Ceilidh Twist

About Ceilidh Twist

About Ceilidh Twist – professional ceilidh and covers band based in London

👏 What clients most loved about Ceilidh Twist: Lively UK ceilidh band with expert caller, clear dance instruction for beginners, energetic folk music and packed dance floors at weddings, parties and international events

Ceilidh Twist are a young & vibrant ceilidh and covers band based in London.

View the complete range of ceilidh bands in the UK

We have the experience to know what makes a great ceilidh!

We have several TV credits to our name, having recently appeared on BBC1 'This Week', E4 'Made in Chelsea', ITV 'TOWIE' and Channel 4 'Gok Wann's Fashion Fix'.

Ceilidh Twist regularly play at destination weddings in Europe and beyond, recently performing in France (4 times), Malta (3 times), Dubai, Portugal, Italy and Jersey.

View our list of the UK's best ceilidh bands ➡️

And we have upcoming weddings in the next year in France (twice more), Rome (again), Majorca, Spain and Tuscany!

We're regularly booked to perform for weddings and events at Castello Orsini in Italy, Sofiero Gard in Sweden, Le Domaine d'Essendiéras in France, Restaurant Merkelbach in Amsterdam and Lincoln's Inn in London, UK.

Contact Ceilidh Twist 💬

As possibly the busiest ceilidh band London has to offer, Ceilidh Twist are in demand for weddings across Europe as well as the UK! We put a fresh twist on traditional tunes and dances by combining them with a modern, contemporary rhythm that no one can resist dancing to, which is why word of mouth accounts for the majority of our work and we get so many repeat bookings.

We’re highly experienced in traveling for bookings abroad and know how to work with a mixed nationality crowd and to deal with the logistics of a destination wedding!

Our standard band is a 5-piece line-up of Caller, Fiddle, Guitar, Bass Guitar and Drum Kit. But we often play as a smaller ensemble, as a 3 or 4-piece band, particularly for destination weddings and all options work really well!

View our list of the UK's best ceilidh bands ➡️

All of our musicians are full-time, professional players and the members of Ceilidh Twist come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds from Funk to Jazz and Big-Band, Classical to Gospel and Traditional Scottish/Irish music.

We understand that whatever your event, you need a professional, experienced band of the highest quality that take pride in what they do.

So if you're looking to hire the finest ceilidh and covers band London has to offer for your wedding or event, get in touch with Ceilidh Twist.

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Please check out our website for more information.

Here are just some of the locations where we have been booked by clients on FixTheMusic for weddings and events...

• Castello Orsini, Nerola, Italy
• Quinta da Bichinha, Portugal
• Gothenburg, Sweden
• Borgo Santo Pietro, Italy
• Sofiero Gard, Helsingborg, Sweden
• Le Domaine d'Essendiéras, France
• Arta, Mallorca
• Campos, Mallorca
• Restaurant Merkelbach, Amsterdam
• Montpellier, France
• Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
• Paris, France
• Quissac, France
• Vitznau, Switzerland
• De Vere Wokefield Estate
• Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire
• Stokes Farm Barn, Wokingham
• Rivervale Barn, Hampshire
• Frame Farm, Kent
• Rathfinny Wine Estate, Polegate
• Cider Mill Barns, Stratford
• The Rosendale Pub, Dulwich
• Queen's House, Greenwich
• Painted Hall, Greenwich
• Old Hall, Lincoln's Inn, London
• Dewsall Court, Hereford
• Wilton's Music Hall
• Christ Church Spitalfields
• The Old Mill, Reading
• The Bedford, London
• Chichester Hall, Witley
• Refettorio Felix, St Cuthbert's Centre
• Barbican Centre, Silk Street
• Swan London, Bankside
• The Brewery, London
• Merriscourt, Chipping Norton
• Beckenham Place Mansion
• Nomadic Dinners, Gerrards Cross
• Carmel Hall, Sittingbourne
• North Cadbury Court, Yeovil
• Trafalgar Tavern, London
• Esher Theatre, Surrey
• The Five Bells, Stanbridge
• Stone Barn, Cheltenham, UK
• Micklefield Hall, Rickmansworth
• Beckenham Place Park
• Harrogate, UK
• Westerham Golf Club, Kent
• Country Club Trent Park, London
• Ware Drill Hall Association
• St. Ethelburga's Centre
• Notley Tythe Barn, Aylesbury, UK
• Bury Manor Barn, Pulborough
• The Steel Yard, London
• Grand Junction, Rowington Close
• Shefford, UK
• Wimbledon, London, UK
• Shrivenham, Swindon, UK
• Thorpeness, Leiston, Suffolk, UK
• Core Clapton, Northwold Road
• Compton Verney, Warwick
• Gate Street, Guildford

Covers Band

We can now offer a set of pop covers songs in addition to the ceilidh!

We'll start the night off with all of your favourite ceilidh dances, then finish with a set of funked up, Celtic style covers, with a fantastic female vocalist!

Get in touch now to find out more!

Songs

We've hand-selected the best songs to keep your guests on the dance floor all night!

