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Ceilidh Bands for hire in Portsmouth

Hire a Ceilidh band in Portsmouth for your wedding, Burns night or event today. We have 82 fantastic traditional Scottish and Irish bands available to hire in Portsmouth to make sure everybody gets on their feet! With varying line-ups and instruments, fantastic callers to instruct the dance moves, and bands that will also play your favourite pop covers, there's no better time to book a Ceilidh band. Hire a Ceilidh band in the UK for your wedding, Burns night or event today. Pronounced 'kay-lee', these bands will perform upbeat traditional Scottish tunes while calling out the dance moves out to keep your guests on their feet! Ready to book? Simply browse our collection of our 82 best local Ceilidh bands in Portsmouth available for hire today. Our groups have callers to instruct the dancing and many bands will also play your favourite pop covers. There's no better time to book your Ceilidh band!

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Ceilidh bands
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All the bands below are available to travel to Portsmouth
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5 reviews
From£960

Out Of Hand

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Ceilidh bandWinchester

A young, vibrant and exciting folk-rock ceilidh band, playing trad and new tunes. Full PA and we would love to play at your event!

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6 reviews
From£680

Monkey See Monkey Do

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Ceilidh bandSouthampton

Folk and Ceilidh band available for Weddings and Functions

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2 reviews
From£640

A3 Ceilidh Band

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Ceilidh bandPetersfield

The cutting edge of the UK's ceilidh scene.

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8 reviews
£700 - £1200

Head North

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Ceilidh bandAlton

Fun, great tunes, powerful songs served up with a big smile and bags of energy

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14 reviews
£450 - £600

Rufus Return

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Ceilidh bandSouthampton

Rufus Return are a Ceilidh/Barn Dance Band on the 'rock ceilidh' side of the spectrum. Line up of Guitar, Drums, Violin, Accordion & caller.

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12 reviews
£700 - £2800

Ceilidh With Us

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Ceilidh bandLondon

Upbeat & Classy 2-6pc band, playing Ceilidh Classics, alongside Folk, Rock & Pop, Acoustic or with Bass & Drums, With or Without a Caller 👍

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8 reviews
£1095 - £1250

Triple Scotch Ceilidh Band

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Ceilidh bandStockport

The UK's finest professional Scottish ceilidh band for hire: let us turn your special event into an outstanding, unforgettable experience.

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11 reviews
£1000 - £1300

The Frank Reid Scottish Dance Band

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Ceilidh bandHook

The Frank Reid Scottish Ceilidh Band are the top traditional Scottish Ceilidh band outside of Scotland.

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11 reviews
£450 - £1000

Crannog

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Ceilidh bandLlanidloes

"There is an infectious joy about their music - it's raw and real"! Let's get dancing with the Crannog Ceilidh Band!!

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23 reviews
£640 - £1035

Wraggle Taggle

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Ceilidh bandLondon

An award winning ceilidh band of fun traditional musicians with a caller to perform at your wedding or any other event.

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11 reviews
From£695

Cat’s Claw Ceilidh Band

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Ceilidh bandChepstow

Cat’s Claw are arguably South Wales’ hardest-working ceilidh band. If you want a foot-stomping, roof-raising good time, look no further!

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8 reviews
From£580

Cumberland Ceilidh Band

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Ceilidh bandLondon

A contemporary and memorable ceilidh band providing a wide variety of traditional and alternative tunes tailored to suit your event.

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41 reviews
£675 - £932

Aluinn Ceilidh Band

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Ceilidh bandLeeds

Top-class Ceilidh / Barndance band based in Northern England. Aluinn play an exciting mix of Scottish, Irish, English and American jigs

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16 reviews
£900 - £1350

Stumpy Oak Ceilidh Band

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Ceilidh bandSuffolk

Stumpy Oak present a rhythmic, frenetic performance of tunes from across the British Isles.

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8 reviews
From£950

Sussex Contraband

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Ceilidh bandSeaford

A Sussex-based 4-7 piece lively acoustic roots/folk band based in Sussex, playing festivals, ceilidhs, weddings and parties.

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2 reviews

Deer's Leap Ceilidh Collective

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Ceilidh bandSheffield

Professional folk and ceilidh musician with a decade of experience performing at events including Glastonbury festival and UK wide tours.

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16 reviews
£725 - £1000

Lochnagar

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Ceilidh bandLondon

Lochnagar is a popular and vibrant Scottish ceilidh band based in London and the South-East with an exciting traditional sound

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5 reviews
£900 - £2000

Panic at the Ceilidh

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Ceilidh bandLondon

One of London's most exciting, innovative new ceilidh bands. Guaranteed to provide a fun night for all to enjoy!

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Hiring a ceilidh band

Useful information

Popular genres:
Ceilidh, Irish rock, Traditional Irish folk
Average response time:
2 hours
Busiest times:
June, July, August

How much does it cost to hire a ceilidh band?

The typical price per group member for ceilidh bands is:
£Budget£220
££Pro£330
£££High-end£400+

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Bear in mind: musicians typically play for 45 mins with a 15 min break per hour.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of ceilidh bands are there?

There are basically two types of ceilidh band: traditional instrumental bands, and ceilidh cover bands. A traditional ceilidh band will perform Scottish folk tunes without a singer. Importantly, a traditional band will include a caller: they'll announce the dances, shout instructions to beginners, and get everyone involved in the revelry! In contrast, a ceilidh cover band will mix the folk tunes with modern pop covers. They'll have a singer, and provide a wide range of music for all to enjoy: young and old.

Which parts of an event or wedding will the ceilidh band play at?

In the spirit of leaving the best until last, the ceilidh band will usually wrap up celebrations, providing an exciting musical finale for your special day. The band caller will ensure you and your guests know the moves for each dance, giving everyone the opportunity to get involved. Plus, if you haven't had the chance to say hello to everyone during the course of the day, you might just find yourself dancing with them before it's over! Ceilidh dances can be pretty tiring, so having it at the end of the day is a smart choice - your guests will certainly thank you for it!

Will I need to provide the ceilidh band with any equipment?

Professional ceilidh bands come fully kitted-out with all the equipment needed to get the dancing underway, including amplification and a mixing desk. If your wedding venue is regularly used for live music, they will likely have a dedicated in-house PA sound system - in this case, the band may not need to bring their own amplification.

How much space will I need for ceilidh dancing?

The more space, the better! Ceilidh dancing takes up a lot more room on the dance floor than your typical disco. Other than that: make sure table are removed (encourages dancing!), seats are available to the side, and there are no obstacles near the dance floor. Broken bones ain't craic.

Do traditional ceilidh bands take requests?

Not usually. Unless you have a specific Scottish or Irish tune in mind, the band will normally play a pre-planned set, designed to perfection and gleaned from years of experience. If you have a special song in mind, make sure you tell the band well in advance. It might just get added to their repertoire!

How do you pronounce 'ceilidh'?

'Kay-lee'

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