Entertainment in Melbourne

Booking the Right Entertainer

Every entertainer on Party Hero's Melbourne list travels, so choosing one is about the act rather than the suburb. Almost all of them cover every part of the city – the Western Suburbs, the Inner North, Bayside, the South East and everywhere between – and set up wherever your party happens to be.

Music covers most of the options. Tim the DJ (from $3,490) mixes live and plays saxophone over his own sets, Married to the Groove (from $3,300) concentrates on wedding receptions, and One More Song, Entertainment First, Vibe Entertainment Company and Front Row Entertainment each pair a DJ with an MC for the formalities. For live players, Something Blue Band (from $2,495) brings soul, Motown and jazz with horns in its bigger line-ups, and Hey Jack books everything from soloists at $1,199 to full bands. Top Dog Entertainment and Rutherford Entertainment are agencies with DJs, bands, singers and feature acts on their books.

Away from the dance floor, Sapphire Dance stages Bollywood and Bhangra from $548, Amazing Ashley performs comedy magic for children and grown-up functions alike, and Royal Casino Events and Party Party Casino bring real casino tables and dealers for a games night.

Where to start, by the kind of party you are hosting:

Children's birthdays: Little Party Faces (face painting from $200), Melbourne Fairy Parties (character visits from $160) Kidz Party Discos, which runs a kids' disco with lighting and dance games, and Kiddly-Winks (magic packages from $295), plus face painters We Love Face Painting, Face Creations, Face Painting Melbourne and Rosy Red Face Painting.
Weddings and engagements: Something Blue Band, Hey Jack, One More Song, Married to the Groove and Sapphire Dance.
Work functions and Christmas parties: Royal Casino Events, Party Party Casino, Rutherford Entertainment and Tim the DJ.
Adult guests only – hens nights, bucks nights and grown-up birthdays: LuckyLadds (topless waiters from $120 per hour), Butlers in the Buff (from $100 per hour), MenXclusive (from $290), Cheeky Strippers and Celeste Agency (strip shows from $350). These are kept apart from the family acts above.

To narrow things down, browse DJs or children's party entertainment.

Describe the room: a mobile performer needs to know about stairs, power points and where they will set up.
Send the running order early – Entertainment First's MCs meet couples four to six weeks out, and Front Row Entertainment sends a questionnaire before the day.
Ask what is in the package: Front Row Entertainment's DJ booking includes sound, lighting and a wireless microphone, while Little Party Faces performers carry battery speakers and need no power at all.
Give real guest numbers for magic: Amazing Ashley's parlour show is for groups of up to about 40, and roving close-up work suits functions of 40 or more.

Combining acts on one night

Live instruments over a DJ: Vibe Entertainment Company, Entertainment First and Front Row Entertainment add sax, percussion or violin.
Band into DJ: Hey Jack and Top Dog Entertainment can book both from the one agency, so the handover is managed for you.
Casino before the dancing: Party Party Casino's standard package runs three hours with dealers and chips.
A lesson for guests: Sapphire Dance can follow its set with a 15-minute workshop.

Adult acts, booked separately

These suppliers are for adult guests only and do not appear on children's or family pages.
LuckyLadds and Butlers in the Buff book waiters by the hour, with a two-hour minimum.
Cheeky Strippers and MenXclusive supply private shows and topless waiters; Celeste Agency books waitresses and strip shows.
PQ Talent books drag queens and hosts from $440 for hens and bucks nights, and also works weddings and corporate events.
All of them travel across Melbourne – ask whether a travel fee is added for your area.

Entertainment: Frequently Asked Questions

Will Melbourne entertainers come out to my suburb?

Yes. Almost every supplier on this page lists all Melbourne regions as areas they travel to, so you can book them for a home, hall or venue anywhere in the city; Rosy Red Face Painting covers the south, east and CBD.

Can a single Melbourne booking cover both music and MC duties?

Yes. One More Song, Entertainment First, Vibe Entertainment Company, Front Row Entertainment, Married to the Groove and Tim the DJ all list MC hire alongside their DJ work, and One More Song can also act as celebrant.

What will keep primary-school kids entertained at a Melbourne party?

Little Party Faces and Melbourne Fairy Parties send costumed characters with games and face painting, Kidz Party Discos runs a disco with clean, age-matched music, and Amazing Ashley has a kids' magic show with live animals. Kiddly-Winks pairs a magic show with painting and balloons, and We Love Face Painting, Face Creations and Face Painting Melbourne paint faces across the city.

Where are the hens and bucks acts on this page?

They sit in their own section, apart from the family entertainers, and are for adult guests only: LuckyLadds, Butlers in the Buff, MenXclusive, Cheeky Strippers and Celeste Agency.

Is there a Melbourne band that plays a hora?

Something Blue Band plays traditional horas for Jewish weddings, in line-ups of five to ten musicians, from $2,495.

What does a Melbourne casino party supplier bring?

Royal Casino Events brings LED-lit tables, croupiers and a live leaderboard; Party Party Casino brings real tables, dealers, chips and themed photo backdrops.

Entertainment Melbourne

Find the Right Entertainment in Melbourne