The glitzy celeb-filled Serpentine Gallery’s summer party last night included a surprise performance from rapper Dizzee Rascal.

The fancy fundraising event took place in London’s Hyde Park in a pavilion designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Jean Nouvel.

Serpentine Gallery Director Julia Peyton-Jones watched on with a host of famous guests, including Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon., artists Tracey Emin and Mark Wallinger and former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman.

The stunning venue, which was devised as a amusement park, also included the opportunity to play chess, cards and ping-pong, which Myleen Klass took advantage of, as seen by pictures in the Daily Mail.

Free-spending ITV are to reward its soap stars with a lavish summer party at the majestic Davenport Green Hall in Cheshire.

The joint party will take place next week in the 16-acre estate after boss Peter Fincham elected to reward the stars of Coronation Street and Emmerdale for their recent successes.

A Corrie source told the Daily Mirrorr: “We’ve been told that next year something similar will be held somewhere over in Yorkshire so it’s not just a one-off. To say it has boosted everyone’s morale is an understatement.”

Former Liverpool and Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse has expressed his love for paintball by installing a giant inflatable arena in his garden.

The Frenchman has, according to the Daily Star, been organising shoot ’em up games with his pals at his £3m mansion in Cheshire.

The 28-year-old has spent thousands of pounds on the inflatable kit and all the gear including the guns, gas cylinders and protective clothing.

A source said: “Djibril is a huge fan of paintballing. He plays with his kids all the time but also likes to get his mates over for a game. Things can get extremely competitive.

“Djibril is an expert sharpshooter and is probably the best shot among all of the footballers.”

Cisse could have done with getting his French team-mates together for a team building clear-the-air shoot-out during their terrible World Cup campaign last month.

By Rob Hogley

One of the most popular team building activities is paintballing and this might have been what McLaren had in mind when they kitted out Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button with AK-47 style semi-automatic paintball rifles, for a media event ahead of the British Grand Prix this week.

The duo’s relationship is said to be strained as they both chase the Formula 1 championship title, but with guns in hand it will be some relief that they worked as a team and took on the gathered members of the Fourth Estate instead.

The talk of Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone forcing teamwork out of the window as both drivers seeks personal glory infront of 120,000 supporters is rife, but for now at least paintballing rules in the art of team-building.

We may have just entered the second half of 2010, but tickets for Edinburgh’s annual Hogmanay street party have already gone on sale.

The ‘Early Bird’ promotion, which is aimed to help people to make ealier plans, will offer a limited number of tickets for £10, before the price rises to £15. However, the full hogmanay programme will not be released until October.

The famous street party was attended by over 80,000 revellers last year.

Councillor Steve Cardownie, festivals and events champion for the City of Edinburgh, said: “This is the first time we’ve ever made street party tickets available as early as this, meaning people can have their Hogmanay plans sorted well in advance.”

Eventa.co.uk also recommend getting in there early and arranging your Edinburgh Christmas party as soon as possible too, as they are also incredibly popular.

By Paul Kelly

England is not renowned for its sparkling wine production, far from it in fact, however, a creation from Cornwall has beaten champagne giants to win an International Wine Challenge Trophy.

Camel Valley Wines beat off competition from 450 individual wines with its sparkling rosé and becomes the first English wine to win the competition, so why not serve up this award winner at your summer party?

Charles Metcalfe, the wine critic who is IWC Co-Chairman, said: “It’s an amazing achievement because it’s up against the might of champagne. To have beaten wines which have far bigger reputations and at much higher prices is an astonishing feat for a small English producer.”

The sparkling rosé is available for £26.50 – considerably lower than some of the rivals in the competition.

A flamboyant multi-millionaire Lord has appeared in court after loud celebrity-filled parties at his residence drew complaints from neighbours.

Lord Edward Davenport’s 110-room London townhouse played host to a Christmas Party for Saatchi and Saatchi in December, which led to a violation of a noise abatement notice, which was imposed on him in 2008 following a string of glitzy parties at his £30m mansion.

The 43-year-old is reported to have thrown parties for Cher and Naomi Campbell among others.

While the parties sound memorable occasions it was not the case for those without invites with complaints that the noise was so loud local residents said there was ‘no way they could have had any sleep’.

A survey carried out by Unique Venues of London (UVL) and The Westminster Collection (TWC) has found out that London venues are confident 2011 will be a strong year for the corporate event business.

The survey questioned over 100 venues found 55% of venues recorded a reduction in corporate bookings in 2009, but the majority are hopeful for 2011 and report that demand is currently steady.

“Whilst it is undeniable that the recent recession has seen some venues struggle in the marketplace, this survey does highlight the confidence in the corporate market moving forwards and the fundamental role of Visit London et al,” said UVL chairman Lisa Hatswell in Event Magazine.

“It is therefore crucial that venues like ours, alongside key industry bodies, continue to express the need for funding in the capital and ensure that business tourism can continue to grow.”

This year’s must have Christmas present is tipped to be the new and improved Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear, according to a top retailer.

The jet-pack figurine from this summer’s blockbuster film is expected to be flying off the shelves in a few months time, according to woolworths.co.uk, so if you are planning a kids Christmas Party you could make yourself extremely popular with a mini Buzz.

Woolworths.co.uk spokesman Matthew Hardcastle said: “With the return of Toy Story this summer, the Jetpack Buzz Lightyear is this year’s hottest prediction.

“We are advising parents to shop early, especially if their child is expecting the Jetpack Buzz Lightyear. Although we aim to meet the high demand, the popularity of this particular toy may mean that we see it fly off the shelves with the same excitement as the Go Go Hamsters last Christmas.”

By Nancy Brown

Christmas seems to be on the agenda earlier and earlier each year and one town has already begun preparing for the Christmas festivities.

Wilmslow, which is near to Manchester Airport have started to plan for its first ever continental Christmas Market, just less than six months before the start of the festive season.

The organisers had problems last year which led to their festivities being cancelled and they are anxious for their to be no repeat as it is hoped the Christmas events will help boost local businesses.

Eventa.co.uk knows the advantage of preparing for Christmas well in advance and the advise to businesses is to get your christmas party booked as early as possible to avoid disappointment particularly in big cities such as Manchester.

By Paul Kelly