We’re pleased to announce that Big Foot Events are ‘Good To Go’ and have secured the COVID-19 Industry Standard and Consumer Mark.
Big Foot Events’ Artistes, Operators and Event Staff adhere to all Government and Public Health Guidance in correlation with Covid 19, so you can rest assured that your event is in safe hands.
We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to ensure we have clear, simple and effective processes and procedures in place to abide by COVID-19 Safety Standards. After extensive research, and guidance from Public Health England, we now have COVID-19 Risk Assessments in place for all our events.
We’re excited for the future and are extremely proud to give our clients complete confidence when booking live entertainment and events with us during the current pandemic.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that experiences trump any kind of materialist item. We’re currently in a pandemic that has restricted us from spending quality time with friends and family, celebrating special occasions, travelling the world, and enjoying Festivals, Theatre and other live entertainment venues. This has made cherishing, appreciating, and reminiscing on fond memories all the more special!
Experiences are gifts that keep on giving. Whether it’s a fancy meal, theatre show, luxury holiday or simply a fun and unique day out, it’s an experience that people will remember forever, making it priceless when it comes to the perfect gift! And that’s why Big Foot Events have put together a list of noteworthy, unique, and affordable experiences that you can gift to someone this Christmas!
The Gift Of Attending A Gig, Festival, Concert, or Musical
We all know that aside from food, music is the key to our hearts. There’s no better feeling than dancing the night away with your favourite band or belting your heart out with your favourite singer. It’s an experience you will remember forever, creating amazing memories that will bring you back to that exact moment every time you hear a certain song. Whether it’s Tickets for a Family Festival such as Sunshine Festival and Mello Festival to see Star Names such as James Blunt, Joss Stone, Swing Out Sister, Wet Wet Wet, or booking a themed weekend away at Butlins to see their favourite Live Band, or and grown-up weekend at one of the stunning, historical Warner Hotels to watch our incredible Tributes and Party Bands. Gifting someone with incredible music is an experience worth remembering!
The Gift Of Learning A New Skill
Whether your loved one has always wanted to learn a particular skill and never had time or is now getting the chance to deeply explore something in their wheelhouse of interests. Covid-19 has allowed people to now have free time to explore new things and develop their skills. Whether it’s a live cooking session with a private chef, a one-to-one dance lesson with a professional performer, a music masterclass with a talented and experienced musician, or even something as wacky as a Circus workshop. Experiences that include learning are highly engaging and something that will last a lifetime.
The Gift Of Attending A Live Theatre Show
The incredible atmosphere, nail-biting anticipation, plenty of audience anticipation. Who doesn’t love the theatre? From an elegant, classy, black tie affair to an energetic, lively, family-friendly evening, a night at the Theatre is enjoyable for everyone! Whether it’s a nostalgic fairy-tale, an intense thriller, or a unique, immersive, interactive, 90 minute Jurassic Earth theatre show that combines gigantic animatronic Dinosaurs, exciting performances, impressive photo opportunities and one-of-a-kind meet and greet encounters with a variety of life-like walking Dinosaurs. A theatre show is the perfect experience to gift to someone this Christmas.
Bring The Experience To You
Snow Globe
Find it hard each year to find a gift that will actually make someone surprised? Want someone to actually love what you get them, instead of false appreciation? Don’t want to risk booking a day out or anything that involves travel due to the current pandemic? Why not bring the experience to your loved ones doorstep? You can hire a giant, inflatable, walk-in Snow Globe this Christmas, filled with fake snow, Reindeers, and even a Snowman. Making Christmas extra magical this year! Know someone who is a Dinosaur fanatic? Hire a gigantic, animatronic, life-like, walking Dinosaur for an immersive and fiery meet and greet session in their own front garden! How about a visit from a Disney Princess, who will dance and sing with your children for a magical experience.
The Gift Of Attending Events
Attending events is what people love to do. In fact, it’s fair to say that we find every excuse to dress up and go out. And with recent events, we’re all craving that ecstatic feeling you get when going to a party or function. Whether it’s a glamourous Masquerade Ball, a festive Christmas Party, an intense Murder Mystery evening, Wedding, or just simply, a Birthday bash. It can be a physical event or a Virtual Event – if it’s in the diary it’s an event! The excitement of the run up to the event, as well as the inflated feeling you get after the event is almost better than the event itself. Making an invite to, well, just about any special occasion a great Christmas gift!
