The ‘festival’ is very much alive amongst music fans the world over – tickets are still selling out year after year and people are putting ever more effort into standing out from the sweaty masses. Likewise, festival fancy dress is very much alive and since festival season is now upon us, it’s time to start planning the fancy dress costume that’ll get on the big screen!

Here, we take a look at some festivals that you might be heading off to this summer (and some that we wish we were going to!). If you plan on enjoying some musical muddiness this summer, tweet us @fancydressball and tell us what you’ll be dressing up as!

Download – 8th-10th June
Download is only a matter of a few weeks away now, so it’s time to don the long hair and tight leather trousers for an all-out session of hard moshing. The bill includes the likes of heavy metal icons Metallica and the incredible Prodigy, so you can pay tribute to Mr Flint with the Prodigy costume.

Isle of Wight – 22nd-24th June
A couple more icons of the rock world will be shaking the ground on the Isle of Wight later in June. Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will be playing on the Saturday and Sunday respectively and will be joined by the likes of Tom Petty, Elbow and Noel Gallagher’s new band, High Flying Birds.

Reading and Leeds – 24th-26th August
The world famous festivals of Reading and, more recently, Leeds will take place in the August Bank Holiday weekend, with the Foo Fighters, The Cure and Kasabian topping the bill. An eccentric black wig wouldn’t go amiss if you’re going to watch The Cure.

Bestival – 6th-9th September
This has truly become one of the biggest festivals on the British calendar. Some highlights of this year’s festival include Stevie Wonder, New Order and Justice, so there is, as always, plenty of choice! It’s one of the most diverse festivals around, so you can be as adventurous as you like with the fancy dress…

Such is the diversity of these festivals that you won’t look out of place in any costume, but fitting into place is not the point of dressing up now is it?! Whatever you decide to dress up as this festival season, be sure to send us your pictures on Facebook and Twitter – we’d love to see them!

We all know about the hundreds of movies that have inspired us to put on the fancy dress, but we thought we’d take a look at a few of those infamous movie characters that were inspired to dress up themselves – and all for very different reasons…

The Dark Knight

With all the excitement surrounding the new Batman movie at the moment, it only seems fitting to begin this list with the clown masks featured in the heart-pumping bank robbery scene that kicked off the last one.

The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, and his posse stormed a bank in clown masks in the opening scene of the Dark Knight to great effect. We won’t spoil what happens in case you haven’t seen it, but all the clowning around comes to a rather surprising conclusion.

Point Break

The infamous ex-presidents are amongst the most memorable heisters in Hollywood history. Point Break saw Reagan, Nixon, Carter and Johnson conduct a series of bank robberies and get subsequently investigated by the FBI. No spoilers here, either.

Looking for Eric
Eric Cantona, one of the most famous French footballers of all time, was the subject of a now-cult film called Looking for Eric. Writer Paul Laverty penned the story of a postman looking for answers. The ever-philosophical Cantona comes to the fore and saves the day, much like he often did for Manchester United. A gang of fans conduct Operation Cantona and storm a gangster’s house for a reason we will not share for the same reasons as above!

Kick Ass
Kick Ass is, shall we say, a lot more tongue-in-cheek. An outcast comic book fan one day decides to become a superhero. Need we say any more? OK, his exploits are side-splittingly funny and his costumes are enough to inspire the rest of us to become superheroes (but, of course, we’re not encouraging anybody to go out and try to save the day in one of our superhero costumes!)

Easter is almost here, which means that mums, dads, children and students are getting ready to forget about work, school, college and university for a nice long weekend. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it will be a long weekend in the sun, but the (inexplicable) snow is bound to make the Easter egg hunt in the garden that little bit more fun for the kids.

There’s a whole range of different costumes you can don for the weekend. If you’re planning a weekend with the kids (or if you have no other choice because they’re on holiday), you could create the second coming yourself and dress up as Jesus and Mary for a great way to teach them the real meaning of Easter.

