How much does a Ceilidh or Barn Dance Band and Caller cost? How do we pay?

Anything between £200 and £850 and everything in between! Without wishing to sound vague, there are so many variables, it's impossible to be more specific. At the lower end of the scale, you can book a Caller using good quality pre-recorded music. Recordings of real ceilidh / barn dance bands are used, so although you don't have the musicians there on the night, you still get the same overall sound as a full band, and you have more money left in your purse!

If live music is a "must" for you, then booking a live band with Caller will be best. The average price for a 3 or 4 or 5 piece band and Caller is between £550 - £850. The exact cost will depend on the size of the band, whether a band plays for a hobby or a living and where they are based.

All bands charge per evening, not per hour, so the cost will be the same, how ever long or short a period of time a band is booked to play during an evening. Other factors which will sometimes influence the cost will be the day of the week (discounts are often given for mid-week non-weekend dates) and whether it is a “prime date” like New Year's Eve, St Patrick’s Day, Burns Night, St Andrew’s Night and so on which usually cost more.

Without wishing to sound cheeky, some people are surprised at what they consider to be a high cost of a live band and I have to say this to them: "Remember that a DJ charges anything from £150 - £350 and that is for one man and a bunch of CDs, so if you do your sums, it's clear that a band of 3 or 4 live musicians and a Caller is going to cost more than a couple of hundred quid. It actually represents very good value for money, given that each person is involved for anything between 6 and 10 hours, packing the car, travelling to the venue, unpacking, setting up, playing, dismantling the PA, packing up all the gear, travelling home, unpacking the car . . . .!"

Agents, Callers and Bands all have different ways of arranging payment. Some ask for a deposit / booking fee up front when the booking is confirmed, with the balance payable to the band on the day. This is how I work. Deposit is payable by cheque and then the balance is paid in cash to the band on the day. This is the most preferable method of payment, however a cheque for the balance is OK. In this case, I ask you to send the balance cheque direct to the band 2 full weeks ahead of the date, to clear. I don’t offer a credit card facility and don’t actually know any Ceilidh bands that do!

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