Whatever experience you decide to gift, we guarantee your loved ones will love and appreciate it forever. Experiences make memories and memories are the only true thing we have worth cherishing!
Hundreds of Dinosaur-crazed families flocked to the Winter Gardens Blackpool last weekend for the world’s first socially distanced Dinosaur themed theatre show – Jurassic Earth!
This thrilling 75-minute Jurassic Adventure featured life-like dinosaurs, giant dinosaur eggs, prehistoric props, rangers and a chance to get up-close and personal with the most magnificent beasts to ever roam our planet!
Want to know about this roartastic event? Read the full article here.
When applying for a job, a business or personal loan, a visa or simply applying for anything in general, how you sound is an extremely important factor of whether or not that application is successful, right? Well, why should event management be any different? Music can make or break an event. Misread the atmosphere in the room and your event will quickly become a flop. Music can be used to set the mood, tone, and atmosphere of an event, as well as be a form of entertainment, get that wrong and you’ll end up sending guests running! Which is why Big Foot Events have put together three things to consider when deciding on what type of music to play at your event.
Know Your Guests
Ask yourself this, who is going to be attending? Is it a lively, feel-good group of friends and family, or a hand-picked selection of business professionals? This is an important question to ask yourself before planning any event, why? Well, it’s likely that your family and friends aren’t going to be in the party mood whilst listening to a corporate Harpist or Jazz singer, are they? The same goes for your business associates, you’re hardly going to come across as professional if you’re playing a mash up of dubstep and cheesy 90s hits.
Consider the psychology of music
We all know that music can affect your mood, it can make you feel relaxed or pumped up, depending on the type of music you’re listening to. Do you want your guests feeling happy, sad, nostalgic? Do you want music to be a main part of your event, or just a backing track to make people feel comfortable enough to socialise, but not overpower their conversations? Music is what makes people remember certain situations, so choosing the right music for your event will make people remember it in a positive light and not a dull one.
You’ve decided on the genre and type of music you want at your event, so now it’s time to make sure your venue can facilitate your chosen choice of music. The last thing you want is to get hyped up about the DJ you’ve hired to play all of those Noughty 90s hits, just for the venue to turn them down due to not having the space or tech equipment needed. If there’s going to be speeches at your event, then making sure microphones are accessible is wise, otherwise you’ll be shouting at your audience. And of course, if you’re planning on acquiring a DJ then make sure you and your guests have enough space to dance.
In summary, you should think about who your event is for, how you want them to feel before, during and after your event, and what type of music and entertainment will fulfil those questions.
One of Lancashire’s most popular comedians is the first contestant to make it through to the Final of Britain’s Got Talent 2020! Chorley-born Steve Royle, a professional comedian, writer, actor, radio host and all-round entertainer gave a royal performance on Saturday, as he left everyone tuned into the show in stiches of laughter, and also impressed all four Britain’s Got Talent celebrity judges with his hilarious routine and impressive juggling skills. We are incredibly proud to say that Steve Royle was the Judges’ choice to go through to the Final!
Steve is no stranger to success and is a consummate professional in the world of light entertainment. In 2015 he performed 16 consecutive nights at Manchester Arena as part of the ‘Pheonix Nights’ Live shows that raised more than £5 million for Comic Relief. Speaking of Phoenix Nights, you may remember Steve from his involvement in the hit TV series ‘Car Share’ and ‘Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere’ – that’s right, Steve is lifelong friends with fellow Lancashire Born comedian, Peter Kay!
As well as Peter Kay, Steve has also worked alongside fellow celebrity comedians Roy Walker, Dave Spikey and Steve Coogan. His ability to combine humour, improv and acting has made him well-known in the entertainment industry and has gained him a loyal fan base.
If you’re from Lancashire or the surrounding areas then you probably know Steve as ‘Mad Edgar’ otherwise known as the Court Jester of Camelot where he performed his signature character at Camelot Theme Park in Charnock Richard, Chorley, for over 12 years. His character performed more than 20,000 juggling shows to children and parents who visited the theme park from all over the world!
Following on from his ‘Mad Edgar’ days, Steve kept his passion for acting and went on to complete 17 consecutive Pantomime shows at The Grand Theatre in Blackpool, he now has over 22 completed Panto shows under his belt over his extensive career. In fact, his loyalty to the theatre resulted in him being made an honorary member of ‘The Friends Of The Grand Theatre’ in 2016 for his honourable service to the theatre. Steve has become a staple in the art of comedy acting and has made several impressive television debuts over his career including programmes such as ‘The Rob Brydon Show’, ‘A Question Of Sport’, ‘Mastermind’ and he has even appeared in over 150 episodes of ‘The Price Is Right’. Oh, and did we mention that he was also the first comic, ever, to act as a ‘warm up’ for The Royal Variety Show featuring Take That, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow and Meatloaf?
