Holiday Entertainment

The South Florida-based Office Depot Foundation held a holiday party with a tropical theme. Boca By Design brought in live flamingos, parrots, and other creatures from Rainforest Aviaries and Gardens and Jesse Williams Ranch for photo ops and atmosphere.

At a holiday-themed event to celebrate the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Event Architects brought in a pair of professional ice skaters who performed on an elevated skating rink.

Launched in the fall, No Parachute Theatre is an aerialist and dance company headed by Katelyn McCullouch. The ensemble consists of three female performers, and the troupe is available as event entertainment.

HariKaraoke Band, a live four-piece band that backs amateur singers, can play for corporate groups in the Washington area and offers a catalog of more than 300 songs that guests can sing along to on stage via an iPad displaying lyrics. And if a performance is truly painful, guests can bang on a gong à la The Gong Show—all in good fun, of course. Pricing starts at $1,050 for two-hour events.

San Francisco street-art gallery 1:AM hosts graffiti-themed teambuilding activities for groups of 15 to 25. Most teams opt for the three-hour “whole works” workshop, which includes an introduction to the history of graffiti, a mural walk tour, and hands-on T-shirt stenciling and mural production sessions. Activities can be customized, and prices range from $80 to $200 per person. If the workshop takes place during regular gallery hours, a $300 closure fee applies.

Painting & Vino offers groups the chance to learn painting skills while sipping wine. The company provides the paint, brushes, aprons, canvases, and an art instructor who guides guests as they paint a selected work of art during the two- to three-hour class. The cost starts at $45 per person, not including food and beverages, with a 15-person minimum.

Street art tourism company Graff Tours offers tours and learning experiences that explore graffiti culture in Center City and South Philadelphia. Teambuilding activities include 90-minute lessons led by professional graffiti artists and construction of a collaborative mural. Ninety-minute tours start at $15 per person, and workshops start at $45 per person.

Drip combines live music and dancers who utilize elements such as sand, paint, and water in an up-close, sexy performance before an audience that stands for the duration of the show. The production opened in November 2012 in a new 5,100-square-foot venue on International Drive. Groups can book a private performance for 300 people. The venue is also available for concerts, art shows, and other purposes.

Available for bookings in New York through Elan Artists, Earth Harp Entertainment is a collective of musicians led by artist William Close, who was featured on America’s Got Talent. The Earth Harp is a string instrument that is rigged to the surrounding architecture and environment with strings that can extend to as many as 1,000 feet. The performer plays the musical instrument-installation combination by running his or her hands along the strings to create cello-like tones. Accompanied by percussion and other instruments, performances can range from ambient and trance-like to theatrical and energetic.

Add an educational element to an event’s liquor offerings with a tasting bar and a spirits sommelier. “Alcohol professor” Adam Levy from All Spirits Events can gear tastings towards topics like Whiskies from Around the World or Craft Spirits From New York State.” Because the company is not tied to specific brands, it can provide a variety of liquors.

NY1 morning news anchor Pat Kiernan has joined forces with trivia event production company TrivWorks to host live trivia entertainment and teambuilding activities for corporate groups. Kiernan-hosted events typically start around $10,000 and include pre-event planning assistance, 40 custom trivia questions (with Kiernan’s personal counsel), plus an iPod round and picture round, one-on-one mini games between each round, a high-stakes showdown finale between the top two teams, a staff of runners to collect score sheets, audiovisual equipment, and prizes. The company has produced events for as many as 300 people.

With three F.I.F.A.-regulated outdoor fields, Soccer Town opened in March 2012. They can be combined into one large field for teambuilding events, parties, and coaching sessions. The fields are lit for night play.

Erin Una Chainani offers live portrait sketching throughout South Florida. Drawings typically feature fluorescent colors, but she can sketch in any requested color combination. The cost averages around $150 per hour, with reduced rates for charity events.

The Discovery Miami Beach Audio Tour is a 90-minute audio presentation that delves into the South Beach area’s architecture, celebrity culture, and hotel landmarks; the tours are available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. For groups of at least 10, the program can be combined with bus passes, bike rentals, or a luxury tour bus.

Fragrance company Ka-Mil-Yin can arrange perfume-making parties for a girlie group. Event packages include a display of glass cork-topped perfume bottles with 20 different oils to choose from and a fragrance mixologist to assist guests in creating their signature scents. Custom labels, which can include logos, are available for a $65 fee.

Companies such as Google and Disney have booked North Hollywood-based iLuminate. The performance troupe combines art and technology to create illusions and choreography in the dark for a buzzworthy effect. Dancers wear bodysuits outfitted with wirelessly controlled lights that coordinate with the dancers’ movements. Performances by iLuminate start at $6,000.

