Festive event entertainment in Singapore means two busy seasons for company events: Chinese New Year dinners and office visits in January and February, and Christmas parties from the end of November to 23 December. Both run on tight calendars, because every company wants the same few dates. We plan the programme early, lock the acts before the peak dates go and run the evening as one schedule.
Price: an office Christmas party package with an emcee, one act and a Santa segment usually costs SGD 20 to 35 per guest for 80 guests or more, and SGD 45 to 80 per guest with a band or DJ, sound and lighting, a photo booth and decor. See festive and event entertainment prices.
Chinese New Year company dinners
A Chinese New Year dinner has to mark the festival and give management a clean photo moment with staff or clients before dinner starts. The usual order:
- A five to ten minute welcome speech.
- A lion dance of 15 to 20 minutes, with the eye dotting ceremony for a director or the CEO.
- A lo hei toss led by the emcee, with the auspicious phrases.
- Red packets or a lucky draw.
- Dinner, with a Mandarin singer or an oldies band, and roving mascots if families are invited.
For a cultural corner during the cocktail hour, guzheng, erhu or pipa musicians, Chinese dance, Sichuan face changing or a calligraphy artist work well away from the main stage. For a dinner and dance in a dark ballroom, an LED lion dance suits the lighting and opens the night right after the emcee's welcome. Coordinating the emcee, the band and the troupe on one run sheet is where one agency saves real friction.
Timing. Most company events land in the working week before the eve, since the eve and the first two days are family time. Book by early December for anything in the peak week. Weekday slots in the two weeks after the first day usually still have availability. Real firecrackers need a police permit, so most venues use a recorded drum roll instead.
Christmas parties
Office Christmas parties come in three sizes: an office pantry or event space for 30 to 80 staff, a restaurant or rooftop buyout for 80 to 200, and a hotel ballroom dinner and dance for 150 to 800. The brief is fairly constant: an emcee to keep the programme moving, one or two performance acts such as a magician, dancers or a roving act, a Santa segment for photos and gifts, and background music before and after dinner. Bigger budgets add a live band or DJ, lighting and a photo booth.
A three hour office party might run: arrival and music, a short address by management, food, a 20 minute performance, Santa and gifts, games and the lucky draw, then closing photos. Leave 10 to 15 minutes of slack per hour. Offices are multi faith and multi cultural, so keep the Santa segment and the games optional for anyone who prefers not to join.
Timing. Book eight to twelve weeks ahead, ideally by September or early October. The last two Fridays before Christmas are usually gone by early November.
National Day and year end events
Cultural acts are in high demand for National Day celebrations and for company events that celebrate Singapore's diversity, with Chinese, Malay and Indian performances on one programme. For year end dinners with dancing, see dinner and dance entertainment.
Send your date, venue and headcount through the quote form.
