Historic Venues in London

Everyone loves to dress up from time to time, and who doesn’t dream sometimes of what life would be like if they were born in a different era? With a historically themed party, you’re giving your guests the chance to do just that, if only for the day. Whether it’s just for a bit of fun, or as part of a fundraising event, you’re sure to have the crowds flocking in to get their taste of the past. If you follow our 7 top tips to planning a historical party, you’ll be well on your way to organising an event that people will remember for a very long time.

Decide on the Period

Are you looking for something that’s more Renaissance Faire, or Medieval Banquet? A Victorian or Georgian day at the park? Or a military re-enactment? Whatever you’re thinking about, you need to pick a specific time period, and stick to it. A historical party takes a lot of planning, so you won’t have the time to change your mind. Think about what your local area is most famous for historically and work around that. Is there a local historical society that you could link up with to discuss your plans? Having an in-depth knowledge of the era that you decide to go for is always a plus. You’ll also need to think about the type of audience that you want to attract as that may influence your decision.

Choose Your Venue Carefully

Once you know the period of history that you want your event to explore, it’s time to start searching for the perfect venue. Luckily, there are a whole host of historic venues for hire in London, so there’ll be one that will fit with your plans perfectly. From grand houses, to castles, to banquet halls, any type of historical party will be possible. If you are looking for an area for outdoor activities in particular, you will need to make sure that you book your venue early in the year as the summer months tend to book up quickly with different events. The managers of the properties are sure to be enthusiastic about your event, as it’s rare that a party is held that uses these venues in the way they were built for.

Hire Some Experts

With any historical event, it’s necessary to get in some experts to help to guide you. You will want to be as historically accurate as possible, and so hiring people who have studied the period of your interest in-depth will help you to create an event that really allows your guests to step back in time. They’ll even be able to help you come up with more ideas for fun activities on the day. Having them about at the event means that you will have some people who can explain the history to your guests and answer any questions they may have about this period in history.

Details are Important

Attention to detail can make or break an historical event. You want everything to be as correct as possible and encourage your guests to fully immerse themselves in the experience. For example, at a medieval banquet, no forks are allowed! If you are having an event in the Georgian era, teach people about the etiquette of the time and the role that women played. Many will find it difficult and eye-opening to have to wait to be introduced to someone or chaperoned at all times! It is these details that teach us about what our history was really like.

Have Plenty of Spare Costumes

Do you want everyone to dress up at your event? If so, it’s best to have plenty of your own costumes on hand for people to wear. It can be hard for the general public to acquire the right outfits, so you’ll want to be able to keep everyone happy when they arrive and help them to get into character! This is also a great chance to explain the different articles of clothing to the people who arrive, why they were popular, and what difficulties arose because of the way that people dressed.

Have Historical Food and Drink

What’s a party without some food and drink? Of course, at a historically themed party, you’ll need to keep everything that you serve relevant to the time period. Think mead and ale for medieval, and some traditional home-cooked pies for the Victorian era. While not everyone is going to like the food, serving it in a traditional manner is exactly the type of thing that brings these events to life. If you are using an outdoor setting, you can even organise to have a pig on a spit, although this will shock some people!

Activities for Everyone

You will need to have a good idea of the age range of the people that are set to attend your historical event and have activities prepared that will suit all ages. Archery is always popular but having opportunities for people to try their had at traditional blacksmithing, sewing, and other games will keep everyone in high spirits. If there’s plenty to do, everyone is much more likely to stay around for longer. It’s always a good idea to round off the day with a show or other activity that will encourage people to stay. This might be jousting or a parade, but whatever it is, make sure that it’s well advertised when promoting your event.

Everyone loves some history, and what better way to get involved than with an historical party? Whatever era you choose to set yours in, make sure that you plan well in advance and consult with the experts to get all of the details right. It’s a great use of some of our historical landmarks, and if people enjoy it, you might even be asked to organise an historical party every year!