Michael & UpBeat were EXACTLY what we needed for our wedding. Michael set up multiple phone calls…read morewith us before the wedding to go over details and understand what we wanted for our day. The band set up rehearsals just to practice our exact set list. We decided on Piano & Violin for the ceremony, with additional Piano for cocktail hour. The full band played a wonderful and creative 3 hour set during our reception. Upbeat set up all of our sound equipment and did a comprehensive sound check early that day. They even had a sound tech on their staff. Upbeat customized our wedding to our exact requests. They ensured to perfect our precessional, recessional, and prelude music. We requested contemporary love songs in which they rocked!! Our cocktail hour was perfect and the guests were complementing how talented the musicians were. Michael was our emcee for the nights events and ensured to follow my timeline to a T. He checked in multiple times with our wedding planner, as well as me and my husband. The 3-hour reception was full of energy, talent, and craftsmanship. Upbeat performed multiple medleys allowing songs to flow seamlessly into each other. The vocalists were top tier and were able to sing a wide variety of genres. The instrumentalists all played a critical role in the feel of the party! I 100% recommend adding the horn to your band! It made every song feel rich & full. Shout out to Reid Spears, piano & vocals, THE TALENT IS POURING OUT OF HIM. If you're thinking about a live band, DO IT. This band is worth every penny!!! We will forever be a fan of UpBeat! Maddy & Sean

After my sister had UpBeat at her wedding, it was a no-brainer that I would hire them for mine…read more Michael and the whole crew bring the kind of expertise, enthusiasm and energy that you want in a band. They have an extensive repertoire of music to choose from and are extremely accommodating to any requests outside of their lineup. Every phone call and email is extremely thorough so you know exactly what to expect and then some. If we had to do it all over again, we'd choose Upbeat in a heartbeat.

Anastasia is awesome! I hired her for my son's 3rd birthday and she wowed the kids and the adults!…read moreI also had a bounce house for the kids and wasn't sure they would want to get out and watch the show, but they totally did and were so into it! I couldn't believe 20 plus kids sat and watched in amazement! Anastasia was prompt to the party and a huge hit! I only went off yelp reviews when hiring her and wasn't sure based on a few videos I found if her show would be truly kid friendly, but it absolutely is and is wonderful. As another review said, she is a little hard to get a hold of, but after reaching her and talking with her on the phone and confirming via text message, it was easy. She's reliable and will show up! If you're debating hiring her - you should! I'd highly recommend her!

What a wonderful experience, this was a super fun great idea. Anastasia is friendly and very easy…read moreto communicate with. We had selected Magic Cafe package for my son's daycare birthday party. Kids ages 5-6 and everyone loved it. Thank you very much for making his day that more special. Highly recommend!!!

4.30.18 Yesterday, my little sister had her baby shower at…read moreThe Party Room and we absolutely loved it. The venue was absolutely beautiful. It's very spacious and very clean. The owners are the most hardworking and humble people I have met, I cannot thank them enough for making her day so very special. I am just in awe of this place and I will definitely refer people and come back for future events!

The chair really made the prom/graduation photo shoot drive by perfect. Gave them some good…read morememories for senior year, due to COVID 19.

I'm sure I've hit a world record for character rentals. I know lots of options when it comes to…read morefind Spiderman, Elsa and other princesses. However, this year my kids challenged me with wanting the following characters at their bday parties: one of the My Little Ponies, Pikachu (Pokemon) and Elmo. While I had to go elsewhere to find the pony (probably the most challenging of the requests), Blazing Birthdays was one of the few character rental companies that had both Pikachu and Elmo. I was most impressed with their communication. Their managing director, Scarlett, was super helpful on the phone and followed up with a very detailed email after our initial phone call. After hearing a bit about my parties we decided on 1 1/2 hours for Pikachu (30 min of Pikachu followed by an hour of balloon twisting) for 25ish five year olds. And then 1 hour of Elmo (30 min of Elmo followed by 30 min of balloon twisting) for 25ish two year olds. I received a call from the characters the night before both parties, which is a first in my many years of character rentals. I could tell by their voicemails alone that they were going to great...and I was right. Colman was Pikachu and ran around our party screeching "pika pika"- the kids absolutely loved playing with him. After 30 min of playing pikachu disappeared and Colman appeared ready to twist a lot of balloons, mostly swords for this crowd of 4 and 5 year old boys. He was also really great w/ the kids and had no problem getting their attention. Catherine was Elmo. She ran into some traffic issues so was a few min late to the party, but texted to let me know and was very apologetic so it was no big deal. I was a little afraid of how such little ones (one and two year olds) would react to Elmo, but she was super sweet with them and they loved her. She (or he) gave a bunch of hugs, posed for pictures and even danced around for them while they ate. And then after Elmo helped my son blow out the candles she reappeared for some balloon twisting. Half the crowd disappeared at this point to make it home for nap time, but the ones who stuck around really enjoyed the balloons...especially my 7 yr old who took advantage and probably had 5 balloons made for just herself. There are a lot of options when it comes to character rentals, but Blazing Birthdays is the first one I would call next time. Professional, reliable and priced fairly as well. Thank you Pikachu and Elmo for making my boys birthdays extra special!

