Recycled Christmas Trees Part Two | Festive Art

Christmas parties 2012
Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin

The underside of a nondescript New York bridge has been given a rather festive makeover by a local artist. Michael Neff, the man in question, had had his scheduled display in a conventional gallery delayed, so decided to hang his eight Christmas trees of varying sizes from the underside of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway where all the passing traffic could see them instead.

The trees, swinging nonchalantly in the breeze, look superb and definitely bring a drab and grey roadway to life. Whether or not they’ll still be there when the Christmas parties 2012 season rolls around is another thing but with New York’s famously icy winters blanketing everything in white these trees should provide a welcome burst of colour. As you can see from the picture below, they are well protected from the elements!

Michael Neff

The news comes hot on the heels of other Stateside goings on that we reported on last week, namely the move by New Orleans’ city council to recycle Christmas trees for use in coastal restoration. We’ve considered getting in touch with Neff in order to commission him to provide some foliage-focused artwork for a Christmas party or two of ours later this year and then that made us think of another idea.

We’d like you guys to submit your crazy ideas for festive art that could bring any number of parties to life this year. As you can see from an earlier post we managed to turn an empty room in Nottingham into a beautifully decorated and authentic-feeling ‘Speakeasy’-type drinking den. But in terms of the more traditional Christmas party nights we want to hear what you’ve got in mind. It could be a Banksy-style graffiti painting on the walls, some kind of festive fountain to welcome guests or even a hand-sculpted model of Father Christmas. Get those thinking caps on people, the 2012 festive season needs you already!

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From Elf To Stripper | How Students Spent Their Christmas

Christmas parties 2012
Posted on January 5, 2012 by admin

Having spent all of their loans on books and booze (mainly the latter) during term-time, students usually try to find part-time work in bars, restaurants or cafes during the holidays in order to fund their between-semester trips down the pub. But with competition for casual roles always high, just how far would they go to find a job?

The Huffington Post collared two students this week to talk about their respective festive employment exploits and the results were interesting to say the least, one taking up a post as an elf in Hamley’s toy store in London and the other spending her evenings serenading as a stripper. Safe to say the latter wouldn’t exactly go down well at one of our corporate Christmas parties! The position of Christmas Elf, despite apparently being one of the most sought-after, actually turned out to be hell according to student ‘Charlie’.

“It’s horrible, unbearable even,” he claimed. “It’s a sea of people, minimum wage and everyone catches each other’s coughs and colds.”

At the other end of the Christmas pay scale, ‘Hannah’ spent the festive period stripping for between £400-£500 per night, claiming that she “couldn’t turn down the opportunity to earn that much money.”

Guys, this year you should get in touch and we’ll find you something a bit more wholesome to do during our Christmas parties 2012 season! We could certainly use a few elves (Hannah we are sure you’d make a great elf, with your clothes on of course). And Charlie, if you still want to earn your crust during the day in Hamley’s we can definitely squeeze you onto one of our top London Christmas parties held at the nearby Dartmouth House at night. Just promise us you’ll remain in costume to help us welcome the guests! Dinner and drinks on us for your troubles, we promise.

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Recycled Christmas Trees Used For Coastal Restoration!

Christmas party nights 2012
Posted on January 4, 2012 by admin

The city of New Orleans has come up with a novel use for its old Christmas trees. Officials have asked residents to place their festive foliage outside houses alongside all their other recycling, for the trees to then be collected and planted in the city’s damaged coastal wetland areas to encourage their restoration. They say that Christmas is a time for giving, but this surely takes it to the next level!

Meanwhile, back on our side of the pond, researchers at Imperial College London have been busying themselves in the post-Christmas period, concluding that if all of the nation’s cards, wrapping paper and crackers were turned into biofuel then it could run a London bus for 18 million kilometres! So, if they did Christmas party nights 2012 on Mars and buses could fly….well, you see where this going.

With London set to host the Olympics this summer and Mayor Boris Johnson’s planned reintroduction of the updated Routemaster buses in the capital, we reckon now is the perfect time for Bozza to appeal for the population’s leftover Christmas paper and card. In a city desperately in need of cutting its carbon footprint, being able to fuel its buses entirely on festive biofuel for years to come would surely represent a political victory, and one for the environment, unlike any before.

For 2011′s Christmas party nights London did its utmost to get on the environmentally-friendly map. The Gherkin for example hosted a series of exquisite events, all within perhaps the city’s greenest skyscraper. Its unique shape maximises the amount of natural light entering the building, thus reducing energy consumption throughout the day. By night, the need to artificially heat the place is reduced via a complex system of cavities containing solar panels that are charged up organically during the daylight hours.