Although he has had a fantastic and diverse career in the entertainment industry, his first love, however, is stand-up comedy, and it’s this career path that has seen him perform all over the world: Cruises in the Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords and the Caribbean, hotel and comedy clubs in Hong Kong, Dubai, Crete, Cyprus, Turkey, Japan and not forgetting the UK!
As well as his stand-up, Steve is a co-founder of the ‘Slaughterhouse-Live’ character comedy group and also presents an award-winning Friday afternoon show on BBC Radio Lancashire.
With his fabulously impressive and diverse career in the entertainment industry, his passion and love for his craft and of course the loyal fan base he has gained over his career, it’s no wonder that he was named ‘Entertainer of the Year’ at the county’s Red Rose Awards!
We guarantee that after his Britain’s Got Talent performances, he will be THE comedian to hire for events!
We are extremely proud and honoured to act as agents for Steve Royle and recommend you book him now before all his 2021 dates are gone due to popular demand!
Don’t forget to VOTE FOR STEVE in the Britain’s Got Talent 2020 Final – we believe this Royle should meet the Royals at the Royal Variety Performance!
You could have the perfect venue, delicious catering, and beautiful venue décor, but it is the entertainment that people will actually remember when it comes to your company’s Christmas party. Therefore, it is essential to make sure that who or what you hire as your Christmas party entertainment is going to be a hit and not a miss – no pressure!
If you are thinking along the line of a close-up magician, on-the-spot caricaturist, or an ever-so popular photo booth (all good ideas by the way), then we are here to ask you to open your mind! Of course the above party entertainment options are great fun, because who doesn’t love to be wowed by close up magic? In fact, we have put together some great parties using some, or all, of these entertainment options but – and this is a big but, we can do better! When it comes to hosting your company Christmas party, do you want it to be known around the office for being just ‘good’? We’ll decide for you – no!
Luckily for you, Big Foot Events have put together a list of unique, out-of-this-world, never-seen-before live entertainment options that will turn your ‘festive do’ from ‘good’ to ‘absolutely fantastic’!
Interactive Magical Snow Globe Act
This roaming illuminated Snow Globe is the ultimate WOW factor for any Winter Themed Event. Imagine a stunning Snow Queen siting inside a beautifully detailed, twinkling Snow Globe, interacting with guests and bringing that all-important festive magic of any Winter Wonderland to life. The charming Snow Queen creates winter sound-effects and twinkling chimes with just a sweep of her hand! Hear crunching snow and howling winds as snow falls all around her in this magical Narnia or Winter themed globe!
Bring your imagination to life and find out more about this act here.
Giant inflatable Snow Globe
Speaking of magical globes, this giant inflatable Snow Globe, complete with fake snow and winter props makes for a snow-tastic centre piece for any Christmas themed event! Climb into a magical Winter Wonderland scene and surround yourself with fabulously-fake snow! Up to 8 people at a time can climb inside this walk-in inflatable Snow Globe making it great for group photo opportunities!
And if you are wanting to add a little brand awareness to your corporate Christmas party then this snow globe can be fully branded, ensuring huge advertising opportunities as everyone who gets involved uploads their photos onto social media. Great for ‘Tag Yourself’ campaigns! You’ll be the talk of not only the office but Social Media too!
Find out more about this bespoke giant Snow Globe here.
Red Hot Santas
If you want Seasonal Songs, frolics and walkabout Christmas Joy then we highly recommend the Red Hot Santas! This cracker of a band bring Festive madness and the best spontaneous Christmas entertainment and performance. To find out more about this mobile madness, click here.
Slade UK – The Ultimate Slade Tribute Band!
IT’S CHR-I-I-I-STMAS! Slade have sold over 6.5 million records in the UK, and over 50 million worldwide, so it’s obvious that no introduction is needed when it comes to this iconic rock band, as we’re pretty sure the whole world knows who Slade is! Slade UK features their very own Noddy Holder look-alike, who emulates the voice, mannerisms, costumes, and personality of the real rock star! So much so that even Mr Noddy Holder himself approves of Slade UK being the biggest and best tribute to all things SLADE! You can have Slade UK perform that iconic number 1 classic hit ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ live on stage at your Christmas corporate party!
