Blue Hat Ceilidh Band

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Blue Hat Ceilidh Band

Ceilidh band based in the North East of England, available for all occasions

22/12/2024

What does a great Christmas mean to you?

Is it family, friendship, good food, presents under the tree, peace and reflection.. or is it a giant inflatable turkey ceilidh dancing?!?!?

We weren't sure how Tracey was going to top last year's costume, when she came to the annual WI Christmas Ceilidh as a 3D Christmas tree, but she absolutely didn't disappoint. After calling for around 40 years, Robin might have thought he'd seen everything he was ever going to see, but it's the first time he's ever had to give calling instructions to a turkey!

As always we had such a lovely time celebrating the festive season with the lovely ladies of the Cramlington WI group - a huge thank you from us for making us so welcome, for the lovely food and above all for all of the laughs. We're already looking forward to finding out what surprises are in store for us next year 😄

20/12/2024

Join us at The Morritt Hotel and Garage Spa on Saturday 28th December for a Festive Family Ceilidh. We'll be leading you through a selection of fun dances to help you burn off any Christmas over indulgence!!

Tickets are available from the Morritt Hotel website - if you'd like a direct link to book, comment below and we'll drop you the link.

If you'd like more information please drop us a message and we'll be happy to help

18/12/2024

Always a pleasure to hear from our ceilidh-goers after the event 😍

We had a fantastic time playing for this gorgeous wedding near Middlesborough, coordinated by the lovely people at White Rose Weddings & Events

Thank you so much to Elizabeth for these kind words, wishing you all the best for married life 🥰

15/12/2024

Have you had your office Christmas party yet, or is it still to come?

More importantly, is it going to be as much fun as this one???

We kicked off the Christmas party season at the end of November with a fantastic ceilidh at The Dolphin Suites in Darlington, for HM Treasury.

The energy and enthusiasm in the room was fantastic, and we had a full floor for every dance. It's a gorgeous room for a ceilidh and these guys really did it justice.

We had a lovely email from them the next day to say "thank you so much for another great night on Friday, everyone had a great time, and the campus is buzzing once again of tales from the night"

Thanks to all the lovely people at HM Treasury for having us back, and we look forward to seeing you again next year

13/12/2024

Christmas Ceilidh with the Blue Hat Ceilidh Band!!

Addison Rapper and Clog's Christmas Ceilidh is one of the highlights of our year. Robin has been playing for this event for years, with at least 3 different generations of his band, and it's still just as much fun as it was the first time.

Expect ceilidh dancing, clog dancing, rapper dancing, festive songs, funny songs, music, laughter and friendship.

Tickets are available from members of the Addison Rapper team - contact Ray on 07908153573 or Jen on 07708349406. Alternatively drop us a message if you'd like more information or if you'd like us to enquire about ticket availability on your behalf

11/12/2024

When Robin and Rachael aren't wearing their blue hats, you'll sometimes find them wearing some rather fetching hats from a bygone era!!

This December Rachael and Robin, along with one of our regular deps Chloe and good friend Meg O'Brien, are delighted to be playing at Beamish Museum for their special Festive Evenings. If you've been lucky enough to get tickets, you'll find them at the Manor House at Pockerley, set in the 1820s. You'll hear fiddle tunes, clog dancing and festive songs.

We'd like to say a big thank you to the Beamish Costume Department for the wonderful costumes, and to all the staff and volunteers up at Pockerley who work so hard to make such an incredible atmosphere.

08/12/2024

Spotlight on Phil

Guitarist Phil is a man of many talents. Having played fiddle in ceilidh bands with Robin (and later Rachael) for many years, he joined Blue Hat as our guitarist and proved himself equally as good on guitar as he is on fiddle. He's the glue that holds us all together, providing a solid, rhythmic backing and working together with Richard's left hand to add innovative accompaniments.

Phil is our most flexible band member too - but not in the yoga sense 😆. As well as getting to grips with all of our repertoire in guitar, he's learnt it all on fiddle too, and swaps onto fiddle when needed.