For an outdoor adventure, Sun Buggy Fun Rentals now offers daylong group tours of the Amargosa Big Dunes. After staffers show the group how to operate the buggies and navigate over the sand dunes, participants are free to explore on their own, though special teambuilding events like time trials can also be arranged. The package includes a round-trip two-hour shuttle ride to and from the Strip, lunch, and bottled water. A single-seat buggy is about $514, and a two-seat buggy is about $720, with a four-vehicle minimum to book. Discounted corporate rates kick in at around 25 vehicles or more. Sun Buggy can accommodate groups of as many as 500.

The Rat Pack Tribute is an homage to ’60s-era Vegas. Spot-on Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin impersonators sing their respective hits and banter with one another in character. The Las Vegas-based act can be performed as a 90-minute theater-style show with a visit from a faux Marilyn Monroe or as a shorter opening-act style bit.

The Go Game provides technology-driven teambuilding events, including a smartphone scavenger hunt through downtown Dallas’s historic west end area. Groups from five to 10,000 follow custom routes that can include location-based puzzles or company-specific trivia. Costs vary; contact for price quotes.

The Pedal Pub puts a bar crawl on wheels. The driver takes groups of 16 through neighborhoods such as Ukrainian Village and the West Loop. Guests cannot drink while the vehicle is in motion, but hosts can supply food and beverages to be consumed while it’s parked on private property. Available April through October, fees range from $160 to $190 per hour.

The Great Divide is a Chicago-based soul-and-blues rock band that is available for corporate events. The group has played at festivals like South by Southwest and has also entertained crowds at events for brands like Timberland.

Gin C Productions provides airbrush face painting and tattoos, living art statues, and body painting for corporate and nonprofit events. As roving entertainment, the company can body paint models or waitstaff with custom stencils, and jewelry embellishments and custom headpieces are also available.

Chef Ken Oringer’s adjoining restaurants Clio and Uni, inside the Back Bay’s Eliot Hotel, underwent renovations in February 2012. They now host two-hour cocktail classes for 20, headed by respected mixologist Todd Maul. Maul’s unusual techniques include smoking glassware, ice garnishes, and citrus painting.

With experience spinning at weddings, clubs, universities, and nonprofit and corporate events, DJ Addam Bombb uses Denon CD turntables—no iPods, preplanned sets, or sync-button mixing allowed. The remix producer customizes sets based on clients’ musical preferences. His typical rates for nonprofit and corporate events range from $1,400 to $2,200. Preferred dates are best secured nine to 15 months prior to an event.

Photographers Chris and Yvonne Johnson of Austin Imagery Photography have converted a vintage 1967 Airstream trailer into a mobile photo booth that event guests can climb aboard for impromptu photo shoots. The Airstream Photo Booth, which has instant Facebook uploading capabilities, offers packages from $1,150 that include as many as three hours of on-site photos and USB digital image delivery.

The Tropicana Casino and Resort’s new Imax 3D Theatre, on the third floor of the Quarter, is the only movie theater in Atlantic City. The 55-foot-tall screen is available for private screenings for groups of 50 to as many as 280; rental prices vary.

Dance group Lightwire Theater combines art, technology, and puppetry in their performances. Glowing characters come to life as performers and puppets outfitted in electroluminescent wire move around a pitch-black stage. In addition to their classic shows Darwin the Dinosaur and The Ugly Duckling, Lightwire Theater can also create custom tailored performances for events. Prices vary depending on the number of performers and length of the piece, and the group requires that the performance space be dark.

Svet is a singer and classically trained violinist who became fascinated with the hip-hop scene after moving to the U.S. from Bulgaria. His performances blend the classical sound of the violin with rock, reggae, house, and electronic music.

Seventeen-year-old Lindsey Norton is an acrobatic dancer whose distinctive style includes tumbling and flexibility tricks. For special events, prices range from $1,500 to $2,500 in addition to traveling expenses for two.

Third-place runner-up William Close plays the Earth Harp, a large string instrument rigged to the surrounding architecture and environment with strings that can extend up to 1,000 feet in length. Close wears cotton gloves covered in violin resin, and plays the musical instrument-slash-installation by running his hands along the strings to create cello-like tones. Accompanied by percussion and other instruments, performances can range from ambient and trance-like to theatrical and energetic.

