The Top 10 Best Ceilidh Bands in the UK (With Prices)
28 May 2020 (Updated 26 FEBRUARY 2023)
Blog post by Adam Southall
Estimated read time: 4 minutes
In this blog post, we'll list out the 10 most popular ceilidh bands for hire in the UK on FixTheMusic, based on the number of their confirmed bookings for 2023 and 2024.
The UK is home to some of the finest ceilidh bands in Europe...bands that perform regularly at high-end corporate events and celebrity weddings.
View our complete list of recommended ceilidh bands in the UK ➡️
You'll see that there is a huge range of styles and that many of the ceilidh bands offer something a bit different to make your wedding truly memorable.
Browse UK Ceilidh Bands
All of these ceilidh bands perform traditional Scottish ceilidh sets for dancing, and some perform pop & rock covers as well...these bands are known as "ceilidh and covers bands".
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FixTheMusic's ceilidh bands perform in a variety of styles, from Scottish and Irish traditional dance music to barn dance and folk music.
Ceilidh bands on FixTheMusic have public liability insurance and PAT tested equipment.
So here's the list of the 10 best ceilidh bands for hire in the UK for 2023...
1. Ceilidh Fire
2. Ceilidh Twist
3. Circassian Ceilidh Band
4. Seafolk Ceilidh Band
5. Ceilidh Storm
6. The Edinburgh Ceilidh Band
7. Paragon Ceilidh Band
8. Willow Ceilidh Band
9. Harvest Moon Ceilidh Band
10. The London Ceilidh Band
Receive quotes from ceilidh bands in the UK
So let's take a closer look at the most in-demand ceilidh bands in the UK this year...
1. Ceilidh Fire
Average booking price: £1,331 (as of March 2023)
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Ceilidh Fire are a foot-stomping ceilidh band based in Edinburgh available for weddings and events throughout Scotland.
The group comprises some of the best musicians in Scotland, all of whom are passionate about Scottish music.
They play it, they write it, they teach it and they perform it. Together they have 30 years of combined experience in the Scottish music industry.
They have played at weddings, concerts and events across Scotland, the UK and Europe.
They take tradition and combine it with their own unique style and sets to bring it into the present day.
Here are just some of the locations where Ceilidh Fire have been booked by clients on FixTheMusic for weddings and events...
- Villeneuve-de-Duras, France
- Bergerac, France
- Burg Battenberg, Germany
- Glenapp Castle, Ballantrae, Girvan
- Drumtochty Castle, Auchenblae, Laurencekirk
- University of St Andrews
- The Colonnades at the Signet Library, Edinburgh
- Fingask Castle, Rait, Perth, UK
- Barnard Castle
- Hopetoun House, South Queensferry
- Hidden River Cabins, Longtown, Carlisle, UK
- The Engine Works, Lochburn Road, Wyndford, Glasgow
- Neidpath Castle, Peebles, Scotland
- The Byre at Inchyra Luxury Barn Weddings & Events, Perth
- Crossbasket Castle Hotel, Glasgow
- Achnagairn Estate, Kirkhill, Inverness, Scotland
- Kirknewton House Stables, Edinburgh
- Rhynd Café, Tayport, Scotland
- Airth Castle Hotel, Airth, Stirlingshire, Scotland
- Knockraich Farm, Balfron, Glasgow, UK
- Forres Town Hall, Moray, Scotland, UK
- Summerhall, Newington, Edinburgh, UK
- Braemar Highland Games Centre, Ballater, UK
- Marthrown of Mabie, Dumfries
- Yorkshire, UK
- Maidenhead, Berkshire
- Kilberry, Tarbert, UK
- Elgin, Scotland
So if you're looking to hire a young and modern ceilidh band for your wedding or event in Scotland, get in touch with Ceilidh Fire.
View more videos and read verified reviews of Ceilidh Fire ➡️
2. Ceilidh Twist
Average booking price: £1,964 (as of March 2023)
Location: London
Ceilidh Twist are a professional ceilidh and covers band based in London. Established in 2000, they have the experience to know what makes a great ceilidh!
They have several TV credits to their name, having recently appeared on BBC1 'This Week', E4 'Made in Chelsea', ITV 'TOWIE' and Channel 4 'Gok Wann's Fashion Fix'.
View our complete list of recommended
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.