Find out more about hiring Slade UK for your Christmas party here.
Interactive Human Christmas Trees
Bring Christmas to life with these animated, interactive Human Christmas Trees and Ice ‘Jack Frost’ Jesters! These lively and unique, comical Christmas characters are amazing meet and greet artistes. Available to hire on Stilts, on foot and even on Roller Skates! These crazy Christmas characters will interact with crowds, be an instant ice-breaker at events, and create the perfect Photo Opportunity for everyone. It is simple but effective live entertainment that will add a WOW factor to your corporate Christmas party!
Find out more about the interactive human Christmas trees here.
Busy organising your companies Christmas party and need help with some or all of the event planning process, or wanting information on other fabulously festive live entertainment options perfect for your Xmas do, then why not get in touch – we’re always in full festive mode no matter how near-or far Christmas may be!
October is quickly creeping upon us which can only mean one thing- ‘tis nearly the season to be spooky! Halloween happens to be our favourite time of year because we can unleash our inner demons and provide our clients with bone-tingling, heart-wrenching and fang-tastic live entertainment options for their spook-tastic extravaganza! Mwahahaha – that’s our evil laugh if you…didn’t already know.
Whether you are planning a hauntingly horrific fright-night for friends and family or hosting a ghoulishly delightful extravaganza for colleagues and business associates, Big Foot Events have put together a list of our most popular weird, wicked and witchy live entertainment options perfect for any Halloween themed party, function or corporate event!
Creepy Mix & Mingle Acts
Our Meet & Freak characters are both talented performers and prolific scarers. Not just for Halloween, these creepy characters are ideal for any event intended to send chills down the spines of guests! No look too strange or scary! Zombie Pirates, Murderous Clowns, Demons, Mummies, Psycho Nurses, Ghosts & Ghouls and the dreaded Grim Reaper are all members of our ghastly group.
Whether you want them to perform choreographed flash mob routines, creep over the crowds on stilts or simply haunt the venue, these versatile entertainers can cater the look and effect to your requirements.
Bring the heat to Halloween with captivating fire performers! Stunning Fire Eaters, Breathers, Poi Artists and Body Burners are the hottest performers around. With different skills and types of performance, they never fail to impress.
Halloween is not just about scary, murderous monsters and terrifyingly horrific experiences, it can also be about anything weird and wonderful that leaves your spine tingling and eyes wide with amazement – and these mystical and mesmerising fire performers definitely leave you amazed! Don’t be the goblin of Halloween and light up your event with breath-taking fire performers that will literally scorch any other entertainment option!
Devilishly Hair-raising Stunt Performers
Speaking of all things weird and wonderful, we have an extensive range of unearthly, deadly, exotic stunt performers that each have their own unique, spine-tingling, hellish act! We’re talking Snake charmers, knife throwers, sword swallowers, acrobats, aerialists and contortionists just to name a few! Create your very own ghastly cocktail of world-class stunt performers and WOW your party guests with unbelievably mind-boggling skill!
Somebody’s been murdered! Whodunnit? Was it the vicar or the scarlet lady? Mad uncle Harry has been acting suspiciously… Don’t be fooled! Dinner, drinks, and a Murder or two… Whether you fancy yourself as a Hercule Poirot, a Sherlock Holmes, or a Miss Marple – a Murder Mystery Games Night is the perfect, fully immersive experience, complete with venue decor and props, to captivate and thrill your guests!
Find out more about our different Murder Mystery themes here.
Mocky Horror Tribute Show
Mocky Horror is an outstanding 5 piece tribute to the cult blockbuster movie ‘The Rocky Horror Tribute Show’. Bringing you all the raunchiness, costumes, humour and outrageousness of the original Rocky Horror, you will be doing the Time Warp again, and again.
Need a helping hand in planning a spine-tingling, hair-raising, spook-tacular event, or wanting to find out more about any of our fang-tastic entertainment option? Why not get in touch and start your event planning journey today! As we said before, Halloween is our favourite time of year and we never need a reason to unleash our devilishly creative ideas!
It’s your Wedding Day. It’s finally happening! You can hardly believe it, you’ve been thinking of this special day since you were 13, and it’s now finally time to bring out that Wedding wish-list you made when you were merely just a teen!
You’ve planned every detail down to the silver and rose-gold cutlery and pastel pink flowers! However, you’re now realising that the playlist you made when you were 13 which consisted of all your favourite music from that decade, including Britney Spears and Busted, isn’t exactly going to create that magical, elegant and romantic atmosphere that you want for your Wedding Day – ultimate panic mode!