If you don’t fancy dressing up yourself but you want your kids to have a bit more fun, why not create your own Humpty Dumpty costume with a little help from our fancy dress accessories? Creating a costume with your kids is a great way to spend the Easter holidays.
If you’re a grown-up kid yourself and you’re planning a university party or pub run with your mates, there’s no limit on what costumes you can wear. Have a gander around the site for a whole host of funny fancy dress costumes for men and women that are perfect for student pub runs and, of course, perfect to take your mind off your exams!

There’s one last Easter fancy dress suggestion from us, but it’s not suitable for a child’s eyes…we also have a saucy range of sultry costumes for you to heat things up this weekend. If the kids are spending Easter with their grandparents or, indeed, you don’t have any children, our Pin Up Bunny costume might be perfect for you. Just an idea…

Whatever you get up to this weekend, we all hope you have as much fun as is humanly possible. Happy Easter from Fancy Dress Ball!

It is almost exactly 100 years since the world’s most famous ship, the RMS Titanic, set off from Southampton on a fateful and never-completed voyage to New York City.

The tragic story has been told countless times over the last century, perhaps most famously when Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett starred in James Cameron’s epic romance movie. The film has been re-released in 3D this year, so that film fanatics can once again re-live the unforgettable tale of a seemingly unsinkable vessel that foundered on its maiden voyage.

The cinema is not the only place to catch a glimpse of wonderfully accurate historical costumes from 100 years ago. At The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, Costumes of the Gilded Age are being put on display on Sunday April 1st, offering a “unique presentation of historical costumes, documents and survivor testimonies”.

In Belfast, the city where the Titanic was built, a state-of-the-art interactive visitor centre is set to open on the eve of the centenary of the Titanic’s first and only voyage. Set over six storeys in the Titanic Quarter district of the city, the centre will take visitors on an immersive journey back to 1912, through pictures, videos and remarkable reconstructions.

It is wonderful to see the fabulous fashions of the Titanic era being revisited and recreated so faithfully 100 years on, and we hope everyone enjoys the 3D experience of such an unforgettable story.

The weather’s really taken a turn for the better, hasn’t it now? Perfect fancy dress weather if you ask us! If you’re planning a few trips to the beach, the beer garden, or both in the near future, here are a few funny costumes you might like to enjoy this delightful weather in:

Gone Golfing Ladies Costume
There’s no doubt that this is perfect golfing weather so, if you love life on the links, why not don the attire in the beer garden as well? You can even make it a couple’s costume with the men’s Gone Golfing Costume, complete with a visor and a bow tie.

90s Raver Costume
The children of the 90s are bringing the decade’s fashion back with a bang and this raver costume fits in perfectly with that. You even get a hat to keep the rays off your head while you kick back in the beer garden and enjoy the British summer. Mad for it!

Deluxe 50s Summer Dress Costume
If 90s fashion is not your thing, hit the 50s with this V-neck summer dress. The sleeveless design is sure to keep you cool and, what’s more, you can even bolt on some Polkadot Specs to complete the outfit. With all the hype surrounding US hit show Mad Men this month, it’s the perfect time to get the Betty look.

Hawaiian Hulu Leaf Skirt
On our ‘coming soon’ list is this brilliant piece of Hawaiian attire, perfect for a summer on the beach. We can’t supply the booze, but you’ll certainly look the part drinking a Hurricane cocktail in this. If the heat persists and you need a breeze, only your birthday suit will give you better ventilation!

Hippy Chick Costume
This hippy costume is fit for another groovy time-warp. It’s light enough to enjoy the hot weather and loud enough to stand out from the crowd, so there’s no denying that you’ll make the most of a hot summer day in this. Peace out!

The slopes of Switzerland saw a lively fancy dress night out at the weekend, with Holly Branson, daughter of business tycoon Richard Branson, rocking an impressive costume to join Princess Beatrice in Verbier, the Daily Mail reports.

