Floor space
Roughly 3m × 3m for the band, plus room for the dancing itself. Ceilidh dances need more floor than a disco — Strip the Willow wants a long run, and the Dashing White Sergeant forms a ring around the room.
Venues
What we need from your venue.
We play hotels, country houses, barns, marquees, castles and village halls, and we have yet to meet a room that could not host a ceilidh. But a handful of details decide how the night is set up — and they are much easier to sort now than on the day.
Six things worth asking your venue
Power
A couple of standard 13A sockets near the performance area. Marquees and barns often run off a generator, which is fine, but tell us in advance so we can plan for it.
Access and load-in
Where we can park, how far the kit has to travel, and whether there are stairs. City-centre venues are frequently up a stair or through a courtyard — not a problem, but worth knowing before the night.
Sound limiters
Some venues fit a decibel limiter that cuts the power if the level trips it. Live drums and a limiter rarely get on. Ask your venue whether one is fitted and what it is set to, and we will bring the right line-up.
Curfew
The time the music has to stop, which is usually set by the venue licence rather than by you. It decides how the evening is paced, so it is one of the first things Garry will ask.
Ceiling height
Low beams in a converted steading or barn affect where lighting can go. Rarely a blocker, occasionally a rethink.
Do not worry about chasing all six. Tell us the venue name when you check your date and Garry will work out what he needs to know.
Marquees and barns
Both are brilliant for a ceilidh and both have quirks. Marquees are usually on generator power and can get cold late on, so the dancing matters more than ever. Barns and steadings often have hard surfaces and a lot of natural echo, which suits live fiddle and accordion far better than it suits a heavy PA — we bring less kit, not more.
Historic buildings and castles
Beautiful rooms, tight load-ins, and more likely than average to have a sound limiter or an early curfew. All manageable, all worth flagging early.
Hotels and function suites
The easiest of the lot: proper power, level access and a floor built for dancing. Most also have a set changeover time between the meal and the evening, which is the one thing to confirm.
Where we play
Home base. The rehearsal room, the kit store and the shortest load-in we do.
Free travel within 100 miles of Perth · further afield, always clearly quoted up front
Ready when you are