So New Orleans, we may not be using our old Christmas trees to restore damaged coastal areas or fuelling our buses with cards and paper just yet, but London Christmas party venue The Gherkin is staking its claim as the nation’s greenest. Nice to see our industry doing its bit!

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Christmas Parties 2011 | A Season In Review

office Christmas parties
Posted on January 3, 2012 by admin

First of all let us take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New Year and thank you so much if you attended one of our Christmas parties in 2011! We hope you all had a good break and were able to enjoy some quality time with family and friends. It was by far our busiest year yet and rest assured that alongside plenty of partying we indulged in a well-earned spot of time off!

As well as sending thousands of you off to great shared events, we also organised a number of our own corporate Christmas parties from scratch. These exclusive shindigs involved us approaching ‘blank canvas’ venues on behalf of a large single party group with a view to doing all of the theming and production ourselves. The results were better than we ever could’ve hoped for, with function rooms up and down the country coming to festive life.

From Winter Wonderland through to Viva Las Vegas, the themes were extremely varied and our largest event saw three hundred excited souls enjoying an exclusive Christmas party in Nottingham. This particular event, one that saw the venue turned into a fully kitted-out 1920s New York-styled ‘Speakeasy’, truly set a benchmark against which Nottingham Christmas parties will surely be measured from now on. As you can see from some of the pictures below, the guests most certainly played their part in adding to the authentic Prohibition-era atmosphere (together with the gorgeous flapper girls, gangsters, cops and our very own Frank Sinatra tribute act)!

Nottingham Christmas parties

Christmas parties Nottinghamcorporate Christmas parties

Another of our exclusive events that stood out in December was one that we put together in the magnificent surroundings of Dartmouth House in London’s swanky Mayfair district. The theme this time around was the 80s, always a popular one with party folk up and down the land. Once again the life and soul of the party were its participants, over a hundred packing themselves into the grand old venue.

London Christmas parties

As you can see, a great time was had by all. We certainly enjoyed ourselves in 2011 and we are looking forward to an even busier year this time around. If you fancy us throwing a party for you like the ones above, simply drop us a line and we’ll get the ball rolling for you! Roll on Christmas party nights 2012!

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Maidstone’s Leeds Castle To Be Hired Out For Olympics

Christmas parties Maidstone
Posted on November 14, 2011 by admin

In a move that is sure to be welcomed by Russian sports fan billionaires the trustees of Leeds Castle have announced that the estate and its grounds will be made available to hire exclusively during the 2012 Olympics. The 500-acre estate in Maidstone will be taken over for the duration of the games -16 days- at a guide price of £1m, equating to around £62,500 a night!

A cursory glance through what guests can expect as part of the package reveals a truly breathtaking roll call of treats. As well as front row seats at the Olympic stadium, including for the coveted men’s 100m final, wealthy sports fans can look forward to the use of a nine-hole golf course, 40 rooms for entertaining guests, butler, chauffeur and Michelin-starred chef, not to mention onsite activities such as hot air balloon rides, fishing and jousting.

But that’s not all. Whoever rents the venue shall have a flag designed and hoisted in their honour and be given the chance to drive the local steam train!

For the rest of us, the best way to celebrate in Kent is by joining us to enjoy one of our Christmas parties Maidstone style this December! Our flagship event in town this year is undoubtedly Party At The Pyramids, to be held at the Showground. Dinner is served against the backdrop of the ‘pyramids’, with statues of the Sphinx with belly dancers, fire eaters and the Pharaoh’s Harem of Dancers providing colourful entertainment.

Elsewhere across town we have the superb Festive Comedy Night bringing laughter aplenty to the Hilton hotel, yet another one of those fabulous Christmas party nights Maidstone style!

So, if you have a spare £1m lying around then we are ever so slightly envious that you’ll be able to hire out Leeds Castle for the duration of the Olympic games (we fancy driving that steam train around the most). Maybe for our Christmas parties 2012 we’ll enquire about throwing a few festive bashes there. Who knows, you’ll have to watch this space to see!

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Royal Mail Builds Parcel Hubs To Ease Christmas Pressure

Christmas party ideas
Posted on November 7, 2011 by admin

The Royal Mail is to set up nine parcel ‘hubs’ in locations across the country in order to facilitate the movement of post throughout the extremely busy Christmas season.