Original source http://bit.ly/Hgn7KB’

The recently married Holly revelled in a Buzz Lightyear costume in the top-notch resort and joined nearly 20 more of Princess Beatrice’s friends in the posh Farinet Bar in the town centre. Princess Beatrice herself didn’t hit the fancy dress, but she reportedly let her hair down and enjoyed a drink or two on the night.

One of her friends and fellow party-goers donned a Dalmatian costume, but it was Holly Branson who stole the show as the children’s Toy Story favourite, Buzz Lightyear. We’re not sure how much Jaegermeister Buzz himself could handle, but he certainly seemed to enjoy himself at the weekend! (There was no flying but we hear there was dancing on tables…).

The stars mixed with the locals and fellow holidaymakers and seemed to have a thoroughly good time in their costumes – well deserved after a tough session on the slopes, we say!

A Virgin spokesman told the Daily Mail that the night was “just a fun night out with friends” and that there was no particular reasoning behind the costumes, which just goes to show that fancy dress is perfect for everybody and every occasion, famous or not from Switzerland to Swinton!

Since Sport Relief is only days away, we thought we’d share a few ideas on dressing up for charity if you’re planning on running a mile!

There are thousands of events scheduled all over the country in aid of Sport Relief this year, which means that thousands of you will be thinking about donning the fancy dress to raise some extra pennies. You can dress to impress with a number of costumes, so here’s some inspiration if you’re yearning for ideas for the fancy dress mile!

The run will be a breeze (in more ways than one) in the Supergirl costume. This is a great choice for two reasons: (1) it’s light and airy for keeping cool and (2) you get a cape, just in case you get too tired to run any longer…the perfect choice if you’re going for the 3 mile or 5 mile run at the weekend!

For an extra sporty Sport Relief, go for the Sporty Spice costume. Our Competwition for this iconic 90s costume ends on Wednesday 21st March, so good luck if you entered that! The outfit comes complete with jogger-style sporty trousers, so you’ll look the part even in fancy dress!

If you’re lucky and you win our other Competwition for the 118 118 costume, you’ll have just what you need to raise as much money as you can without having to buy a costume, which means that you can also work on building up your motivation for the big day.

You can make sure the afro is at its bounciest with an afro comb and even a bit of hair spray. This fancy dress costume is absolutely made for runners, especially if the unpredictable British weather comes good!

If you really feel like kicking some #!@ at the weekend, the Karate Kid Cobra Kai costume is definitely the way forward, but if you need a helping hand to get over that finish line, there’s a horse here that’s happy to help. The inflatable Jockey and Horse costume might not keep you cool, but at least you’ll get to sit down from start to finish!

Good luck and good work to all fun-runners out there – we’d love to see your pictures of the big day over on Facebook!

There’s no doubt about it, fancy Dress has worldwide appeal. Everybody loves donning an extravagant costume for a big night out, whether it be for a stag do, hen night, birthday or St Patrick’s Day. The same applies to the A-listers of this world – and they really do it in style. We’ve seen some great celebrity costumes over the years, so we’ve picked out some of the best ones for inspiration for your next fancy dress shindig!

Kim Kardashian

Image source: Look http://bit.ly/w80QDw
Quickly becoming one of the most talked about celebrities in the world, Kim Kardashian is one sizzling Red Riding Hood. This costume hit the red carpet at Heidi Klum’s 11th Annual Halloween Party in New York.

Lady Gaga

Image source: BBC http://bbc.in/cMXsLt
We couldn’t compile a list of extreme fancy dress costumes without including Lady Gaga, could we now? It’s difficult to pick the most eccentric costume from the wardrobe of the most eccentric person in the world, but her notorious meat dress seems to have generated more interest than any other, perhaps because of its supposed anti-fashion implications.