Unforgettable moments start with an amazing soundtrack. That’s why it’s essential that you choose the perfect Wedding entertainment for your special day! Whether it’s live music, a DJ set, choir, orchestra or simply an elegantly sounding acoustic backing track, the key to any memorable Wedding is definitely the entertainment!
A huge part of your wedding entertainment is the music, from walking down the aisle to a romantic string quartet or harpist, tucking in to a delicious wedding breakfast whilst soft jazz is echoing throughout the venue hall and dancing the night away at the evening reception alongside a fantastic, energetic party band – the options are limitless! This is YOUR special day, filled with all your closest friends, family and loved ones, so choosing the perfect music is key to everyone having a fantastic time!
Follow our ‘120 Songs To Play At Your Wedding’ Playlist on Spotify here.
There’s always a certain music style that fits your taste and the theme of your wedding. Each musical genre has its own unique vibe and every wedding band has their signature style, which means you can create a personalised soundtrack to go along with memories that will last a lifetime.
Classical Music
Before reading this, get rid of all of those misconceptions about classical music in your mind because classical musichas been, and always will be, the go-to music genre for Wedding ceremonies! There’s nothing more romantic than being serenaded whilst walking down the aisle by a stunning String Quartet, Harpist, Orchestra or choir.
Jazz Music
With its mixture of styles, beats and melodies, Jazz is another popular music option for Weddings! From traditional, dixie and swinging Jazz bands with sensational vocalists to acoustic intimate performances with a Jazzy twist – most Jazz bands and performers mix fast, hard-swinging Jazz with soft ballads making it the perfect genre to give your Wedding guests a diverse musical treat!
Pop Music
If you want a feel-good, lively Wedding reception filled with dancing and a good old-fashioned sing along, a party band performing your favourite pop music is the perfect choice for you! A mix or mash-up of straight-off-the-radio tunes and all-time favourites will make your Wedding Reception go wild! Pop music appeals to a diverse crowd, so by choosing a live party band with your preferred pop music influence you can expect an entertaining after party filled with a lot laughs and dare we say – dad dancing!
Soul & Motown
If you’re looking for dance music with huge beats and catchy horn riffs then this genre is for you. The familiar backbeat of Stevie Wonder’s songs together with popular Jackson Five hits will fill your dance floor in a flash. Not to mention that this genre is widely appreciated by every age bracket, so you can expect a fun-filled party because nobody can resist Soul and Motown!
Rock & Roll
Don’t be thinking that rock music can’t be performed at formal events because it’s the one genre of music that gets people thinking they’re the next Elvis Presley! It’s one of the most diverse genres of music, mixing upbeat, feel good tracks with soul searching power ballads. With a wide variety of songs from the 50s up to the 90s, this rock & roll music genre could easily encourage a lively dance floor.
Not much of a music fanatic? Does your music repertoire consist of cheesy 90s music or the occasional country hit? Need some inspiration of finding the perfect first dance song? We are here to help!
With over 15 years’ experience planning outstanding events and world-class live Wedding entertainment, we are experts at seeking out the most romantic ceremony songs so get in touch today!
We had the pleasure of creating a Summer Entertainment programme for Doncaster Lakeside all through August 2020. The popular and well-established Shopping Centre sought out our help in creating amazing, interactive and above all fun entertainment options that visitors can enjoy whilst shopping. In particular, the centre wanted children to have the opportunity to have fun and interact with each other in a safe environment whilst maintaining social distancing!
As we all know, the coronavirus has caused a storm throughout the world and ‘social distancing’ has quickly become the new norm. Because of this, Doncaster Shopping Centre wanted to help prepare children for when they go back to school, and have to interact with each other at a distance, in order to remain safe. Their aim was to prove that you can still have fun whilst being 2 metres apart!
The second of entertainment programmes was a Greatest Showman/Circus themed weekend! The first being a Trolls weekend which you can read all about here.
Due to the ever so popular ‘The Greatest Showman’ movie captivating the hearts of nearly the whole world when it premiered in December 2017, we knew that this theme would be a huge hit with children and circus enthusiasts alike!