We rented out the Elmo Character for my daughters first Birthday. Prices are not listed on the…read morewebsite but if you call the number (I believe her name is Lynn) is almost always available to answer questions and give information. She's very friendly and nice. The open communication is great. They offer a wide variety of services from characters to magicians, clowns, face paint and balloon artists. Elmo was wonderful. He was on time and not in a rush to leave when his hour was up. He was really great with the kids. We played games like limbo and sang interactive songs. Elmo read books to the kids and posed for pictures. The energy level was great and all the guests left happy.

After hiring princesses not 1, not 2, but 3 times in the past year I consider myself an expert &…read morecan confidently state that Looking Glass Friends Entertainment has THE BEST princesses. For my 4 year old's recent bday bash she requested Anna and Elsa make the long trip from Arendelle. I sent one quick email to Christine at Looking Glass Friends Entertainment I was able to make a little girl's dreams come true. Christine was on top of her game. We never even chatted by phone, but were able to figure out all the details over email (a gal after my own email obsessed heart). For $140 I was able to book 30 minutes with my daughter's favorite princesses. At the time of booking I filled out a quick event agreement highlighting what I'd like the princesses to do at the event (in this case sing a few songs, read a few stories & just interact with the bday girl and friends). The week before the event Christine sent me another email asking for specific details about the bday girl. So impressed with her organization skills! The snow princess & queen were scheduled to arrive at 10:30am. At 10:28am I was a bit worried they weren't going to arrive (& noticed a missed call from Christine), but then I looked outside and saw Anna & Elsa making their way thru the streets of the North Shore. Fortunately, we've had an especially cold November so Elsa felt right at home. There were so many activities occurring at the party that I didn't think I really needed to hire princesses, but as soon as I saw the ginormous smile on my daughter's face I knew it was $140 well spent. Anna & Elsa may have been better than the ones in the movie. They had studied Christine's notes ahead of time & knew that they had met my daughter many times before; "It's sooo nice to see you again! Happy bday!" I didn't expect them to get the attention of all 80 kids, but I was amazed by how many little girls surrounded them. Anna had a few dozen kids run over to her as soon as she announced they'd be reading a few stories. Now if only I could get my 2 kids to listen to me like that! Their voices were incredible and my daughter felt so comfortable with them (she didn't leave their laps the entire 30 minutes they were with us). And of course just hours after the party I received a follow up email from Communicative Christine asking for feedback about how the queen and princess did. Again, so on top of her game! I'm so hoping we move on from our Frozen obsession (& perhaps even princesses) before my daughter's 5th bday, but if I'm lucky enough to hire princesses for a 4th time in my lifetime I won't look anywhere else besides Looking Glass Friends Entertainment. Their princesses are the real deal...or, um, as real as it gets.

They were the best addition to my girls birthday party. They came on time, did an AMAZING job with…read moretheir performance and all the kids were so happy. Thank you Elsa and Anna for making My daughters birthday sooooo memorable. Highly recommend!!

We booked Ms. Rachel and it was a terrible experience. I was beyond disappointed. The character…read morethat showed up barely talked she did not talk to any of the children and did not smile. She didn't say "hi" when she arrived: she looked scared to be there. She played a "game" with the kids by taking out a flamingo and telling one kid to hide it and asked me to help her talk to the children. The kids couldn't hear her because she was speaking so low. When it was time to "face paint" she stood there helpless until my sister in law asked her if she needed something and she said she didn't have warm water. But I wonder if she hadn't asked would she have attempted to try. The only time she seemed enthusiastic and talked was when she was going and it was time to ask for her money. I am truly disappointed and feel it was such a waste of money.