Phil is also an invaluable asset to the band when it comes to setting up and packing away. We've never known anybody to load and unload gear from the band car Dora Fedora 😆 so quickly - blink and you miss it!! He's saved the rest of the band many a bad back by doing the majority of the heavy lifting, always willingly and without complaint.

You're a useful man to have around Phil - thank you!!

Robin has recently finished off Phil's Blue Hat tune, so we look forward to sharing that with you in the near future 😃 any guesses what type of tune he's gone for?

06/12/2024

Today we're looking back on our first visit to Webster's Ropery, where we had a whale of a time! It's a lovely venue for a wedding ceilidh, and we hope to be visiting again before too long.

We were delighted to welcome back Tina on accordion for this one, and enjoyed playing some different tunes to our usual repertoire. We finished the evening with a tune we know as Alasdair o' the Dun, which Robin has written some exciting harmonies for. It seemed to do the trick in raising the excitement levels in the room, as you can see from the end of the video. Watch through to the end to see the big finish from the gorgeous bride - we loved it!!

04/12/2024

We're often approached by people who are organising an event for the first time, and need a bit of extra help. You might be planning a special party for yourself or a loved one, putting on a fundraising event, taking charge of the office Christmas party for the first time, or planning your own wedding - a once in a lifetime event.

We are always happy to offer advice and suggestions to help your event be the best it can possibly be. Between us, the band have well over 100 years of combined experience of playing for ceilidhs at all sorts of events, so we've seen it all! We know what tends to work well, and can advise on some of the pitfalls to be aware of and avoid.

You can find lots of information to help you get started on the FAQ page of our website, including advice about suitable types of venues, timings for your event, and numbers of dancers needed for a ceilidh to work well.

In addition, we always offer a complimentary phone call to anybody who enquires about booking us, to give more personalised suggestions and discuss anything that would be helpful for you. We're also very happy to answer questions and offer advice and suggestions via email if that's what you prefer. We also check in with every customer a month before their event, at which point we go over timings, logistics and anything else that's relevant to make sure everything is in order.

So if you're thinking of holding a ceilidh but you're not sure where to start, don't let that put you off! Just get in touch and we'll help you figure out a plan 🤠

01/12/2024

Can you believe it's December already?? The last couple of months seem to have flown by and it doesn't seem possible that Christmas is so nearly here.

A new month always means one thing.. it's time for Tyneside Ceilidh Nights! And December is even more special as our festive ceilidh night features a Christmas costume competition, Christmas ceilidh tunes, mince pies and more!

Join Robin, Rachael and The Redheughers Ceilidh Band for an extra-special festive ceilidh celebration. You'll find us at St Aidan's Community Centre, Brunton Park from 8pm on Tuesday 3rd December. Come in your favourite festive outfit to take part in the competition - you might just win a prize!

29/11/2024

Spotlight on Rachael!

As well as playing fiddle and calling for the Blue Hat Ceilidh Band, Rachael is the one who keeps all the wheels turning in the background.

Rachael is responsible for website creation and maintenance, marketing, social media, all of the band admin, communication with customers and venues, managing bookings, invoicing, and keeping the rest of the band in order!! The latter can feel like a full time job all on its own 🤣

Managing the Blue Hat Ceilidh Band is a real labour of love for Rachael, and she feels privileged to have the opportunity to work alongside the rest of the band to create something she is really proud of.

27/11/2024

Looking back through the footage from Tees Valley Ceilidhs has been an absolute pleasure. We had a fantastic time sharing some of our favourite dances with a hall full of enthusiastic, happy dancers.

This clip features a couple of lovely dances - Hollins Jig, written by Eddie Upton, and Don't Trifle with Mary, written by Robin and named after his favourite dessert, made by dancer Mary at a regular ceilidh he played and called for over many years

24/11/2024

A few snaps of the bands' recent adventures around the North East of England.

Our first trip to Horton Grange Country House was an absolute joy - what a gorgeous venue! We also thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Kibblesworth Working Men's Club, and our repeat visits to Nether Grange for HF Holidays 111th birthday celebrations and Worsall Village Hall for Tees Valley Ceilidhs

If you look closely you'll spot Rachael's newest blue hat making its first outing with the band, as well as Tina on accordion at her debut outing with the band.