The Challenges
The main challenge we had when putting together this Circus themed weekend was creating entertainment that not only was fun, interactive, and unique but also safe and honoured the ‘social distancing’ guidelines. We constantly asked ourselves ‘what can we do to engage and capture visitors’ attention and attract them to the shopping centre all whilst staying safe and maintaining 2 metres apart?’ It was a hard concept to execute however here at Big Foot Events, we are well known for our ability to adapt and improvise and adhere to even the most challenging of briefs. With this in mind, we knew that we would be able to overcome any issues and put together an amazing Circus themed weekend that not only brought a lot of attention to the shopping centre, but also had children amazed, engaged and entertained (social distanced of course)!
The Solutions
In order to overcome any safety issues and abide by the current ‘social distancing’ law, we restricted our workshops to a limited number of people. This way, we could make sure visitors remained 2 metres apart and that each visitor got the opportunity to safely interact with our fantastic Circus performers, acts and entertainers, as well as learn a few Circus tricks of their own!
We hired a marque with personalised branding to raise awareness of not just Doncaster Shopping Centre but also our Circus themed workshop. In order to create a WOW factor and give visitors a truly mesmerising and unmissable experience, we hired our world-class aerialists, contortionists, bubbleologists, hula hoop artistes, stilt walkers and circus performers, as well as our uncanny Greatest Showman characters to literally perform ‘the greatest show’! We made sure that all our acts and entertainers were 2 metres apart from each other and never physically interacted with visitors. Not that they needed to, as their high-quality and world-class circus talents captivated visitors’ attention anyway!
It was important that the workshop was fun and exciting for children as it gave children their first experience interacting with other children in a small space whilst social distancing. We all know children find it hard not to touch each other when playing. We ensured that the event would be a quick and easy set-up and did not need a large team of people to set up the event – therefore keeping social interaction to a minimum. We ensured all staff were coronavirus free and kept sanitised at all times.
The Results
We were extremely thankful that we had the weather on our side as it was glorious sunshine on the day of the Circus themed weekend! We transformed part of Doncaster Lakeside Shopping Centre into our very own Big Top Circus Tent! Filled with aerialists, jugglers, stilt walkers, plate spinners, hula hoop artists, and of course skilled Circus performers. It was like stepping inside a 1950s Circus!
Children had the amazing opportunity to learn impeccable Circus skills and meet some of our incredible Circus characters. It was truly heart-warming to see children’s eyes light up with amazement as our stilt walkers juggled plates, knives and not forgetting – fire. Even more so, it was exciting to see such a diverse audience whole-heatedly take part in the Circus skills workshop and give their all to plate spinning, rope jumping and even bubble hopping – yes, children took great pleasure in trying to jump through our clown entertainers giant bubbles! And as you can see from the pictures below, some actually succeeded.
We had giant stilt walking clowns, mind-blowing aerialists and weird and wonderful Circus characters walking around the centre enticing people to join in and experience what Hugh Jackman once sang, ‘The Greatest Show’! We made sure to have a wide variety of acts, entertainers and Circus workshops/demonstrations situated throughout the centre in order to give each performer enough room to well -perform. This also was to ensure safe crowd control and social distancing measures.
Each workshop we made sure to wipe the equipment thoroughly ready for the next person to have a go. Thankfully, children respected the 2- metre rule and waited patiently to meet our Circus performers! We noticed that this was mainly due to our large-scale stilt walkers towering over everything else and keeping visitors occupied whilst they waited to join the workshops.
Overall, the second ‘socially distanced’ Summer entertainment workshop at Doncaster Lakeside was a huge success and we had people instantly signing up to the next workshop taking place the following week.
We cannot wait to see how our Frozen themed weekend turns out! Keep updated on our website and Social Media platforms for more ‘Socially Distanced’ entertainment!
We had the pleasure of creating a Summer Event and Entertainment programme for Doncaster Lakeside throughout August 2020. This popular and well-established Shopping Centre sought out our help in creating amazing, interactive and above all fun entertainment options that visitors could enjoy whilst shopping. In particular, the centre wanted children to have the opportunity to have fun and interact with each other in a safe environment whilst maintaining social distancing!
As we all know, the coronavirus has caused a storm throughout the world and ‘social distancing’ has quickly become the new norm. Because of this, Doncaster Shopping Centre wanted to help prepare children for when they go back to school and have to interact with each other at a distance, in order to remain safe. Their aim was to prove that you can still have fun whilst being 2 metres apart!
The first event on our entertainment programme was to bring The Trolls to Doncaster Lakeside! Due to the new Trolls World Tour movie that was released earlier this year, we knew this theme would be a huge hit with children and child-like adults alike.