We recently booked a princess appearance with Characters IO for my daughter's birthday, and while…read morethere were some positive aspects to the experience, there were also disappointments that are worth sharing for others considering this company. To start with the positives: the princess looked fantastic and looked exactly like the character she was portraying. She brought a couple of books and coloring supplies, which the kids enjoyed doing alongside her, and she danced with the girls in a circle. However, one of the reasons we booked with this company was that the initial booking emails highlighted that the princess could provide simple face painting. Unfortunately, when she arrived, she did not bring any face paint. This was especially disappointing as face painting was my daughter's top request. During the event, the princess was fairly passive and required prompting--such as being asked to join in the singing during the cake cutting--rather than taking initiative during key moments. After the party, I followed up with the company to express my disappointment and to better understand what went wrong. They responded that face painting is not guaranteed per their terms and conditions. I explained that this was not clearly communicated and asked what I should have done differently--whether I should have confirmed in advance that our specific princess could provide face painting. Despite sending seven emails and five follow-up texts, I never received a clear response or guidance on this. So while the appearance was visually impressive, the lack of clear communication and follow-through on a key feature left us frustrated. If face painting is a priority for your event, I would recommend confirming it very clearly in advance--or booking with another company that can guarantee it.

I hate leaving negative reviews and pulling a total Karen, especially because I've used Fairytale…read moreEntertainment three times in the past without issue. Unfortunately, this last experience was disappointing from start to finish. I specifically booked Buzz Lightyear for my son's toy story party, but wrong costume arrived instead. Mistakes happen, and I understand that no company is perfect. However, the performer also arrived 45 minutes late to what was only a two-hour party, which significantly impacted the experience. What was most frustrating was how the situation was handled afterward. When I contacted customer service, I was met with arguments and skepticism rather than an apology. Despite providing a timestamped photo showing when the character arrived, they chose to rely on the word of a teenager rather than the evidence I provided. The conversation felt unnecessarily confrontational and dismissive. Eventually, they agreed to provide a $50 credit toward a future booking. Not only was that resolution underwhelming given the circumstances, I said I wouldn't be using them again and they eventually agreed to credit my credit card back, but weeks later I still have not received the credit. The issue wasn't just the wrong character or the lateness--it was the lack of accountability, empathy, and customer service. A sincere apology and a proactive effort to make things right would have gone a long way. As a repeat customer, I expected better. Unfortunately, because of how this was handled, I will not be using Fairytale Entertainment again.

We booked Belle and she was wonderful! She was exactly what my daughter dreamed of for her…read morebirthday. She did a beautiful job with the balloon characters and face painting. Everyone at the party was raving about how well Belle kept all the children entertained for 2 hours. I will definitely book with this company again.

It's been a few years since Captain America and Spidey showed up late to my kids bday party. Since…read morethen I've seen Royal Princess Parties in action at a bunch of parties and always been impressed....and their characters have always arrived on time My daughter is no longer asking for Cinderella, Elsa, etc to come to her firends...this year she asked for Taylor Swift or Katy Perry to attend her rock star party. Always up for a challenge I called a bunch of character companies. The majority told me not possible, but Melissa at Royal Princess Parties said she could make it happen with just an extra $50 since it's a character she doesn't currently carry. She just needs 2 months notice to design the costumes and have the performers learn the specific roles. I so appreciate their flexibility and my daughter is going to be psyched to rock out with "Taylor" in a few months.

My daughter had been asking for the last six months since she first saw Frozen if Elsa could come…read moreto her house to play. So, for her 3rd birthday we thought perhaps a princess could be a good idea. although I wasn't sure whether she would like it or be kind of intimidated by an impersonator. It worked wonderfully! She was completely in awe of the Snow Queen / Elsa (Jamie) who came to the party. They sang songs, played hot potato with Olaf, did freeze dance, and read stories. The princess gave her a crown and a hair pin and my daughter totally treasured them! After her nap later I put the crown on her and she told me only Elsa knows how to put the crown on her correctly ;) Melissa and the company were easy to work with. All the kids at the party had a great time and the parents said it would be a good idea to do for a get together to pitch in on together just to entertain the kids! My only recommendation would be to schedule the princess to come 30 mins or so after party starts. We had her come 15 mins after but not all the kids had arrived yet and so not everyone got to enjoy the full time we had booked with the princess.