Heidi Klum

Image source: Daily Mail http://bit.ly/auR0cF
German-American model and TV personality Heidi Klum is one of the most prolific and impressive fancy dressers in showbiz. Her Annual Halloween Party is always a hit with the media, especially with extravagant costumes like this! This one made an appearance at the same party as Kim Kardashian’s Red Riding Hood above.

Katy Perry

Image source: Sky Living http://bit.ly/fkO3QP
Ever the fun, bubbly and unpredictable character, it seems that Katy Perry was undecided who (or what) she wanted to be this night. She nailed the dual fancy dress on the head with this half girl, half boy costume – we can only speculate as to what happened when nature called…

Teri Hatcher

Image source: Cosmopolitan http://bit.ly/z4qrnx
Teri Hatcher paid homage to the timeless Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland at this party. Looking every bit as elegant as you would expect, the Desperate Housewives and New Adventures of Superman actress really stole the show with this one!

As we saw in the last blog post, Sport Relief is only a week away and to celebrate and show our support, we’ve launched two Competwitions to give away costumes to two dedicated fundraisers out there!

The Sport Relief mile grows in popularity every time it comes around and some runners just won’t do it without a costume – it’s a necessity of charity fundraising for some of us. So, to help a couple of runners spend less (or, for that matter, nothing!) on the costume and raise as much money as they can for Comic Relief this year, we’ve put a 118 118 costume for the guys and a Sporty Spice costume for the gals up for grabs at Competwition.com!

(Well, we say one for the guys and one for the gals, but you’ll find nothing in the terms and conditions to say that you can’t be either for the day…you’re free to enter both Competwitions!)

The winners will get to keep the costumes forever, too, so there’s no need to go out and hire one for the day. 118 118 costumes are great for any scenario, so it can be your attire for the next party you attend, fancy dress or no fancy dress. Moreover, with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee approaching fast, there are rumours that the Spice Girls are reforming for a celebratory gig, so you’ll be all kitted out for that if you win the Sporty Spice costume!

But for now, the focus is on the good causes behind Sport Relief. They – and every single fundraiser out there – have got our full support every step of the way.

All you need to enter is a Twitter account: go to competwition.com/fancydressball-sportrelief1 and competwition.com/fancydressball-sportrelief2 to put your name in the hat! The winner will be chosen at random and contacted within 48 hours of the Competwition end date.

Good luck!

The UK is getting ready for a frantic fancy dress foray over the next couple of weeks, with a number of exciting events set to rock the country. As you saw in the last blog post, St. Patrick’s Day is on Saturday 17th to kick it all off. And what’s more, Ireland are even playing England on St. Patrick’s Day at Twickenham, so there is sure to be a sea of fancy dress costumes not only in the stands, but in pubs and homes across the country!

Staying in the vein of sport, Sport Relief 2012 is scheduled for the following week, so there will be no shortage of Spidermans and Supermans across the UK on the 25th! The 2012 Sport Relief Mile is looking like it’s going to be the biggest one yet – there are events going on all over the country, with towns and cities planning 1, 3 and 6 mile runs for anybody who wants to raise money for Comic Relief.
It’s not only a great excuse to don the fancy dress, it’s one of the best and most organised ways of raising money for something that you care about. There’s nothing quite like jogging in the street alongside pandas and bananas.

Sport Relief is the kind of event that everybody loves to get involved in – from soldiers to celebrities, Princes to Olympians, grandmas to grandsons. It’s a great event that never fails to bring a smile to the faces of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people around the world.

Sport Relief doesn’t limit itself to the mile, either; there are a number of events going on for the whole weekend to raise money for the charity. The TV schedule is jam-packed with fun events and if the past events are anything to go by, this year should be a hoot!

In 2010, comedian Rufus Hound won Let’s Dance for his excellent parody of Cheryl Cole’s number one single Fight for this Love, Military Minx costume and all. He even had a team of backing dancers to put on a full – and pretty convincing – show.

We have also just seen Rowlan Rivron nail Christopher Walken’s dance for Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim this weekend – only time will tell what else Sport Relief 2012 has in store for us!