If you’re organising a community event, BID event or any other kind of public event, you should be incorporating walkabout entertainment to make the most impact.

Through these incredible acts, you’re guaranteed to make a much larger lasting impression on your attendees.

But many might not even know what community walkabout entertainment is, or why it matters, and we’re here to help.


What is Walkabout Entertainment?

There are many ways to classify walkabout entertainment, but primarily these are performers that walk through your event space, greeting attendees without being stationary.

This kind of community event entertainment is perfect for engaging with your guests, creating more space for personal interaction over a focused performance.

A butterfly stilt walker interacting with three children
An interactive street theatre show ideal for children and adults

The Benefits of Walkabout Entertainment for Community Events

There are a lot of great reasons to put on a community event, and including walkabout entertainment in your roster is sure to only make your event more impactful.

The number one benefit of including walkabout performers at your event has to be the interactive element they offer the crowds.

By engaging with guests, making them laugh, greeting them and settling them in, you’re going to instantly make a connection to guests that’s lasting.

This impression sets the tone for the entire event, delivering warmth and friendliness to crowds and promoting your community positively.

These kinds of performers are also a brilliant way to encourage social media sharing, as guests will want to document the many kinds of acts they meet and adore, giving you free promotion online.

Walkabout entertainers can also be a great way to appeal to a variety of age groups, as each performer is capable of changing their approach with everyone they meet.

Large spaces can also be made to feel much more inviting as performers roam the crowds and make a lasting impact.

If your event is themed, entertainers for community events are an excellent way to enhance a theme or message too, with seasonal potential or branded promotion.

A crowd of people following a dressed-up walkabout performer
Book walkabout entertainers for community events to greet guests

How Walkabout Performers Elevate Different Event Types

Elevating your community event might sound tricky, but making use of community event performers is a surefire way to instantly make a difference.

Between a variety of different event types and themes, walkabout performers can enhance your events in unique and exciting ways.

Street Festivals & Markets

If you’re looking to draw greater attention to your street festivals and markets, definitely don’t overlook the power of walkabout entertainment.

Through the incorporation of roaming musicians, contact jugglers, magicians and caricaturists, you can enhance the visitor experience tenfold.

By capturing passers-by with beautiful music from afar, they’re going to be drawn to look over and appreciate your set-up before even knowing what’s going on.

Engaging jugglers, illusionists and caricaturists are also sure to bring more eyes over, allowing for social media shares and promotions as well as a personal approach to garnering attention.

A Christmas contact juggler showing their skills at an event
Entertain at your BID events with community event entertainment

Corporate-Sponsored Community Days

Corporate fun days, corporate-sponsored community days and company community fun days are all a great way for companies to get involved within the local community.

By incorporating brand-aligned characters and branded acts, businesses can create unforgettable experiences for guests while also promoting their own products and services.

Whether it be through animals and creatures that represent business mascots, or stilt walkers adorned in branded elements, there are brilliant ways to connect with audiences of all ages while providing excellent promotional opportunities.

A young child interacting with a lifesize tortoise performer
Engage guests of all ages with incredible walkabout performers and animals

Seasonal Events (Christmas, Halloween, Summer Festivals)

Meet and greet community entertainers are a striking way to bring your theming to reality for guests, adding ambience for Christmas, Halloween and Summer festivals.

Whether you’re after Christmas mascots, Easter duck performers or something else, there are a variety of performers that can deliver on the atmosphere you’re hoping to set up.

By interacting with guests, this is a slice of magic and immersion for all, particularly sure to resonate with younger children.

Our experience hosting seasonal events for Simple Life has allowed us a breadth of knowledge on how best to incorporate these acts for the most impact.

With walkabout performers greeting tenants, creating Easter egg hunts for a community-centred appeal, interactive performers, caterers and interactive games, there are many ways to best utilise these entertainers for community events to bring them to life.

A BID event with a walkabout Santa greeting families
Hire meet and greet community entertainers for Seasonal entertainment

Business Improvement District (BID) Activations

BID events and activations can definitely make use of hiring walkabout performers for added influence, attracting a mass of extra footfall to your events.

By drawing in more interested attendees, you’ll also be increasing consumer dwell time in shopping districts, making the likelihood of a purchase much greater.

Brilliant acts like living statues or street theatre are guaranteed to capture guest’s eyes from afar, as well as encourage snapping photos and videos that ultimately promote your event online too.

With our mass of experience hosting BID events and community events, we know exactly how to make you shine with locals and foster a rising sense of positivity and growth for your town.


Tips for Incorporating Walkabout Entertainment into Your Event

Knowing where to start with walkabout entertainment could seem daunting, but our expert event knowledge is sure to help you reap the rewards of their impact with these top tips.

Choose Acts That Fit Your Theme

The best walkabout entertainment will match your event’s style, theme and audience.

If you’re planning something Seasonal, performers like Ice Fairies or Elves would perfectly suit for a Christmas themed community event.

If you’re going for something more family-oriented, consider walkabout animals or magical acts that encourage childlike wonder.

Consider how these differing performers can best enhance your event’s themes and what the main impact of their presence will be.

A tree stilt performer at an outdoor event
Mesmerise with unique community event performers for your event

Plan for Logistics

Walkabout performers may need a little more space than you’d anticipate, so be sure to plan ahead with your logistics.

By plotting out the size of acts and their presence in the space, you’ll know in advance where to have different performers roam and how they can deliver the most presence possible.

Mix & Match with Static Performances

By incorporating other static performances throughout your event, you’re sure to create a much more well-rounded experience.

Between the incredible walkabout acts, guests will feel immersed and connected, while static performers peak interest and station themselves around critical points of interest for crowds to congregate.

Engage Local Talent

For community events, it’s especially important to involve the people that matter most – the local community.

By incorporating local talent, you can create buzz online from those excited to perform for their community, as well as embrace the talent your community is capable of.

Through hiring community event performers that are smaller scale, you’ll also help create greater reach for those that have great potential, potentially leading to their promotion of you down the line.

An outdoor community event for Halloween
Hire community walkabout entertainment to liven up your community event

Conclusion

All in all, walkabout entertainment is a big factor in the success of community gatherings.

By drawing guest attention and adding a personable approach to events, these performers connect on a deeper level, making your event forever memorable.

Their presence is also a surefire way to draw interest within the crowds of passers-by, often adding free online social promotion to your event and massively improving on its impact.

All event planners, councils, and BIDs should definitely consider just how integral these performers could be for their next event, potentially doubling or tripling crowd engagement and enjoyment.

Allow us to bring your vision to life and reach out today to begin planning your incredible upcoming community event!

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