We feel privileged to have the opportunity to travel around to so many lovely venues and meet so many interesting and delightful people in our work

22/11/2024

A thoroughly enjoyable visit to HF Holidays to help them celebrate their 111th birthday 🎂 🎉 🎁

The venue, Nether Grange in Alnmouth, has a special place in our hearts as we have lots of happy memories of playing for New Years Eve ceilidhs here, and we're delighted that we'll be seeing in the New Year again here this year.

It was a pleasure to welcome Tina for her debut with the Blue Hat Ceilidh Band, and we can guarantee this won't be the last you see of her - thanks Tina!

20/11/2024

Most of our bookings are for private events, but we have a couple of public ceilidhs coming up over the next couple of months and we'd love to see you there.

We'll be playing for a festive family ceilidh at The Morritt Hotel and Garage Spa near Barnard Castle on Saturday 28th December - the event kicks off at 7pm and ends at midnight. You can get tickets from the hotel by calling 01833 627232 or visiting the hotel's website.

We'll also be back at Worsall Village Hall to play for the Worsall Folk Dance Group on Saturday 11th January, where we'll be calling some more complex club level dances, so if you're looking for more of a challenge and to take your dancing to the next level, this'll be perfect for you.

And of course you can find Robin and Rachael calling and playing with The Redheughers Ceilidh Band at Tyneside Ceilidh Nights on the first Tuesday of every month - St Aidan's Community Centre, Brunton Park, 8pm start.

For more information about any of these events please drop us a message

18/11/2024

The most people we've seen for many years at Tees Valley Ceilidhs on Friday, and what lovely people they were too. We had a fantastic night and from the smiles on their faces, it looked like the dancers did too 😃

17/11/2024

How fantastic does this room look for a ceilidh??

This was Kibblesworth Working Men's Club, which we played at recently for a party celebrating various combined birthdays - we lost track of how many!!

With Rachael out of action with food poisoning, we were delighted to welcome back Chloe on fiddle. Thank you to Chloe for standing in at such short notice.

We don't need to tell you that there were a fair few Scots in the room for this party - the video speaks for itself. It was great to have so many dancers up on the floor for the Dashing White Sergeant, and the enthusiasm you see here was present all evening. What a brilliant crowd!

15/11/2024

The Blue Hat Ceilidh Band play for all sorts of events - as well as weddings and parties we love to play for community events, socials for all kinds of groups, dance clubs, reel parties, festivals and more.

We're really enjoying getting to know the lovely ladies of the Plessey and Seaton Valley Women's Institute groups. We played for them for the first time last December, and we were delighted to be invited back in September, and again for their festive social in December this year. And we can't seem to escape Tracey, she even turned up at one of our wedding ceilidhs earlier this year!! Not that we'd want to escape her of course 😆

We can't wait to see the outfits they turn up in for the Christmas ceilidh in December - last year Tracey came dressed as a 3D Christmas Tree, how is she going to top that?!

If you're part of a community group and you're looking for a different & fun way to celebrate together, look no further! You can find out more on our website or drop us a message if you'd like to chat about your ideas.

Address

Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE6

Website

http://www.bluehatband.co.uk/

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Videos

What does a great Christmas mean to you? Is it family, friendship, good food, presents under the tree, peace and reflection.. or is it a giant inflatable turkey ceilidh dancing?!?!? We weren't sure how Tracey was going to top last year's costume, when she came to the annual WI Christmas Ceilidh as a 3D Christmas tree, but she absolutely didn't disappoint. After calling for around 40 years, Robin might have thought he'd seen everything he was ever going to see, but it's the first time he's ever had to give calling instructions to a turkey! As always we had such a lovely time celebrating the festive season with the lovely ladies of the Cramlington WI group - a huge thank you from us for making us so welcome, for the lovely food and above all for all of the laughs. We're already looking forward to finding out what surprises are in store for us next year 😄

Always a pleasure to hear from our ceilidh-goers after the event 😍 We had a fantastic time playing for this gorgeous wedding near Middlesborough, coordinated by the lovely people at White Rose Weddings & Events Thank you so much to Elizabeth for these kind words, wishing you all the best for married life 🥰

