Heat Up Your Wedding Day With A Fire Performance

The date is set, the big day is coming and you’d like to add something to give your special day an extra special touch – something different, exciting, memorable; something that will add to everyone’s enjoyment. The fire experts at Inferno have shared some tips for organising a wedding fire performance for that special day.

Fire shows are among the most spectacular of performances. Fire evokes a deeply primal response of both beauty and danger, something that we are evolutionarily hard-wired to feel.  Even now in the era of technology we share the same fascination as our distant ancestors if we sit around a fire and stare into the flames. A fire show’s mix of skill and daring combined with a mesmerising elemental power creates a jaw-dropping visual spectacle that is an exciting and energising experience for any audience.

A search on google will bring up many possibilities. How do you choose who to book?

Spend some time to look through the options presented and look for what stands out in terms of professionalism and artistry. Make sure that the fire performers have high-quality footage or promo reels to give you a taste of what to expect. Keep an eye out for awards that have been officially presented to the group or performer in question. Awards from national or international institutions will often be a good example of a high degree of professionalism.

Evening to night – The darker it is the more impressive the light from the flames.

Typical fire performances can range from 15 – 45 minutes. In most cases during events such as weddings fire performance tend towards 20 – 30 minutes, long enough to reinvigorate and energise the audience but not dragging on when people want to get back to socialising.

The spectacular nature of a wedding fire performance tends to be an exciting experience so it can be good to program it in after the meal and speeches when people are digesting and feeling a little dozy. This offers a moment to relax and soak in the spectacle before continuing onwards feeling energised for the rest of the night.

Generally outdoors in a wide open space or with a nice backdrop. It is generally not possible to do indoors unless the performers have access to very clean smokeless odourless fuels, the indoor space is big enough and all safety concerns are addressed.

Insurance – performing with fire inherently carries a risk with it. Luckily there are very rarely any serious issues but better to be safe than sorry. Enquire as to whether the performers have their own insurance and ask for proof. The more documentation they provide the more you can rest assured. Never, ever book performers that do not provide a high quality of safety documentation.

Quality – Price point – if you are paying less than €250 per performer it’s a good idea to ask a few questions:

Do they have insurance?

How much experience they have?

What is their level of professionalism?

Fire performers can differ greatly in quality both in terms of skill level and professionalism. Know that, like in many cases, if you find a deal that’s too good to be true it likely is – you tend to get what you pay for. Serious professional seasoned performers value themselves and their artform and charge accordingly. Cheap and cheerful tends to belong to relatively new performers delving into the artform looking to make a quick buck.

Logistics – The performers should be self-sufficient and autonomous so you don’t have anything extra to take care of at an already very busy time.
Ideally, they should supply their own sound system, lighting, safety equipment, extension cables, etc.

Link the performers directly to a contact from the venue so you don’t have to deal with any of the technical aspects of the performance.

Weather – Luckily in our experience it is very rare that we have had to cancel a performance due to weather, even here in Ireland.

Often when an event is organised it’s impossible to check the weather more than a week or two in advance so we have to just hope for the best, but also consider planning for the worst.

What happens if the fire show has to be cancelled?

Is there an alternative that the performers can offer? Often fire performers also use traditional juggling equipment or LED lighted props that are suitable for indoor use. They may be able to provide alternatives if the outdoor show has to be cancelled.

Pictures – Make sure to let your photographer know that you have booked a fire performance so they can come prepared and have the equipment and skills to capture the moment.

Even for professional photographers taking pictures of this kind of performance is often out of their range of experience and its useful for them to do some research beforehand. The photographers should link up with the fire performers on the day to find out the best shooting angles, etc.

Professional fire performers should make your life easy as you organise the spectacle together. They should provide you with everything you need to know and guide you stress-free through the process. They will work with you to help make the best possible experience for the wedding couple and their guests on the big day.

A fire show is a unique spectacle that will help create a memorable moment like no other.

Inferno is a company specialised in creating fire performances and have won numerous awards and accolades. The Irish times described them as “ Skilled and imaginative performers”. The performers have been presented many awards including Emerging Artist of the Year 2016 by the President of Ireland, Michael D.Higgins. They are currently touring their latest creation worldwide and create a bespoke performance for exclusive events. Based in Cork, Ireland they are constantly working on developing new shows that explore a mix of different art forms including circus, dance and pyrotechnic effects.

Enter the world of Inferno and their unique realm of fire and imagination.