Entertainment in Newcastle

Booking the Right Entertainer

Entertainment in Newcastle runs from a five-piece covers band filling a reception dance floor to a costumed fairy running parachute games at a backyard birthday. These suppliers travel to venues, homes and halls across the city and Lake Macquarie, so the useful question is less where they are based and more what kind of night you want.

For music, the choice is between live players and a DJ. Colour Theory, Paperboy and Jackson Broadway are covers acts playing pop, rock and familiar classics, and Hamilton Alley reworks party songs as funk, soul and blues. Avid Entertainment and Mane Events bring DJs who also take the microphone for introductions and speeches, while Radio All-Stars Entertainment spins anything from fifties rock to house and Bollywood. Weddings add a third option: celebrants such as Monty King Celebrant and Julie Muir Celebrant will stay on after the vows to host the reception.

Younger guests are looked after too. Kingdom Kids Parties sends a princess or fairy entertainer with face painting, magic and bubbles, with packages from $350. SugarPOP Parties hosts face paint and twist balloons in character, from $308, and Krazy Kars sets up a portable remote-control car arena.

A rough guide to who does what:

Live bands – Colour Theory as a five-piece with its own PA and lights, Paperboy as a compact amp-free four-piece, Jackson Broadway as a duo or trio from $1,500, and Hamilton Alley's funk and soul five-piece
DJ and MC in one booking – Avid Entertainment wedding packages from $1,650 with MC duties added for $500, or Mane Events covering ceremony, cocktail hour, speeches and dancing
Celebrants who host – Wed By Steph's reception MC from $1,000 plus GST for couples she marries, and Married By Adam's optional MC service that carries the ceremony's mood into dinner
Party DJs – Radio All-Stars Entertainment, which names your DJ when you book
Children's parties – Kingdom Kids Parties or SugarPOP Parties for costumed characters and face painting, Krazy Kars for car racing

Ready to compare acts side by side? Browse Newcastle bands for live sets, or DJs if you'd rather one booking runs the music and the microphone.

Small rooms and ceremonies suit Paperboy's amp-free set-up, which runs on battery power in the footprint of a duo
Large crowds suit Colour Theory, which brings its own mixing desk, RCF speakers and lighting for audiences up to 1,000
Jackson Broadway arrives with its own PA, lighting and AV patching, so there is nothing extra to hire
Mane Events includes club-style lighting as standard, with lasers and bubble machines as extras
Hamilton Alley brings its own PA system and lighting show
Krazy Kars needs a hall, a court or a covered area for its arena

Questions to settle before you book

How many hours need covering, from canapés through to the last song
Whether someone has to run speeches, introductions and the first dance
What sound the venue already has, and whether your act brings its own
For children's parties, the age group and how long the entertainer should stay

Entertainment: Frequently Asked Questions

Can one supplier handle both music and hosting at a Newcastle wedding?

Yes. Avid Entertainment adds MC duties to a DJ package for $500, and Mane Events covers the ceremony, cocktail hour, speeches and dance floor in one booking. Celebrants including Monty King Celebrant and Julie Muir Celebrant also take on MC work.

Do Newcastle entertainers travel to Lake Macquarie?

Yes. Every act here, from Jackson Broadway and Mane Events to Kingdom Kids Parties and Wed By Steph, lists all four Newcastle regions, Lake Macquarie included.

Is there entertainment for a young child's birthday?

Kingdom Kids Parties sends a costumed princess or fairy for 1 hour 45 minutes, from $350, and SugarPOP Parties hosts come as fairies, mermaids or super heroes to face paint and twist balloons, from $308. For children who'd rather race, Krazy Kars brings remote-control cars and an enclosed arena for groups of about 8 to 40.

What does a covers band cost for a Newcastle reception?

Jackson Broadway starts from $1,500 and lists wedding receptions from $2,000 for five hours of live music. Paperboy and Colour Theory quote on request, so send them your date, venue and hours.

Which act suits a ceremony or canapés rather than a dance floor?

Paperboy plays battery-powered acoustic music for ceremonies and canapés, from a set-up that takes up the space of a duo.

Entertainment Newcastle

Find the Right Entertainment in Newcastle