In the last of our series of blogs on planning the perfect King’s Coronation party, it’s time to focus our attention on entertainment. Arguably the most important element of the event. A TLC party ALWAYS has the very best entertainment a budget can buy. Mesmerising. Jaw-dropping. Incomparable. Finding the right entertainment can make or break a party. It sets the tone. Creates a buzz. And, done well, is the thing that people will talk about for years to come. If your budget is tight, entertainment is the place to channel the most of it! So here are TLC’s top King’s Coronation party entertainment ideas, which can be scaled up or down to suit your event.
CELEBRATE THE CULTURE OF THE COMMONWEALTH
Scottish pipers, a calypso band from Antigua and Barbuda, a traditional Haka from New Zealand. Use the Commonwealth as inspiration for your Coronation party entertainment and you have dazzling options from all corners of the globe.
Big budget? Hire in dancing instructors to get your guests involved and invested. Bollywood dancing, a Tongan Lakalaka, Kartsilama (a Cypriot folk dance). Have them try something new, exotic. Unlike they’ve ever done before. Be sure to limber them up with a few cocktails themed around your chosen country first.
If guest involvement is a step too far, then performers can capture your crowd’s imagination with something like a Fijian Meke. A combination of dance and storytelling through song.
Each country has different traditions and variations of art and expression, all you have to do is find the one that suits party and clientele.
Smaller scale? Create a party play list themed around the different cultures of the commonwealth. Have food, décor, and traditional games from your chosen countries.
SHOW IT ON THE BIG SCREEN
Coronation party ideas need to include allowing the day’s proceedings to take top billing. Think giant cinema screen to show the pomp and pageantry as the Coronation unfolds. But don’t stop there.
Style the most exciting and inviting of outdoor cinemas. Cosy beanbags or comfy cinema chairs – string fairy lights for atmosphere and ambience. Hand out personalised blankets to stave off the chill. Serve cinema snacks – hot dogs, nachos to guests as they recline and take in the day. Popcorn machines will add to the excitement and fill the air with enticing fragrance. Complete the scene with usherettes to serve ice cream from retro trays at the interval.
Scaled down – An indoor cinema can be created at home for a fraction of the budget with all the impact. And why not have your children take the role of usherette…something they’ll revel in and remember for years to come.
READY SET BAKE
Amateur bakers assemble. Among King Charles’ favourite television shows is the Great British Bake Off. Why not make your party entertainment an homage to a format that’s weaved into the very fabric of the British Isles. For decades at village fetes, carnivals and community gatherings, baking competitions have brought people together – a key element of the King’s goals for his reign. Set up a tent, if you’ve space and bring in some guest judges. A local celebrity. The mayor. Or somebody of note from the local community. Invite your guests to bake their show stopping creations and have them on display for all to admire. With the winners announced on the day.
Have live demonstrations and interactive stalls manned by local suppliers. Biscuit decorating, pancake tossing, truffle making or a swirling, twirling cake stand where you can learn to ice like a pro. 
ENTERTAIN WITH ECCENTRICITY
As part of your Coronation party entertainment, celebrate Great Britain and all its oddities with a Coronation village green or garden party. King Charles himself was once thought of as an eccentric fellow, so there’s nothing more British or fitting.
Hire a one-man band. Arrange a tug of war. Have guest take part in a cheese chase or welly wanging competition. Toss the caber or have a stone put contest.
Choose vibrant live entertainment. Irish dancing or a Maypole and Morris dancers. Source musical artists from all corners of the country to play amongst the crowd.
Add in vintage fairground attractions – a huge carousel or Ferris wheel at the centre. Helter-skelters and chair swings with hook a ducks and coconut shies. Have a jester leap and cartwheel through your party. Or a town crier to move people through the event.
Retro garden games like Splat the Rat, Feed the Clown, hook-a-duck, or a home-made coconut shy can create the same eccentric feel on a smaller scale. Try croquet, boules, giant wooden Jenga, an oversized chess board, bouncy castle or snakes and ladders.
Set up an area with little easels and watercolours in a nod to The King’s love of art or ask the children in your street to paint mugs to your theme. Bring in a magician to celebrate King Charles’ magical talents (he’s a member of the magic circle).
Take guests on a journey of wonderful entertainment through British history.
THE CORONATION EVENTS
Everything you need to know about the Coronation events and timings can be found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/articles/2023/bbc-how-to-watch-the-coronation-and-coronation-concert/
If you enjoyed this blog on King’s Coronation party entertainment why not read our King’s Coronation catering ideas.