Fifth-place finalist Joe Castillo claims to be America’s first sand animation performer. His act, SandStory, involves Castillo using sand to illustrate stories on top of a light table. His performances are choreographed to music and projected onto a large screen. Performances can include selections from previous stories or can be customized for the event. His private event fees range from $15,000 to $25,000, plus travel expenses.

Semifinalist Eric Dittelman combines mind reading with improvisation comedy. From playing blindfolded Pictionary to predicting the future, Dittelman has performed at comedy clubs, colleges, and private events across the country.

AGT semifinalist Tim Hockenberry is a singer, pianist, and songwriter with a voice that has been likened to Ray Charles and Tom Waits. Hockenberry can be hired for private or corporate events for a fee ranging from $10,000 to $17,500 plus travel expenses; costs vary depending on whether he plays alone or with his band. Performances in the Midwest or the South require an additional $500 per band member; East Coast performances are an additional $1,000 per band member.

Orlando-based comic magician Malcolm Puckering's act, The Magic of Puck, combines classic magic tricks with contemporary humor. With more than 40 years of experience, Puckering customizes his shows for events and can also hypnotize audience members. Fees range from $1,350 to $3,500, plus travel expenses.

Married couple Donovan Jones and Rebecca Peache have received international recognition—including setting a Guinness World Record—for their acrobatic performances. Jones and Peache specialize in aerial acrobatics and acrobalance, a combination of partner lifts and hand balancing. The performance is suitable for a variety of event themes and types of music. The event space's ceiling must be at least 14 feet high to install a rigging point.

Singer-songwriter Bria Kelly has fronted several bands, including her current group Bria Kelly & Friends, which has a folksy sound reminiscent of music by Bonnie Raitt and John Mayer. For events, the 16-year-old can perform solo, as a duo, or in a larger group. Kelly, who lives in Virginia, is available to travel throughout the U.S.

Theo Dari, also known as Laserman, works with lasers to create dramatic, high-energy, and highly visual entertainment acts. The artist has performed at numerous events, including at the Long Beach Arena's new Pacific Ballroom debut.

Tryon Entertainment is offering new so-called “human disco balls” for events. The stylishly dressed four-member crew makes appearances with text scrolling across LED disco-ball-shaped heads. The text can be customized with the event’s message.

Broadway singers and musicians perform in their underwear as the Skivvies. Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley do stripped-down (so to speak) versions of covers and originals for some can't-look-away entertainment.

Among De Leon Productions' offerings is a team of performers who do sideshow feats. Think sword swallowing and the so-called "human pincushion."

Key Artist Group offers so-called "living vines" for event booking. The human foliage can interact with guests and with one another for slightly surrealistic entertainment, just right for seasonal events.

Interactive buffet heads from Day Entertainment & Events include a glittery, grinning human cupcake.

Originally commissioned by Swarovski for the window of its flagship store in London, Private Drama's "Twilight Flutterby" costumed performer features a tornado of colorful butterflies encrusted with crystals.

"Tell-A-Vision" (as seen on America's Got Talent) is live performance art conceived and developed by Dorene Collier and AJ LeBlanc of Event Show Productions. Through two years of research, they created what they’re billing as a “moving storybook" that uses wireless technology and incorporates video screens joined with live performers.

What event doesn't need music and a little nosh? Marc Weiss, also known as DJ Chef, bills himself as a culinary entertainer. He cooks his signature dishes while he spins for the crowd.

Toronto-based street painter David Johnston uses chalk to make realistic trompe l’oeil images at live events for brands such as 20th Century Fox, Canon, and Loblaws. He creates the seemingly 3-D scenes and objects on flat surfaces such as cement or canvas.

French artist Antonin Fourneau practices water light graffiti, a process that involves using a damp sponge brush to draw on an installation made from thousands of small LED lights that light up when touched by water. Fourneau’s interactive performances are customizable, allowing audience members to try their hand at the art form.

Kansas City, Missouri-based Quixotic Fusion offers an eclectic swirl of acrobatic feats, pulsing rhythms, and colorful digital images and light projections. The group can perform from five-minute openers to 75-minute features.

Companies including Google and Disney have booked iLuminate. Dancers wear bodysuits outfitted with wirelessly controlled lights that coordinate with the dancers’ movements, resulting in sci-fi visuals.

At a Prudential Real Estate conference in Orlando, Dallas-based Corporate Magic paired live dancers with digitized butterfly wings projected inside floating orbs to create a single, fluid movement of person and pixels onstage. In-house animators achieved the effect by using green-screen technology.

Lumina the Laser Violinist puts a futuristic spin on a classic instrument. The musicians, booked solo or as a duo or trio, play with a laser bow while standing among pulsing light beams.