Top Five Entertainment Ideas For A Summer Garden Party

If the weather holds out this summer, you might be considering a traditional garden party. Alive Network has put together its top 5 list of summer garden party entertainment.

1. Jazz Duo or Dixieland Jazz Band



Bring the heady sound of New Orleans to your party with a stomping, walk-about Dixieland Jazz band. Ideal due to the “un-amplified” instruments used (i.e., they won’t need electricity). Dixie is up-tempo, fun, and guaranteed to make you smile!

Prices start from £421. View Dixieland Jazz Bands > 

For something with vocals and a touch of the familiar, how about a Swing Jazz band - often playing Rat Pack, Sinatra, Michael Bublé and Jamie Cullem. Unlike a Dixie band, they will need electricity for their amplification, but they can tone the volume to suit a garden party just fine.

Prices start from £211 for a solo singer. View Swing Jazz Bands here >
 
Strapped for space? Try one of our fantastic Jazz Duos – playing a wide variety of jazz music and usually some pop as well. A duo is the easiest type of act to accommodate and makes more of a visual statement than a solo artist alone.

Prices start from £198. View jazz duos here > 

2. Steel Drum Band



Steel drum band music stems from the Caribbean with a mixture of Calypso, Latin, Reggae, Pop, and Rock n’ Roll. Steel bands bring the Caribbean to your doorstep!

Prices start from £607. View our steel drum bands here >

3. String Quartet



Traditionally, a string quartet gives recitals of works by the classical masters, but more recently has diversified into a more popular repertoire which includes pop, jazz, folk and ragtime. String quartets are ideal for summer garden parties. As they are generally acoustic (they require no amplification or electricity), they are portable and can change location during your event.

Prices start from £496. View our string quartets here >

4. Outdoor Games and Kids Entertainment



Whether it's Giant Jenga, Giant Wii Sport, Giant Table Football or Giant Operation - Giant Games is the fun way to enhance your big event with a fantastic range of games for all ages!

Prices start from £240. View our giant games here >

5. Latin / Salsa Band



For a lively garden party with plenty of dancing, a Salsa band is the ideal addition. Salsa encompasses a variety of rhythmic styles and musical forms. Think Rio Carnival, the Caribbean, South America and Latin Jazz. With Salsa music, the rhythm is infectious and the costumes colourful. Many acts can also include Salsa dance instruction as part of their package. 

Prices start from £322. View our latin and salsa bands here >

A few things to consider when organising entertainment for a summer garden party.

Electricity – some acts don’t need electricity as they play acoustic instruments, and are therefore easier to move around the garden. Any act with vocals, electric guitars or keyboards will need electricity and you’ll need to ensure a safe supply.

Cover – in case of bad weather (or even in case of full sun) most musical acts will need a provision of cover such as a gazebo or marquee.

Noise – make sure you warn the neighbours if you book a band later in the evening, as you won’t want the police turning up and dampening the mood.

Lawn Protection – as the musicians will likely be moving around on one small spot of garden, if the ground is at all damp it would be wise to cover the lawn in that area. A ground sheet would be fine, but even better, you can buy “ground protection mats” from places like Homebase. For a small band you’ll need to cover roughly 3 x 3 metres.