Why hold a medieval banquet?

To have fun!

Well, for starters, it can be really good fun! A bit of make-believe to lighten the mood after a hard day's working, a chance for everyone to let their hair down. Its a good excuse to indulge in some dressing-up, as well - even creative costume design.

At a staff party, one guest came dressed as a tower - complete with drawbridge in front of his mouth. His mate came as a siege tower, complete with catapult and spent the whole of the drinks reception lobbing little paper boulders at him! Its hard not to have fun when things like that are going on.

See for yourself

Here are some video clips from a past event. Have a look, and decide for yourself if the audience were having fun. Our thanks to Back Street Films (www.backstreetfilms.co.uk, contactable on backstreetfilms@btinternet.com) for their kind permisssion to extract these clips from their production.

King and Queen for a day

A wedding is the kind of event you really want to get right. Its not as if you can come back the next weekend and have another go. It is also the ideal time to make you mark, to establish your own personality. And if you can book your own castle for the Big Day, what better way to celebrate in style?!

Be different

Been to a disco before, seen a string quartet? I'd be surprised if you hadn't. It's all been done before. Very safe, very conventional. So why not hold an event that your guests will remember for all the right reasons, and still be talking about for years to come!

Make money for your charity, but give value in exchange

Some charity evenings feel like nothing more than a blatant and cynical conveyor belt designed to ruthlessly empty wallets and purses, to strip you down to your taxi fare home - and then have a go at that as well. Collecting money for a good cause is a laudable exercise, but it does not excuse the organisers from an obligation to give value for money. Besides, if the audience is having fun they are more likely to not only be more generous, but also come to your next event.

More details

Here is an extract from the free, downloadable ebook and PDF on medieval banquets, which goes into these reasons in more detail.

Medieval Banquets for weddings, parties, ‘corporate’ and fund raising events

What happens at a medieval banquet?

There is no fixed 'menu' of what you can, and cannot have. An event which is perfect for one person could be completely wrong for another. A full medieval banquet can be an excellent way to entertain guests, let delegates have some fun after a hard day, or for a staff party. Themed weddings have been absolute hoots, greatly enjoyed by the couple and their family and friends. At corporate events we have been asked to continue team building from the day into the evening's events, with rival groups competing with riddles, songs, games and dancing. Presentations of awards can be made, and those guilty of previous sins or transgressions - or convicted of being 'naughtie people' during the banquet - can be summoned forth to perform a forfeit!Because of the wide range of options available to you, it is important to be clear in your own mind exactly what you want, right from the start. Why? Because performers can equally have a very clear idea on what it all means, and what they are going to do. Best to make sure you are on the same wavelength!

Different styles of medieval banquets

Historically accurate

Watch out also for the 'Rivet Counters' though ("I think you'll find that a helmet of that period should have fourteen, and not fifteen rivets....") These are fanatics who bring all of their passion to a performance, and want you to share this with them. They expect the relationship to be 'Expert and Humble Acolyte', rather than 'Performer and Client.'

Varied, fun, but not so formal

"Hey gang, let's do the show right here..."

For those who want to have a fun fancy dress party, but with a limited budget. Options range from a one-man banquet using a small sound system and backing tracks, with songs, tunes, magic and audience participation, to stuffing a local pub singer into tights and a jester's hat! Suitable for a fun night out where the theme is only a garnish on the main reason for the event - socialising. Often this will be a pub running a themed evening. Check out costume shops and web sites for plastic helmets and swords, and pointy hats for the ladies.

What's on offer?

Options can include any of the following, plus whatever else you would like.

- Scroll invitations and awards
- Guests met and greeted on arrival by minstrels, Jester, Master of Revels, juggling, stilt walking and fire-eating
- Music during a wedding ceremony, Bride piped into the room, background music and/or songs during the signing of the register, Bridge and Groom played out
- Background music during wedding photographs and drinks reception, Jester available as Master of Ceremonies
- Trumpet fanfare to announce the start of the banquet
- Top table / guests played in with pipes and drums
- The Rules of the Banquet read out
- Songs, tunes, riddles, monologues and table magic during the banquet
- A play, country dancing, magic show, fortune telling and/or disco afterwards
- Falconry or archery displays, combat on foot and jousting by fully armoured nights

The welcome

If you have an imposing venue, why not make the most of it! We play at many castles and stately homes round the UK, and they all look pretty stunning when you first see them. But imagine how much more impressive they are when guests are met by a juggler on stilts, welcomed by a jester and escorted through the building by minstrels. You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

It can take some time for everyone to turn up, so rather than leaving guests to mill about in silence why not have musicians ready to entertain them? It all helps to set the scene and break the ice - mixing in guests together and helping them relax. Minstrels with interesting and unusual instruments can do a bit of 'show and tell' in between tunes, while the Jester and Master of Revels move amongst the audience starting to build the rapport they'll develop as time goes on. Close-up magicians can work well here, especially with minstrel/magicians who can switch between skills as appropriate to go with the flow.

During the meal

With the Jester or Master of Revels acting as MC, the mix here can be tailored to your individual requirement. In general, it is best to keep to background music whilst guests are eating or waiters bustling about. Close-up magic and competitions work well between these times, and during coffee at the end.

After the meal

A good time for awards, speeches and presentations. There are spots that can work well here, including plays, jousting and other speciality acts - best to contact me for details as they tend to be bespoke 'one offs', tailored to each event.

