Pauline (Poppy) Brown's Surprise 80th Birthday Party Real Life Party Entertainment

I organised a surprise party to celebrate my mum’s 80th birthday, writes Andy Brown. What a great opportunity to throw a party. Also a chance to say thanks to the old girl after giving her years of bad report cards, police knocking on the door and countless trips to the emergency room.

I live in Canada and my mum lives in Cheshire so it was going to be a challenge to organise a party from 7,000 miles away. Family and friends back home were able to sort out most of the details. 

My mum said that when she died she wanted a jazz band to play at her funeral. I thought it might be more fun for everybody, especially her, if I organised something musical a little earlier.

So to do this I was lucky enough to stumble across Alive Network on the internet. Not only did Alive Network help with party ideas and have a huge selection of artists available, but I could actually listen to sound bites of each artist to help me make my choice. I chose Mike Smith, the young saxophonist, who looked like he’d fit the bill, as well as my budget.

The objective of the party was to have a relaxing and mellow event, both during the planning stages and the party itself. The folks at Alive Network made things very easy and communication was good throughout the process.

So with a few pork pies on order, a trip to the local firework shop, and a bit of dusting under the table, things were ready to go. 

The guests slowly trickled in, friends from down the street as well as relatives from the other side of the country. 

When Mike Smith showed up he did a great job of introducing himself and getting a measure of the type of party he was playing for. Given that the house is about as big as a shoebox, he adapted well to any limitations presented.

To cut a long story short, the music was fantastic and left my mum teary eyed. The fireworks, well, let’s just say that we stopped only after there were none left.

Thanks to Mike Smith for making my mum’s surprise 80th birthday party unforgettable for her.