The Challenges
The main challenge we had when putting together this Trolls themed weekend was creating entertainment that was not only fun, interactive, and unique but also safe and honoured the ‘social distancing’ guidelines. We constantly asked ourselves ‘what can we do to engage and capture visitors’ attention and attract them to the shopping centre all whilst staying safe and maintaining 2 metres apart?’ It was a hard concept to execute, however here at Big Foot Events, we are well known for our ability to adapt and improvise and adhere to even the most challenging of briefs. With this in mind, we knew that we would be able to overcome any issues and put together an amazing Trolls themed weekend that not only brought a lot of attention to the shopping centre, but also had children amazed, engaged and entertained (social distanced of course)!
The Solutions
In order to overcome any safety issues and abide by the current ‘social distancing’ law, we restricted The Trolls Meet and Greet to a limited number of people per session. This way, we could make sure visitors remained 2 metres apart and that each visitor got the opportunity to safely interact with our fantastic Trolls! This first event, that took place on Saturday 1st August 2020, was simple yet crowd-pleasing. It captured visitors’ attention and kept them in the shopping centre, as well as gave children their first experience interacting with other children in a small space, whilst social distancing. We all know children find it hard not to touch each other when playing. We ensured that the event would be a quick and easy set-up and did not need a large team of people to set up the event – therefore keeping social interaction to a minimum. We ensured all staff were coronavirus free and kept sanitised at all times.
The Results
We were extremely thankful that we had the weather on our side as it was glorious sunshine on the day of the Trolls Workshop weekend! Our interactive, cheeky Trolls truly glistened and shined in the sunlight and their bright colours caught the attention of visitors as soon as they entered the Shopping Centre. We knew children – and Troll enthusiasts – would still be on a high from the newly released Trolls movie, and this was confirmed when their faces lit up with excitement when they saw the Trolls mischievously walking around the Shopping Centre.
As you can see from the picture below, our Trolls were extremely eye-catching, and immediately lit up the centre with their happy-as-Larry personalities. It was fantastic to see little children, as well as adults, wanting to take a picture with the beautiful beasts. We had a giant marquee behind the trolls, as well as friendly staff in order to maintain crowd control and keep visitors at a safe distance from each other. It was fascinating to see children excitedly communicate with each other through looks, hand gestures and of course through talking whilst maintaining social distancing! In fact, they were so captivated by the Trolls that they didn’t even seem to mind that they had to stay 2 metres apart from each other.
Overall, the first ‘socially distanced’ Summer entertainment workshop at Doncaster Lakeside was a huge success and we had people instantly signing up to the next workshop taking place the following week.
We cannot wait to see how our ‘Greatest Showman’ themed weekend turns out! Keep updated on our website and Social Media platforms for more ‘Socially Distanced’ entertainment!
We all know that office and work-related parties can go one of two ways; they either consist of eager to please colleagues talking non-stop about work and boring fellow co-workers to death, or they can get a little wild and all the stresses of the job are released onto the dancefloor with that shy and timid employee unleashing her talent for robot dancing. We know which one we would prefer – wild all the way! It’s the only time that employees get to communicate socially outside of work, and you know what they say – a happy team is a productive team!
If you’re now fearing that your office party is going to be a snooze fest, there’s no need to scrap those invitations and throw in the towel just yet as Big Foot Events have put together a list of tips on how to throw an office party that employees and co-workers will actually enjoy. The best part? All of our tips can already be found in the office and are designed to not break the bank!
Before you start reading our tips and tricks on throwing a successful office party, take a look at our blog on unique, fun but above all affordable office party theme ideas here.
Host the party during work hours
The most important tip we can give you is to host your office party during office hours. If you think about it smartly then it actually makes sense. Here’s why; employees shouldn’t have to cancel their evening plans to attend a work function – better yet, they shouldn’t have to stress about finding a late-night babysitter in order to attend. Give employees an actual break from work by hosting the party during their normal work hours. This will not only create a buzz around the office, but it will ensure most employees are free to attend as they won’t have made other plans as they are normally at work during that time. You should also inform them that they won’t have to work late in order to make up lost time so that they can truly enjoy the party and not have to worry about making up the work.
Incorporate games and entertainment
Although it is a work-related party, it does not mean you can’t incorporate fun, engaging and a little competitive entertainment! Interactive games are a great way to break the ice and get people interacting with each other. What gets people talking to each other more than a little light-hearted competition? You should also include live entertainment for attendees to enjoy in order to not only keep them entertained throughout the evening, but to also make them desperate for an invite to the next kick-ass office party.