You may want to have some dancing, either a disco or with live music before, or even instead. Where historical accuracy is paramount for your event, an instructor can teach period dances, with all the correct steps and moves. Although these can be quite complicated. My theory is that the formal courtly dances were intended to be so fiendishly intricate that courtiers didn't have any spare capacity to engage in plotting and scheming at the same time! Usually, we are asked to keep up the momentum of an event, keep things flowing and provide a 'fun' and inclusive set of dancing suitable for all to enjoy, regardless of age or ability. The simpler 'County Dances' as they are very suited to this. As before, instruments are chosen for suitability rather than historical accuracy, and a small sound system is used so that the dancers can hear the 'caller'. To find out more details about the livelier option, please go to BarnDance.co.uk.

It is possible to read a few fortunes (with tarot cards) round tables earlier on, but time here is quite limited. But this can run on into the evening, even at the same time as a disco or band. Indeed, at one staff party we had more people queuing up for the fortune telling that were on the dance floor!

In general

The more you can tell your performers about what you would like, the more they can help with planning your event and advise what has worked, and what hasn't in the past. They may also have experience of the venue you have in mind. Some have little hidden 'secrets' that take time to discover, such as a hidden romantic hideaway, a gateway with perfect acoustics for the medieval bagpipes and a perfect photo opportunity.

Planning a medieval banquet

Having thought about what you want already, this should largely sort out itself. Start with a target budget, then allocate sums for the venue, catering and entertainment. If you are stuck for a venue, I may be able to help with suggestions - particularly in the south and south east of England.

If you need a caterer, your venue should be able to help.Okay, so I'm biased, but please don't skimp on the entertainment! Guests will probably expect more that one of the venue staff making the odd announcement whilst a background CD is plinking away. As we have seen from experience, dressing up an organiser as a king then sticking him, mute and passive, on a throne for half the evening is no substitute for using an experienced actor as the Master of Revels. Someone needs to take control of events and keep it all on track.

Use versatile performers who can multi task. A minstrel/magician will cost a bit more than just a minstrel, but still be far cheaper than booking the two separately. It is possible to cover the whole banquet with just three performers. The show can include everything from songs, tunes, magic and audience participation to a disco and fortune telling at the end.If your budget is a bit tight, then probably best to avoid the fire-eating. Performers who do this well (and safely, and who have insurance!) are not cheap. Although very impressive under the right circumstances, especially for welcoming guests, this will take a big bit of your budget for a very small part of the event. Obviously, it cannot take place indoors, and could even be rained-off.

Let your guests know in advance how formal it will all be so they can come relaxed and prepared. They can be encouraged to sort out their own costumes by offering a prize for the best. If it is important, depending on your event you can either buy in bulk helmets and hats as suggested above (as that's all that is really seen when they sit down), or go the whole hog and organise an outside costume hire company. Don't rely on everyone to make the effort though, or you will be in the position of the bride stood at the door of the venue and turned away anyone who had not dressed up as per her strict instructions!

The main problem is securing the best performers. This is not exactly a main stream form of entertainment, so the supply of good actors and musicians is limited. The versatile ones are often in demand for their other skills as well, so please don't delay in getting your line-up confirmed and booked as soon as possible.

Medieval banquets for weddings

An excellent opportunity to be a knight and princess for a day. Guests can be invited to dress up, and if you have booked a castle or stately home for your venue so much the better. Themed invitations, minstrels, magicians, jesters, fire eaters, strolling players, falconry displays, duelling knights, fairy tale castle wedding cakes, hog roast and mead or mulled wine - even a groom in full armour, complete with Best Man at Arms! We've seen all of these work brilliantly.

Don't miss this chance to make your big day unique. As Lord and Lady, your word is law. One rather shy groom went from 'Oh no, I couldn't do that' to 'That table - make them sing...' during the course of a wedding reception.

Even if you are not having a full-on event with all the gusts dressed up in period costume, having just even one or two performers can really add some 'fun' and interest to the day.

Medieval banquets for fund raising

At one event we suggested that titles were sold in advance - those paying extra were awarded a presentation certificate with their name and title and a 'get out of the stocks free' card. They were also played into the venue with pipes and drums, and announced by the Jester. Nothing that involved huge costs, but the extra money made quite a difference to the overall profit. Our jesters are happy to run auctions, and run fund-raising games for you as well.

I do hope that at least a few of these ideas are of interest, but am sure that there are many other good tips and bits of advice. Do please pass on any you know, and I’ll include them in later editions! If you want to talk about your event (no obligation) please give me a call or send an email.

What can we do for you?

What would you like?! Choose from a solo performer to act as the Master of Ceremonies, to a fully all-singing, all-dancing show with songs, games, riddles, magic, tarot readings, fire-eating, juggling, stilt walking, story telling, audience participation, plays and dancing. We can work happily with other performers and artists, such as the knights of Royal England, and The Medieval Scribe to provide a much larger and more varied show.

Unless specified otherwise, all performers have at least two skills, most have many more and we love to look at 'joined-up' options for you, covering everything from the arrival of the first guest to the departure of the last. All performances are covered by our unique full 'no quibble' money back guarantee.

We'll do our best to find the right performers for you, not just the first group who are available. Over the years we have weeded out the unreliable, the temperamental and the simply bad. To help you feel confident in booking a band through us we now offer a 100% guarantee - If you are unhappy with a performance, there will be no charge on the day and your deposit will be refunded in full!

We will be happy to discuss what you want, then give advice free of charge. All within budget and on a 'no find - no fee' basis. We can also decorate your venue with flags, bunting and lighting to create a special atmosphere, helping your event get off to a flying start. There is nothing to pay until you decide to book a group, and then a deposit will secure them for your event.

I do hope that at least a few of these ideas are of interest, but am sure that there are many other good tips and bits of advice. Do please pass on any you know, and I’ll include them in later editions! If you want to talk about your event (no obligation) please call me, or send an email.