LICENCE TO CEILIDH
LONDON CEILIDH BAND
London ceilidh band Licence to Ceilidh are an award winning, young, energetic & professional ceilidh band! Providing the perfect entertainment for any Wedding, Party or Event, we gaurantee to have all of your guests on the dancefloor celebrating together.
Our unique sound mixes traditional ceilidh tunes & dances with a modern fun rhythm section providing the inclusiveness of a Scottish ceilidh with music no one can resist dancing to!
With expert dance Caller to teach all the moves our Ceilidh’s are suitable for complete beginners and seasoned dancers alike!
We have over 14 years experience and clients including BBC, Channel 4, E4, ITV, UKTV, Sting and more… Winners of the ‘International Wedding Awards’ and UK’s ‘Wedding Industry Awards’, plus over 100 5* Google Reviews!
YOUR WEDDING CEILIDH
We specialise in Wedding Ceilidh’s and perform at over 100 weddings each year, so we have the experience to make your special day something your guests will talk about for years to come…
We’re happy to help with giving advice through out the planning your big day, whether it’s timings or first dance, we’re here for you! Ali has been organising the band for over 10 years so has the experience to answer any questions you may have!
“Hi Ali, We just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thank you SO much for making our wedding reception so brilliant! You guys were fantastic and everyone loved the ceilidh. It was great to see so many people dancing together who had never met before and to see so many of our friends who avoid a dance floor enjoying themselves. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Gozo. Wishing you well with all your endeavours.”
Mia & Nick : Wedding: June 2017 : Ta Frenc, Gozo, Malta
TV APPEARANCES
WHAT IS A CEILIDH?
The modern meaning of Ceilidh, Ceili, or Barn Dance is simply an evening of fun, guided dancing to a live band with experienced caller talking you through all the moves! Which is exactly what you get with Licence to Ceilidh.
It’s the perfect Ice Breaker, we perform all of the dances anyone with experience will know and remember, but are still easy enough to teach to complete beginners! So anyone can take part, whether young, old, or those of us with two left feet.
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Contact UsFAQ's?
What is a Ceilidh?
Originally the word Ceilidh (kay-lee) descended from the Gaelic word for ‘gathering’ or ‘party’… However, these days when people think of a Ceilidh, they think of a fun filled night of wild dancing, good music and great company! We often describe it as “organised dancing” or a bit like a barndance!
Why have a Ceilidh at your Wedding?
You should have a Wedding ceilidh because it’s so inclusive, everyone can take part whether young, old or those with two left feet! It’s very unique, memorable and it will keep all of the action for your evening reception on the dance floor, giving your wedding guests the same shared experience to talk about for years to come. It’s also the perfect icebreaker to get your friends and family mingling and mixing at your wedding!
How many people do you need for a ceilidh?
You can have a ceilidh even with a small amount of dancers but the more the merrier! We need a minimum of 8-10 people to make one ‘set’ (dancing group), but it can be more fun to have a few of these on the floor and we need a few more for the famous Orcadian Strip the Willow, about 20 – 30 people is ideal for that dance! It’s also good if you have more guests than we need so not everyone has to do all of the dances if they don’t want to and they can have a breather while other people get up and join in.
Is a Ceilidh Scottish or Irish?
It’s both and English too! The types of ceilidh are slightly different for each tradition. We specialise in Scottish ceilidh dancing as that’s what we get the most call for. These dances are simpler to teach to beginners on the night and tend to be the ones that anyone with ceilidh experience or who learnt a little bit at school will have heard of and remember!
What do you wear to a ceilidh?
Ideally a bit of tartan but it’s completely up to you! The main thing is to be cool and comfortable and to have sensible shoes. It’s best to avoid heels for ceilidh dancing. When having a ceilidh at your wedding you might consider preparing a 2nd shorter wedding dress for this portion of the night, although most people do dance in their wedding dress and we’ve seen some really ingenious bustle and hitching up techniques over the years, it can make things a little easier – but not essential.