The temporary centres, located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Swansea, Swindon, Watford, Bristol, Peterborough, Manchester and Nuneaton, will be open for business until Christmas eve and have been set up to help the service deal with the 130 million daily items, over double the usual daily amount of 62 million.

A spokesman for the group Consumer Focus has welcomed the move, which will involve £15m of investment being pumped in from Royal Mail, believing that it will help prevent issues that were seen last Christmas whereby adverse weather conditions meant thousands of people didn’t receive packages on time. Mark Higson, Royal Mail’s managing director of operations and modernisation, has however advised the public to plan ahead, stating that “Even though it still seems a long way off, we would remind people to start thinking about putting in their online orders for presents, and sending their Christmas post to family and friends in advance.”

Here at Eventa, we’ve always espoused the virtues of booking your Christmas party ‘early doors’, with spaces on key dates filling up faster than ever this year. However, should you still be looking to get involved with the Christmas party scene, fear not, for we’ve opened up a load of extra spaces for those seeking last minute work Christmas party deals!

Over the past week or so we’ve made some brand new events in London and Brighton live on the site. Better late than never, we know, but rest assured that these aren’t ‘slap dash’ bashes thrown together with moments to spare until the Christmas party season kicks off. We’d recommend that you check out Christmas At The Chinese Cricket Club, Celebrate Christmas In The Heart Of The City and Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Festive Feasts for hundreds and hundreds of prime seats at the top Christmas tables. We’ve been seeing groups of 100 plus enquiring about a party just this week, so it’s never too late to book that dream date for you and your organisation!

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Jamie Oliver Gets In On The London Christmas Party Act

London Christmas parties
Posted on November 2, 2011 by admin

Despite being into November now, with just a few weeks left until we start whisking groups off to their London Christmas parties, a brand new series of unbelievable festive packages has been brought to our attention. Jamie Oliver, award-winning chef extraordinaire, will be hosting a run of mouthwatering Christmas parties deep inside the inner workings of the iconic Battersea Power Station in South London.

Seriously, is there anything this boy can’t do? Not content with revolutionising the food that is served in schools, getting a whole nation excited about cooking again and turning his hand to a successful chain of restaurants, Jamie has now entered the wonderful world of Christmas. His ‘Festive Feasts At Battersea Power Station’ will be taking place in an epic glass marquee set up in the heart of the building with a huge dance floor and seats for up to 550 guests.

Not surprisingly, the tantalising selection of food will provide the highlight and is what got us salivating when we first saw the menu. Big wooden planks full of goodies such as Louisana Fry Soft Shell Crabs, Ribs with Kicking Yellow Mustard and Gherkins and Aubergine Parmigiana with Crunchy, Herby Breadcrumbs will make for a colourful and totally unique table experience. Imagine the creations from his Thirty Minute Meals series and how great they looked and then imagine sitting down with all of your friends to actually tuck into them! Can somebody sort us an invite to these Christmas parties please?

We’ve been told that although Jamie won’t be making an appearance himself, you can look forward to the next best thing: the delights of Le Soiree. This spectacular live music and dance show will fill the arena with atmosphere and provide a wonderful backdrop to the theatrical surroundings. Dancers, singers and aerial trapezes will have jaws dropping all night long. As if that wasn’t enough the night will finish off with a disco that runs into the early hours.

We’ve already seen this super package become one of our most popular, so join the Christmas party ideas revolution now and get involved!

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Bieber Set To Turn On London Christmas Lights

London Christmas parties
Posted on October 26, 2011 by admin

It’s official: ‘Bieber Fever’ is coming to the capital this Christmas time. Following on from our recent report concerning the teenage pop sensation’s since-released album ‘Mistletoe’, we can confirm that Justin is to switch on the Christmas lights at both the Shepherd’s Bush and Stratford Westfield shopping centres. The turning on ceremony, pencilled in for November 7, is expected to see 10,000 fans cram into each venue with 100 lucky punters invited backstage to meet the star after performing a four song set. It is the clearest sign yet that London Christmas parties season is now well and truly upon us.

Justin himself would be immensely proud of what we’ve got in store for London Christmas party season this year, with a plethora of musically-inspired evenings as well as many rock and pop-tastic tribute evenings lined up across the capital. His Madame Tussaud’s waxwork model may not exactly represent a spitting image, but we are sure he’d love dining and dancing amongst the stars (and with himself) at the famous attraction’s run of Christmas parties. A keen Anglophile, the teenager could learn a bit more about the capital with the ‘Spirit Of London’ ride, taking revellers on a journey through the sights, sounds and smells of the city’s last 400 years, complete with moving animatronic figures, lighting and sound effects, that kicks things off.

