It’s that time of year. Before you know it, the holiday season will be here. It’s time to start booking your live entertainment for your Christmas or New Year’s Eve party while you still can have a choice of the artists you want.
The bigger the occasion, the earlier you need to book your music for it. For big holiday occasions, such as a corporate Xmas parties, holiday galas or similar happenings we recommend you book 6 months in advance. Smaller private events, such as a house party or family gettogether for the holidays should be booked 3 months out unless you are targeting a bigger name artist.
Whether you are celebrating, Christmas, Christmas Eve, St. Nicholas Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, New Year’s Eve, Solstice or whatever event you need as an excuse to have a party, consider live music for your occasion.
Holiday Parties Require Booking Live Entertainment Early
The Christmas holiday season is a busy time for bands. While Christmas parties and other holiday parties may be spread out over a couple of weeks during the season, New Year’s Eve is all in on one big night.
That’s why it’s important in booking your live entertainment to start in June, if possible. If you or your venue is hosting a New Year’s Eve bash, then it’s critical to get the entertainment lined up now. Think about it. Every venue is booking bands, some two or three for their New Year’s celebration. On top of that are a lot of private parties hosted by corporations, individuals, clubs, community centers, etc. You get the picture. New Year’s Eve is the biggest booking date for live entertainment of the year. The longer you wait, the less choices you will have. Get crackin…
Remember, booking a band for your holiday party, doesn’t require that you have every detail in place for your holiday affair. If you know the date, city, audience size and budget, a booking agency can start getting bands for your review for your party. Of course, you would want to let the agency know if you are having an outdoor New Year’s Party in Chicago or other places where weather could be a factor for the band.
Once the band is selected, other issues can be worked out later, such as venue issues, technical rider issues, travel and hospitality issues, etc. The important thing is to nail down the band that meets you budget, genre and playing time issues.
New Year’s Eve Celebrations Add Complexities in Booking Live Music
You might also want to consider playing time issues for New Year’s Eve events. You should not expect a band to play for more than 3 or 4 hours for cover bands and about 90 minutes or so for a holiday event such features original artists and their music or tribute acts.
Because New Year’s Eve music entertainment often is expected to play until one or two in the morning, these considerations may impact your event. You also need to consider what to use for entertainment when the band take a break.
If you start your entertainment at 8:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve, you are going to either need two bands or a combination of a cover band and a DJ to keep guests entertained and dancing for 5 or even 6 hours. That way the music is always playing even when one band finishes their set and takes their break. This set up works very well if you use several rooms for your event, like different hotel ballrooms. It also can work with minimal downtime if the bands you select can use the same backline and other equipment to minimize getting one band off and the other band on the stage. Using a DJ or just playing music through the band’s PA system are options as well.
Cover – function bands are the ticket for 3 or 4 hours of live music. You can choose a country cover band, an 80’s hits cover band, 70’s disco cover band or a more traditional cover band that plays a variety of different music genres to entertain your guests and keep them on the dance floor.
Another suggestion I have is using a tribute band as part or all the entertainment for your holiday or New Year’s Eve party. Great tribute bands, like the ones we book, look, sound and act like the real deal.
Imagine having the Rolling Stones playing at your holiday party. Take a look at Mick Adams and the Stones and you will see what I mean. Your guests will believe they are watching the real Rolling Stones as Rick and his band take you back to their biggest hits.
How about Adele, Elvis or the Beatles playing at your Christmas, New Year’s Ever or gala event? Not your cup of tea? There’s always Prince, Ozzie Osborne, the Eagles or Journey. More into the country genre, well have you thought about having George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Brooks and Dunn, Martina McBride, Jason Aldean, or Toby Keith, or Shania Twain for your event.
Looking for a more Latin genre, invite Santana or Selena to perform at your holiday occasion. Tribute bands are a great way to separate your event from other parties taking place during the holiday season.
You can also have someone who you listen to on the radio and see on television perform for your holiday guests. Of course, the bigger the name, the bigger the budget you need to have to book them.
Another option is an up-and-coming artist getting radio play in your area. Seeing that band in person would be a real treat for the people attending your holiday party.
Whatever way you go and whatever budget you have, TSE Entertainment can help you get the right band for your holiday event, Christmas party or New Year’s Eve celebration. Whether your holiday party is a corporate event, or a small intimate house party, we can help you find the right entertainer for it.
Just remember the sooner you get the ball rolling with booking live entertainment for your holiday party, the sooner you will have peace of mind knowing that the band you want is under contract for your event. Trust me, you don’t want to be hunting for a band for a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party come September or October.
A word to the wise is sufficient!