Our covers set-list includes mostly upbeat, modern hits like Uptown Funk, Shake it Off and Crazy In Love with some wedding band classics thrown into the mix including Superstition, Proud Mary and 500 miles!

We have a choice of first dance songs and last songs of the night for you to choose from, or we can learn a special number of your choice!

After ceilidh disco

We can also DJ for you after the ceilidh! Our specially trained DJs will mix the tracks one to another, ensuring there are no gaps between tunes or changes in volume levels.

They'll take requests from guests on the night as well as getting guidance from you in advance.

Our DJ can also bring and play for your first dance song at the start of the night before we kick off the ceilidh and they will make all the necessary announcements during the disco portion of the night!

Do get in touch for more information – we have lots of photos we can send over to give you an idea of what they look like...

Standard packages

For UK events & weddings, we provide the following standard packages:

5-Piece Ceilidh Band

Our 5-piece ceilidh band brings a full, high-energy traditional experience perfect for weddings, parties, and corporate events. Every booking includes:

• All travel costs to your venue
• Up to 3 hours of performance time, including a break (typically up to 2 × 75-minute sets with a 30-minute break). We usually recommend 2 × 45- or 60-minute sets for most crowds
• Professional-quality PA system with LED stage and disco lighting
• Use of our PA for a playlist (yours or our curated Celtic mix), available before the performance if time allows, as well as for your first dance and during the interval

Please note there may be additional considerations for early arrivals (before 6pm) or late finishes (after midnight) for evening events.

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Additional Options

🎧 Disco

• Your “iPod” Disco
  Keep the party going using our PA and lights to play your own playlist for up to two hours after the band finishes.

• Our DJ
  We provide a professional DJ to handle the music, mix tracks live, take guest requests on the night, and accommodate your preferences ahead of time - also for up to two hours post-performance.

🎶 Covers / Pop Music Set

For a blend of ceilidh and popular music, we offer an extended set featuring both traditional and modern songs:

• Performed either as a 6-piece (with two fiddles) or a 5-piece (with one fiddle)
• Typically includes 2 × 45-minute ceilidh sets followed by 1 hour of pop covers featuring female vocals
• We’re happy to share our set list on request - expect a mix of classic and current crowd-pleasers
• Discounts available when combined with one of our disco options

💡 Extra Lighting

Basic LED stage and disco lighting is included as standard.
We also offer an optional lighting upgrade that adds 8 decorative LED uplighters to enhance the atmosphere — perfect for creating a more immersive event space.

Just ask to see some photos!

Set List

Typical Dances

Dashing White Sergeant
Gay Gordons
Eightsome Reels
Flying Scotsman
Canadian Barndance
Strip the Willow
Cumberland Square Eight

Covers

Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
Moves like Jagger - Maroon 5
Wake Me Up - Avicii
Can’t Stop This Feelin - Justin Timberlake
Celebration - Cool & the Gang
Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars
Rather Be - Clean Bandit
Valerie - Amy Winehouse
Blame It On The Boogie - The Jacksons
I Wann Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Crazy In Love - Beyonce
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Shut Up and Dance With Me - Walk the Moon
Happy - Pharell Williams
500 Miles - Proclaimers (or Galway Girl for an Irish evening)

FAQ

Do you do smaller more intimate events as well?

We certainly do! We do events of all shapes and sizes and many of the Wedding and Birthday parties we play at are more intimate events, we just have a lot more videos of our larger ones as we tend to only film at our public nights rather than private bookings.

Is it suitable for beginners or a mixed nationality crowd?

Definitely! What we do is all geared up for beginners and/or a mixed crowd. We do all the dances that anyone with experience or who learned some ceilidh and country dances at school will know and remember (like Gay Gordons and Strip the Willow) but that are still simple enough to teach to complete beginners! The emphasis is on having fun and being inclusive!

Are you reliable?

We’re certainly are! We’re all professional musicians and performers and have built up a great and longstanding reputation in the industry.

How much space do I need for the dancing?

This is always a difficult thing to estimate with a ceilidh as the dances are all done in different shapes/formats and involve a lot of movement. A good estimate though is 1m squared per person dancing and we tend to estimate only half your guests maximum dancing at one time. We often work in smaller sized venues and can always make it work, it’s always possible to tailor the dances ever so slightly and shuffle sets about to suit the size or shape of the room.

How long do you play for?

For the Ceilidh we offer up to 2 x 75 minute sets + 30 minute break, this is quite long for a lot of events though and we recommend the ideal length particularly for a wedding is 2 x 45 minutes or 60 minute sets. But you’re of course welcome to have the full 3 hours if you’d like When you book the Ceilidh and Covers band option we do a maximum of 2x 45minute sets for the ceilidh + 1 hour party set of pop songs!

What do you wear?

Unless requested otherwise ladies wear our famous tartan dresses and gents wear subtle tartan trews and smart black shirts.

Do we have to be Scottish or Irish to have a ceilidh?

Definitely not! Ceilidhs are becoming more and more popular and you don’t have to have any Celtic routes to have one, it’s just a great form of unique and inclusive entertainment to have at your wedding and something different your guests will love!