House party

The people you need to rope in to ensure that your private New Year’s Eve bash is one that will be remembered. Text: Team Indulge

Puppy love

If you don’t want to leave your pets out of NYE festivities, dial Bone Appetite. A gourmet bakery for dogs, its owners Priya Kulkarni and Shruti Saha can also help you host ‘pooch parties’. And if you wish to celebrate outdoors with your four-legged friends, ask them to put together a pool party. They will take care of party favours and hampers, which can be a combination of cookies, bowls, towels, shampoos and small toys for every pet-guest. They will also do personalised bandanas and cushions for your furry friends.
`750 onwards (for every pet guest). Details: 9845707030

If you pride yourself on hosting great parties, you know that a New Year’s Eve bash is the one that really matters. So with all hopes riding on you as host for the big one, we suggest taking no chances and instead, calling professionals who can keep your guests engaged from the word go. Our list includes photographers, musicians, standup comedians and more. Take your pick.

Food first
Ebony@home is famous for their
outdoor catering services. And while they don’t do sit-down dinners, their repertoire of organising events and parties are commendable. “We do different kinds of events. But the main agenda is to let the host be the guest at his or her own party. From the buffet, a professionally managed bar, to decorations and entertainment, we can organise it all,” says Rajesh Rajaram of Ebony@home. `750 onwards (per person).
Details: 9880444335

Go old school
Retro singer, and songwriter Anand VijaySimha is perfect for those intimate dos where you’re not really looking at headbanging the night away. With his acoustic guitar, VijaySimha mostly plays an array of old numbers, including songs by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, etc. “I am the 4 am guy. I usually come in after people have finished their dancing, partying and socialising,” he says. `10,000 to `12,000 per gig. Details: anand.vijayasimha@gmail.com

One in all
Juggling, magic, hand shadow performance, unicycling, ventriloquism, origami, kiragami, mime, and a lot more. That’s 17-year-old Tejaswi Ananth for you, the go-to variety entertainer in the city for private parties or corporate functions. If you are booking him for house parties at the last minute, he can entertain you with juggling, unicycling, magic tricks, eight-ring act, as well as poi performances. `8,000 and above.
Details: 9663555333

Age no bar
Rohit Chandran and Sandra Raju’s theme parties are famous, and they can pull of Hawaiian, Bollywood, masquerade ball, winter wonderland, red carpet, Roman empire, pirate and outdoor movie nights without a fuss. They are also known for organising kids parties, and can help you put together Disney-theme parties for toddlers, ‘football functions’ and a circus look-and-feel like set-up. “We have a good network of entertainers, and can host parties even on short notice,” says Chandran. `30,000 onwards. Details: 7406075280

Comedy club
Twenty-three-year-old Falah Faisal has been performing standup shows across venues, and the list includes Urban Solace, Indigo Live Music Bar, and even Cubbon Park. And he’s happy to do private gigs as well. He says, “For private parties you definitely have to be more engaging than you would at a public show. Your hosts are expecting you to make fun of their friends, and have a good laugh.” `8,000 onwards per gig. Details: 9964826055

Call for acapella
Bring home an acapella and acoustic group to ring in the new year. Our pick would be The Acoustic Project, popularlyknown in the city as TAP, comprising Pilith Pericho, Adrian Jeffrey, Peter Alvin Brando, Tony Joy, Miriam John, and Jonathan Adriel. They have been around in the music scene for close to three years and are a call away for private parties and events. Pericho tells us about their USP, “We can lend an acapella treatment to any genre of music, from EDM, pop, country music to rock.”
`25,000 onwards. Details: 9742225688

Spin it!
VDJ (visual disc jockey), DJ Loy (23)
specialises in deep and tech house, and says, “Given that I work with only commercial and house music, those who want me to play at their private gigs should actually like that kind of music.” And he is an expert in throwing visuals in along with his music, which he mixes live. “The idea is to give guests a complete audio visual experience,” he adds. And while he might already be booked up before you get to reach him, this one is a handy contact to have.
`70,000 per night (for NYE). Details: 9900936077

Bard’s own
Add some drama to your party, and invite the Bardolators to perform something out of Shakespeare for your do. Director of the group, Danish Sheikh says the group can put together a show that combines a bit of reading and a performance, or they could simply act. `10,000 (negotiable). Details: 8197979171

Grains of creativity
Have an interesting story to share at your party? Transform your tale into a beautiful sand art and music show with Odisha-based sand animation ensemble called SMS. “Having spent 10 years in the world of sand art, my partners Mitu, Santosh and I are wizards in portraying folktales in 20-minute sessions each, or even making a personalised sand illustration out of any story you may have in mind,” adds frontman Santosh Ghatuary. `40,000 onwards. Details: 09746330325

Tickle time
If budget is not a constraint you can get standup comedian Papa CJ to come and perform at your private soirée. CJ says that he can either present one of his existing shows, or even customise one to suit your taste. And if there’s something you want him to steer clear of, it’s best to make that known in advance. `6 lakh approximately. Details: thepapcjcomedycompany@gmail.com

Into the pool

Known for elaborate
wedding shoots, The Memory Writers are up for house parties this year. And given that they specialise in underwater photography, you can count on a full coverage of your pool party. The group is sure to capture the best candid moments of your party. `80,000 onwards. Details: 9566325996

Get your hoop on

Jiggle and wiggle your way through the night as Bengaluru-based hula hoop artiste, Shobha Hazra, showcases her 12-minute-long act set to peppy tunes with different-sized hoops and even involving fire rings (on request). “Having mastered using the hoop on every section of my body for 15 years, I will gladly give pointers to kids who want to learn at small gatherings,” shares Harza.
`30,000. Details: 7025292524

Smart assistant

Do it yourself

Bring out the mixologist in you with this new app launched earlier this month. Called Mix Free by Mixology, the app gives you the recipe of any cocktail you want to make. In fact, it has around a thousand recipes with different liquor bases. The app also has a feature called Liquor Cabinet, where you have to key in the ingredients you have, and the app throws up a recipe for you.
On Play Store and iTunes.
Details: mixologyapp.com

Let’s sing along

Set up a virtual karaoke
club night right at your home, with the iSing Karaoke app. It has recently added a Bollywood section to its playlist that includes songs in English, Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, Portuguese, and other languages. Sign up with your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram details on this Android app and record songs in MP3 or MV format. You can also upload your recordings or listen to others. Add effects to your songs before sharing it on social media. What’s a house party without karaoke anyway?
Details: isingmobi.com

Shall we dance?

If your guest is acting shy even after few rounds of tequila shots, the Bounden app can get him or her swaying on the dance floor in no time. It’s a dancing game for two, featuring a list of eight dance routines, choreographed by a ballet company. Two people need to hold on to the phone, and follow the cursor and dots flashing on the screen. And before you know, you will be swinging your arms, twisting your body, and yes, doing the ballet.
`199 on iTunes. Details: bounden.gameovenstudios.com