We also reckon that Bieber would fancy joining the band Mad Hen onstage for a sing song when they perform for guests attending our Showtime event in Billingsgate Market. Being just 17, he’d have to stay away from the unlimited drinks but that doesn’t mean you have to! He could however enjoy the Popcorn Girls, vintage Marilyn videos and, naturally, the company at the VIP backstage bar. We’ve teamed up with a superb events supplier to promote these and several other superb Christmas parties in London, so you can be sure they’re going to rock! Join Justin at the Westfield on the 7th and get all festive with us!

P.S: A good friend of ours has recently started up a London events blog talking about loads of unique and interesting events in the capital, go take a look!

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Leicester Art Enthusiasts Enjoy Brush With Rolf

Christmas parties Leicester
Posted on October 24, 2011 by admin

Is there anything that Rolf Harris can’t do? Aside from gracing the stage each and every year at Glastonbury, entertaining children and helping sick animals, he has made his name primarily as an artist. Having taken photographs of various subjects since the 1960s, he then commits the shots to canvas, a collection of which were put up for sale at Whitehall in Highcross, Leicester, on Sunday. Fans were snapping up colourful prints costing hundreds of pounds, some thousands, just in time for the equally colourful Christmas parties Leicester styled season ahead.

As well as signing each and every purchase for excited fans, Rolf also spent time chatting to people and was described as ‘having time for everyone’. Not bad for the UK’s best-selling published artist and portrait painter to the Queen.

Known for enjoying a good laugh, we know that Rolf would absolutely love the Leicester installation of our popular White Christmas events being hosted by Foster’s Comedy Live. Alongside a cracking Christmas dinner, guests are set to enjoy a full two hour comedy show with three acts taking to the stage to bring the laughter. There’s also a festive horoscope and complimentary mulled wine to look forward to. If we were betting folk we’d put our money on Rolf’s horoscope predicting more artful goodness and perhaps a headlining slot at the next Glastonbury festival in 2013!

Other Christmas party ideas for Rolf to get his teeth stuck into include En Glace, the Christmas party that seemingly has got it all. A canapé reception is accompanied by stilted birds in a red and blue-lit setting. Ice bars provide a wonderful place to gather and convalesce, whilst the scent of mulled wine and pine trees fill the air giving off an unmistakable Christmas aura.

Being a London resident, Rolf would also do well to explore the option of Christmas parties in the capital, but our Leicester offerings (coupled with those in Birmingham and Nottingham) show that Christmas options for those living and working in the Midlands are stronger than ever in 2011.

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Cambridge Christmas Researchers: Who Colour Coded Christmas?

Cambridge Christmas parties
Posted on October 20, 2011 by admin

When you think of the festive season there can be no more resounding an image than that of the almighty ringleader, Santa Claus, all dressed up in his red garments, plus the brilliant green glow of the Christmas tree. This combination of colours has traditionally been thought to have originated from the Victorian times, a period when the celebration process surrounding Christmas as we know it today, such as giving cards and dining on turkey, was really brought to life.

However, researchers at the University of Cambridge have found reason to believe that the colour coding of Christmas originated from centuries before and that the Victorians were merely modernising an age old celebratory concept, an interesting revelation ahead of Cambridge Christmas parties season. The artwork on rood screens used to separate church navels from the chancel in the 14th and 15th centuries were often painted in red and green, as a way of expressing a particular feeling. This, the researchers say, is where the festive colours were first conceived before the public eye.

Christmas in Cambridge this year is all about tradition. It was always an objective of ours in 2011 to ensure that each of our Christmas party locations promoted events that reflected an element of that place’s vibe. For example, our Manchester parties are all about music and Cambridge sees Santa’s Rudolph, Dasher and Comet immortalised over the course of three exciting events in December. Reindeers may not have much in common with Cambridge, you may be thinking, yet the traditions of Cambridge’s University and architecture tied in nicely to the concept of Santa and his reindeers.

As far as Christmas party ideas go, our Cambridge events are looking rather bold this time around. The Rudolph chapter sees an exquisite four course menu lining up alongside picturesque festive decorations and a rocking disco running through to the early hours. We suggest a red tie and green hat pulled from your crackers for these Christmas parties!

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