Have you had your office Christmas party yet, or is it still to come? More importantly, is it going to be as much fun as this one??? We kicked off the Christmas party season at the end of November with a fantastic ceilidh at The Dolphin Suites in Darlington, for HM Treasury. The energy and enthusiasm in the room was fantastic, and we had a full floor for every dance. It's a gorgeous room for a ceilidh and these guys really did it justice. We had a lovely email from them the next day to say "thank you so much for another great night on Friday, everyone had a great time, and the campus is buzzing once again of tales from the night" Thanks to all the lovely people at HM Treasury for having us back, and we look forward to seeing you again next year

Today we're looking back on our first visit to Webster's Ropery, where we had a whale of a time! It's a lovely venue for a wedding ceilidh, and we hope to be visiting again before too long. We were delighted to welcome back Tina on accordion for this one, and enjoyed playing some different tunes to our usual repertoire. We finished the evening with a tune we know as Alasdair o' the Dun, which Robin has written some exciting harmonies for. It seemed to do the trick in raising the excitement levels in the room, as you can see from the end of the video. Watch through to the end to see the big finish from the gorgeous bride - we loved it!!

Can you believe it's December already?? The last couple of months seem to have flown by and it doesn't seem possible that Christmas is so nearly here. A new month always means one thing.. it's time for Tyneside Ceilidh Nights! And December is even more special as our festive ceilidh night features a Christmas costume competition, Christmas ceilidh tunes, mince pies and more! Join Robin, Rachael and The Redheughers Ceilidh Band for an extra-special festive ceilidh celebration. You'll find us at St Aidan's Community Centre, Brunton Park from 8pm on Tuesday 3rd December. Come in your favourite festive outfit to take part in the competition - you might just win a prize!

Looking back through the footage from Tees Valley Ceilidhs has been an absolute pleasure. We had a fantastic time sharing some of our favourite dances with a hall full of enthusiastic, happy dancers. This clip features a couple of lovely dances - Hollins Jig, written by Eddie Upton, and Don't Trifle with Mary, written by Robin and named after his favourite dessert, made by dancer Mary at a regular ceilidh he played and called for over many years

A thoroughly enjoyable visit to HF Holidays to help them celebrate their 111th birthday 🎂 🎉 🎁 The venue, Nether Grange in Alnmouth, has a special place in our hearts as we have lots of happy memories of playing for New Years Eve ceilidhs here, and we're delighted that we'll be seeing in the New Year again here this year. It was a pleasure to welcome Tina for her debut with the Blue Hat Ceilidh Band, and we can guarantee this won't be the last you see of her - thanks Tina!

How fantastic does this room look for a ceilidh?? This was Kibblesworth Working Men's Club, which we played at recently for a party celebrating various combined birthdays - we lost track of how many!! With Rachael out of action with food poisoning, we were delighted to welcome back Chloe on fiddle. Thank you to Chloe for standing in at such short notice. We don't need to tell you that there were a fair few Scots in the room for this party - the video speaks for itself. It was great to have so many dancers up on the floor for the Dashing White Sergeant, and the enthusiasm you see here was present all evening. What a brilliant crowd!

We had a fabulous evening at Horton Grange Country House recently for the wedding of Kyle & Jen. What a gorgeous venue, gorgeous couple, gorgeous wedding!! It was a joy to be a part of it. Half of the guests were American and many hadn't even heard of a ceilidh before, let alone danced, so we had great fun introducing them to the world of ceilidh dancing. In this set we helped them feel at home by playing some lively American tunes for Coming Round the Mountain, a square dance which is a firm favourite for weddings and parties. Thank you to Kyle and Jen for inviting us to be part of your special day, and for some lovely feedback afterwards: "The band was amazing and we got a lot of compliments about the night. I myself hadn't been to a ceilidh before but I loved it and can't wait to go to more! Thank you for playing so well and for being very patient and flexible on the night, it was a really nice addition to our wedding and wouldn't have done it any other way!" If you think a ceilidh would make a great addition to your wedding, party or event, drop us a message to find out more