When planning most parties, following a budget is a must unless you have unlimited funds, as PocketSense notes. While it’s not the most fun part of the process, if you don’t set a budget, you’re setting yourself up to overspend. You could end up spending way too much on the food and pricey wines, ending up with nothing left for live entertainment, one of the most important aspects of any event.
That said, if your entertainment budget is limited, you probably won’t be able to hire that rock band you loved back in high school, but you can make the most of what you have to score some top-notch live entertainment.
Hire a Comedian
Hiring a live band can be expensive as it means multiple people will have to get paid, plus there will be instruments and equipment involved, all of which require quite a bit of space. Book a comedian instead, which requires minimal, if any, setup, only one person to pay, and gets everyone laughing. It’s even cheaper when you use a talent booking app instead of going through a manager or agent.
Bring in a Psychic or Fortune Teller
You can usually find fortune tellers and psychics available to hire for parties at a relatively affordable cost. It’s something that’s entertaining and will provide plenty of things to talk about afterward. Maybe one of your guests will learn that they’ll soon find their one true love or the job opportunity of their dreams? Let them deliver their mystical future telling with little worries about space or equipment, perhaps just a quiet corner.
A Magician
Famous magicians like Penn & Teller or David Blaine, with Blaine’s booking fee ranging from $350,000 to over $612,000, would probably take up your entire party budget and then some. Fortunately, there are many talented magicians that can impress your guests for a more affordable cost. That doesn’t mean old cringe-worthy tricks, but tricks that will leave everyone with memories they won’t soon forget.
A Hypnotist
A live hypnotist is another option that doesn’t require much space or setup while providing a unique form of people that people rarely have the opportunity to witness in person. If your invitees know about it, they’ll be more curious and willing to attend. Afterward, they’ll want to tell all of their friends. It’s a great way to encourage interaction as a unique, engaging experience.
Create a Playlist
If you want music, you might consider scrapping the “live” part out of the entertainment. While a DJ is an option for music that won’t cost as much as a live band, the price tag could still be out of reach. That’s a problem as music is a key factor in a successful party. But you could cut the cost even more and please the crowd by putting together a playlist you can download, hooking your phone or laptop to a speaker.
Of course, that will only be successful if your guests like your song choices and they encourage them to get up and dance the night away. To find out which tunes to put on your list, create an online poll, asking your guests their favorite genres of music. Or, if you’re sending out invitations, including a line on each RSVP card, asking guests to fill in the names of some of their favorite songs.
