazing thing is that this act actually exists! A fun form of entertainment, a German Wheel show combines circus with artistry and is sure to amaze at your party!

Music
What sort of Pirates of the Caribbean party would it be without some form of swashbuckling music entertainment? We want you to have the best and lucky for you, Red Masque directory advertise pirate party themed bands for your event!

Cocktail Bar
“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 rum isn’t 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.

Aerial circus performers
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 aerial circus performers in full skeleton makeup to spook out the crowd! They’re sure to be fantastic for Instagram and we think you’re sure to be impressed.

All things vintage

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Why not have your very own Vintage theme party and serve up vintage style beverages– why not browse our Red Masque website today to arrange the ideal food and drinks caterers for your corporate event.

Book string quartet for your vintage corporate event to give your guests the rare opportunity to relive the 1950s musical trend that was three-part harmony singing. Close harmony singing requires huge talent and many years of practice, and when executed magnificently, like our artists can, your guests will be blown away!

Vintage themed corporate events are a big hit this year. There are all sorts of great vintage style corporate entertainment to be hired, including: a 1950s inspired pool party, complete with dressed up waitresses and synchronised swimmers; seeing the likes of 40s/50s dance troupes with a Vintage DJ….

Jazz bands and orchestras dominated what we now call the ‘vintage music scene’ of the early 20th century, which became popular in the 1910s in New Orleans and quickly spread to the UK and Europe. We have a huge collection of jazz bands, duos, trios and Jazz artists to give your vintage themed corporate entertainment the sophistication and class it needs – enquire today!
Where jazz brings sophistication, class and charm; swing, jive and rock n roll will bring movement and lots of it! Get your guests dancing all night long with one of Red Masques directory artists using swing bands, jive bands or 50s style rock and roll bands.

When you book your corporate entertainment through Red Masque entertainment you are guaranteed a class act from professional musicians and entertainers.

Unique events

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We at Red Masque have the best unique entertainment 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 private 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 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.

Wonderful entertainment

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Ever wanted something different at your private party or corporate event that captures each of your individual guest’s personalities?

Why not hire the most popular and now fantasy photo booths? Your guests can choose to dress up in all sorts of costumes; it could be themed dress, days gone-by dress or a little saucy? Whatever occasion you had in mind we are sure when you get the pictures back they will be a scream and a much talked about affair for many months to come.

Fireworks nowadays are not just for Guy Fawkes night they can be wonderful at a Wedding, Corporate event or just at the end of an event to really finish off superbly!! We have read in the press recently that certainly celebrities have had them at their funeral!

A good firework display oozes opulence and class and tops off a wonderful celebration; young and old alike love to watch these spectacular fireworks in action.

Good lighting is also very important to hire if you were to have a small party or large event, creating the right mood is crucial to the ambiance of your function.

What if you have children at your event, and you would like to keep them entertained whilst your older guests can get on with some more socialising? Then don’t forget your bouncy castles. Bouncy castles are always a favourite. Or if your older guests are young at heart then hiring some giant games such as giant noughts and crosses, chess or snakes and ladders. The bigger the better, such good fun running up and down those ladders and good exercise!!!!

Bucking broncos are another great attraction to hire, you could hire for a charity event, where paying guests can see who can stay on the longest, or just to hire for a bit of fun with your mates. You must admit a bucking bronco is a good laugh!! Girls, you may need to wear some trousers for this event as there is no room for modesty when on the back of a bucking bronco!!!

Helping you make the right choice

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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 one.

An event entertainment directory is known for offering unique services at wedding receptions, meetings, corporate events, private parties 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 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.

Charity event tips

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Tip 1- The purpose – You should decide what the purpose of your charity event is and confirm this early to start initial planning. Is this full a fundraising event? Or does it have other goals in mind such as gaining awareness, publicity and to reach out to a new network of people. Many charitable events have more than one goal and these need to be decided before any further action takes place. Confirming and planning the details for your corporate event will depend on knowing what goals you are trying to achieve.

Tip 2- Date, Time & Venue – Give yourself plenty of time to organise an event. At least 3 months in advance. You don’t want this to be a rushed job so ensure that all aspects are planned to perfection. Your party venue is also entirely up to you, yet should reflect your theme, your purpose and your charity. If you believe that your house can hold the demand, then feel free to do so but for a large event then a venue such as a hotel may be better suited. Ask the venue for some freebies, if you don’t ask then you will never know.

Tip 3 – Budget Plan – Every fundraising event plan should contain a detailed budget plan of all of the expenses that will be required to hold the event.

Your budget plan should include staff, invitations, venue, catering, entertainment, utilities, and anything else that will be required to make the event successful. Your budget should take into account your fundraising goal, ensuring that you raise that amount above and beyond all expenses. Top tip for your budget is to always have a spare amount, you just never know when an emergency will appear and that extra bit of cash could really help you out

Tip 4 – Round up your troops – For your charity event to be a true success you will need a strong workforce behind you. This could be family and friends, volunteers of the charity or even try and recruit some new volunteers to help. Your team could help you in so many different ways such as helping you with the planning, collecting money outside supermarkets, selling tickets for the charity event and also on the day of your event it is always great to have a spare pair of hands.

Tip 5 – Read All about It –

You have to let the public know about your charity event, or nobody will know anything about it. Ask the charity to help by putting up the information on their Facebook page, create some simple flyers and leave them in shops in your area, create an “event” on Facebook and invite people, go and speak to your newspapers and get them to interview you about the charity event and if possible ring your local radio station and get a small interview slot. The more people know about the charity event, the more of a success it will be.

Tip 6 – Entertainment is key – Your party entertainers has to be fresh, exciting and fun. Why not hire a fun casino which is great fun and also brilliant for fundraising? Or a magician who can walk about the room and make your guests “wow” in amazement. You could even hire out a crazy golf course; you may even have the next Tiger Woods in your mists. The entertainment needs to be organised quite early on in the planning process if you don’t want to be disappointed.

Tip 7 – Stick by the law – We would advise anybody to always go and research the laws and regulation when organising any event, especially a charity event. There are certain guidelines which need to be put in place to surrounding fundraising in public areas; you would need to speak to the local council about these. They are only small regulations so should not be anything too serious to worry about, but always check and get support from your local council

Tip 8 – Collecting the money- On the night of your event, you have to collect s the money if it is a fund raiser. You could collect the money by walking around the room with a branded bucket, have a raffle and collect the money when selling tickets or you could place an envelope for each guest

at their table where they place their desired amount into and you collect at a designated time of the night. There are so many options on how to do this, but these three seem to be the most effective.

Tip 9- HAVE FUN – You have done your planning, you have done your research and you have everything in place. Now it’s time to have fun. Mingle with your guests and have a laugh, if they see you relaxed then they will also feel relaxed. And remember it’s for charity, so no matter what you do you are making a difference.