Check out our blog on fun, interactive and unique dinner party entertainment ideas here.
Make sure there is Party food
We shouldn’t have to mention this, but we’ve heard horror stories amongst horror stories about there not being any party food at a party – can you believe it? Food is a staple at any party and it’s often the deciding factor on whether your party is a success or a fail. When choosing the catering for a party, it’s crucial to honour attendees’ dietary requirements. Ask people to RSVP with their dietary requirements or ask co-workers their preferred food options so that everyone feels included on the day of the event.
Make sure all attendees have all the details
Sounds simple but you would be surprised how many people often forget to mention to guests the most important information regarding the party. It’s important to let people know the basic party details in order for everyone to have a positive experience. Let people know when and where the party will be held – just because it’s a work-related party doesn’t mean you have to host it at the office. Let them know whether alcohol will be served so that they can sort a designated driver or leave their car at home and get a taxi or public transport. Let them know if they can bring a plus one – you don’t want that picky and annoying employee kicking up a fuss because they didn’t realise that they could bring their equally annoying other half. And finally, inform people of the theme and dress code. This is a MUST DO when inviting people to a themed event. You don’t want those office pictures ruined because someone came in a Hawaiian shirt when the dress code was black tie.
We can 100% guarantee that if you follow these simply but effective tips on how to throw a stellar office party then it will be a huge success and will go down extremely well with employees and co-workers. Need help in planning your office party? Big Foot Events are here to help! We’ve got a dedicated team of event and party planners with over 15 years of experience in the events industry.
Dinner parties aren’t just about the food. Yes, we know that it’s a vital part, but you need to have a backup plan in case your impeccable culinary skills fail you on the day and guests are not impressed with your chosen dishes. The last thing you want is for guests to be twiddling their thumbs around the table whilst you try to salvage the burnt potatoes you left in the oven for far too long. For this reason alone, Big Foot Events have gathered a list of the best dinner party entertainment ideas to take your evening from zero to hero.
Flair Bartenders
Flair Bartenders
Keep the drinks flowing and the conversation going – that’s the saying right? Hire Flair Bartenders and Cocktail Waiters to amaze guests with their impeccable skills. Watch in awe as incredibly talented mixologists juggle bottles, spin glasses and stir up a deliciously unique experience. Our Flair Bartenders have the ability to serve up enticing, mouth-watering alcoholic beverages; from classic Espresso Martini’s and Strawberry Daiquiris, to more exotic and adventurous creations. Why not mix it up and have them host an interactive, fast paced, and fun masterclass in the art of Gin making? Wait…did someone say Gin? We’re in!
Close-up Magic
Is it really a dinner party without an overly enthusiastic Magician making their way around the table asking someone to pick a card, any card? Furthermore, can you really say you’ve had an authentic encounter with a Magician if they didn’t ask you to pull something out of their hat? Nothing gets people talking more than a magic trick so outrageously mind boggling that it leaves everyone wondering how on earth the Magician managed to pull it off. And that’s why a close-up Magician is the perfect dinner party entertainment! We offer carefully vetted professional, original, and dynamic magicians, who perform unique tricks and illusions with panache, style, and humour that will bring the WOW factor to your evening!
Surprise Singers
What’s a party without music? It’s like going ice skating without the skates. Everyone loves a good old-fashioned singalong – especially after a few alcoholic drinks! But why settle for the traditional DJ playing the same old cheesy 90’s songs over and over, when you can book our vibrant, energetic and hilarious surprise singers! They can blend in waiters and waitresses at your dinner party, or even as guests! Then they will spring into action with renditions of pop favourites and opera classics. With a huge repertoire, these award-winning performers will provide a brilliant set to please all, adding a burst of energy into your evening, just when your guests least expect it.
Caricaturists
Hire a professional caricaturist to draw on-the-spot caricatures and cartoons of your guests! Capturing fun and somewhat silly poses of your guests, a caricaturist can personalise each drawing using branded paper relating to your event to make the experience even more memorable for guests! Whether table-hopping during the main course, mingling at the start of the evening whilst guests take their seats or leaving a lasting impression towards the end of the night, a caricaturist is simply unique entertainment!
We hope that you have found some inspiration on what kind of entertainment to have at your dinner party! We also have an extensive repertoire of other fantastic dinner party entertainment so why not take a look at our ‘Dinner & Drinks’ page on our website.
