New Years Eve (31st December) is one of the most popular nights to hire live entertainment.
There is nothing quite like seeing in the new year with a few drinks and a rousing chorus of Auld Lang Syne and venues, private functions, and bars up and down the country are all out to put on a night that people will never ever forget.
This means NYE tends to be one of the busiest nights of the year for musicians, with people choosing to book live entertainment for celebrations, house parties and even the occasional wedding! (You'll never forget the anniversary!).
Our bands get booked quickly and as a rule New Year’s Eve is more expensive than on any other night of the year. Expect bands to charge a lot more (in some cases double) as they have to be away from their Families working to entertain guests at a family orientated time. We have a wide selection of bands and duos to choose from...
May – August for the best bands. We normally get lots of enquiries on December 1st and cannot help as most of our musicians are booked by then so get organising early in order to get the best deals.
With so many people looking to book entertainment on one evening, acts will often get booked months, or even a full year in advance. If you know specifically what act you would like to have at your celebrations, make sure you give them notice as soon as possible (they will probably ask for you to pay a deposit to secure the date).
It's worth keeping in mind, when you book a band or other act for NYE, you are not only asking them to perform, but to spend the night working away from their friends and families and their own celebrations.
As such, most musicians will charge a premium for gigs on NYE, in a similar manner to how retail workers will often be paid higher wages on holidays.
Please feel free to get in touch if your need any help planning your New Years Eve entertainment.
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With a huge variety of styles (from tribute acts and swing singers to soul acts and Rock/Pop), Solo Singers represent excellent value for anyone looking for entertainment on NYE on a limited budget.
Accompanied by backing tracks, or possibly acoustic guitar/piano, they can offer a very versatile service to suit most budgets and themes.
Perfect for: restaurants, bars, and private parties.
Acoustic Bands represent an amazing way to create a great party atmosphere, but with a interesting twist. While they still have all the feel of a live band, they are perfect for venues that don't have the space for a full band set up, or even for house parties!
Perfect for: bars, venues, private functions and house parties
If a really rocking NYE is what you are looking for, it's well worth taking a look through LMM's listings for Party Bands. Whether it's trios, 4 piece bands, or even something bigger, nothing will get people dancing and create atmosphere like full live band. If you are looking for your event to follow a set theme, why not try tribute bands and themed acts, or if you are looking for a little bit of everything, take a browse through the listings for function bands. Remember to book early to avoid disappointment.
Perfect for: bars, venues, private functions, corporate parties and weddings
If there is one group of people who know how to see in the new year, it's the Scots! If you are looking for something truly unique to add to your NYE celebrations, why not consider bringing along a piper to serenade you at midnight? All the celebratory atmosphere of NYE at Edinburgh Castle... at your event!
Perfect for: just about anything!
New Years Eve is a unique situation for musicians, and it requires them to make a couple of decisions. They are not simply deciding to play a show, they are also missing out on your own celebrations and possibly seeing in the New Year with a group of strangers!
As such, most musicians charge a premium for a NYE booking. How much they charge is always be a personal choice based on their worth and experience. For more specifics on pricing, read this Last Minute Musicians blog post.
Historical records show that the new year has been celebrated for around 4000 years, in one guise or another. The ancient Babylonians were reportedly the first culture to celebrate it with a religious festival they called "Akita".
However, this took place on the first full moon after the "Vernal Equinox" (the day with an equal amount of sunlight and darkness) and so actually took place in late March. The first people to use January 1st as the first day of their calendar were the Romans.
The early Roman calendar originally consisted of 10 months/ 304 days but it was later changed by King Numa Pompilius to include the rather familiar sounding months of "Januarius" and "Februarius", though it still followed the timings of the sun.
Eventually the calendar fell out of sync, and it was Julius Caesar himself who proclaimed the 1st day of January as the first day of the year. The Romans were famous for their debaucherous celebrations, and history tells us a new year party in ancient Rome was no exception. Toga party anyone?
It's that time of the year to start planning the perfect New Years Eve party - there's still time to tell friends, come up with ideas for cocktails and perhaps book some last minute entertainment!
Regardless as to whether you've taken on the challenge as a pub landlord looking to host the most anticipated party of the year or are simply organising a fun get-together for a group of friends, every New Years Eve party can be a success. For those who have organised their party well in advance, invitations will have been sent out and guests will know when and where to arrive for the festivities.
However, for those organising a knees up on the fly, it's best to contact your guests as directly as possible; whether that be through word of mouth or, for pub landlords, via posters and social media.
Organising food for a large group of people is never easy and providing food for guests at a NYE party is particularly difficult. Many may suggest that food for such a party is unsuitable however, for those insistent on providing something to line keen drinkers stomachs it's advisable to provide simple, yet fulfilling cuisine. Food buffets such as a chilli con carne, sandwiches or cold meats and salad.
Naturally, for those organising a NYE party with a budget on a larger scale caterers could be booked to provide food for hungry guests. Popular NYE party catering includes hog roasts, burger vans and other such fast food.
It's usually the case that guests will arrive with alcohol (and plenty of it!) at your party. However if you can welcome your guests with a glass of wine, cocktail or perhaps even a shot you may find that your event goes down even better than expected! Here's a range of New Years Eve drink recipes.
New Years Eve is an opportunity for everyone to let their hair down, enjoy themselves and perhaps have a few too many to drink. Whilst entertainment at events often differs depending on the guests and other such factors, the entertainment for a NYE party should aim to get everyone on their feet dancing and singing along - no exceptions!
Suitable styles of entertainment include party bands, swing/jive/boogie bands and blues bands as the repertoires are widely enjoyed and are guaranteed to create an unforgettable party atmosphere. For a full list of suitable bands ideal for parties and events see LastMinuteMusicians.
Hiring entertainment can, of course, be costly and for those who can't afford to hire a live band should consider creating a playlist to ensure the night goes off with a bang!
We're always happy to help. If you need help choosing bands or musicians please get in touch...
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