And they have upcoming weddings in the next year in France (twice more), Rome (again), Majorca, Spain and Tuscany!
As possibly the busiest ceilidh band around, 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.
The ceilidh musicians are 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!
Ceilidh Twist's standard band is a 5-piece line-up of Caller, Fiddle, Guitar, Bass Guitar and Drum Kit. But they often play as a smaller ensemble, as a 3 or 4-piece band, particularly for destination weddings and all options work really well!
All of the ceilidh band's 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.
Here are just some of the locations where we have been booked by clients on FixTheMusic for weddings and events...
- Castello Orsini, Nerola, Italy
- Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sofiero Gard, Helsingborg, Sweden
- Le Domaine d'Essendiéras, Saint-Médard-d'Excideuil, France
- Arta, Mallorca
- Campos, Mallorca
- Restaurant Merkelbach, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Montpellier, France
- Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
- Paris, France
- Quissac, France
- Vitznau, Switzerland
- De Vere Wokefield Estate Golf Club, Reading, UK
- Frame Farm, Kent
- Cider Mill Barns, Long Marston Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
- Old Hall, Lincoln's Inn, London, UK
- Stone Barn, Upper Windrush, Cheltenham, UK
- Country Club Trent Park, London
- St. Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, London
- Notley Tythe Barn, Aylesbury, UK
- The Steel Yard, London
- Shefford, UK
- Wimbledon, London, UK
- Shrivenham, Swindon, UK
- Thorpeness, Leiston, Suffolk, UK
- Core Clapton, Northwold Road, London, UK
View more videos and read verified reviews of Ceilidh Twist ➡️
3. Circassian Ceilidh Band
Average booking price: £1,641 (as of March 2023)
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Formed in 2015, Circassian Ceilidh Band are a new and exciting group, guaranteed to give you a great evening.
The band are available to play at weddings, functions, birthday parties and any other event you might think of!
They cater for all abilities of dancer and all of their members are experienced dance callers.
Alongside playing for dancing they can also provide a singer, performance sets, background music, a wedding piper and a DJ set.
Here are just some of the locations where we have been booked by clients on FixTheMusic for weddings and events...
- Dalhousie Castle Hotel, Bonnyrigg, UK
- Fort George, Ardersier, Inverness, UK
- Tullibole Castle, Crook of Devon, Kinross, UK
- Pencaitland, Tranent, UK
- Ballogie House, Aboyne, UK
- The Abercairny Estates, Crieff, UK
- GRANGEFIELDS, Long Lane, Ashbourne, Derbyshire
- Òran Mór, Byres Road, Glasgow, Scotland
- The Coos Cathedral, Aboyne, UK
- Crossbasket Castle, Stoneymeadow Road, East Kilbride
- GG's Yard, Gatehouse of Fleet, Castle Douglas, UK
- Primrose Hill Farm, Banbury, UK
- Dalmeny Park House Hotel, Glasgow, UK
- Sherbrooke Castle Hotel, Pollokshields, Glasgow
- Cambo Estate, Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Scotland
- Whitekirk Hill, North Berwick
- The Cow Shed Crail, Scotland
- Hidden River Cabins, Longtown, Carlisle, UK
- Clava Mains, Inverness, Scotland
- Doxford, Chathill, UK
- Dallas Lodge, Morayshire, Scotland, UK
- Eyemouth, UK
- Windermere, UK
- Nairn, UK
- The Cruin, Arden, UK
- Belfast, UK
- Aberdeen, UK
- Rule Valley Simulated Game, Hawick, UK
- Peebles, UK
- Falkirk
View more videos and read verified reviews of Circassian Ceilidh Band ➡️
4. Seafolk Ceilidh Band
Average booking price: £1,594 (as of March 2023)
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Performing together since 2007, Seafolk ceilidh band provide a fresh, modern approach to the classic ceilidh, combining traditional with the not-so-traditional.
Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, but happy to travel throughout the country as well as overseas, they mainly provide music for weddings, corporate events, parties and student events. They can provide lighter background music as well as upbeat ceilidh and pop/rock covers music for dancing.
As standard, the band provides a high-quality PA system and lighting rig (all PAT tested of course) and are more than happy to set this up before the event, resulting in your evening running that bit smoother.
The ceilidh band aims to please with sound, ensuring quality rather than volume, so no one is left with sore lugs after a great night. Lastly, each of the musicians in Seafolk Ceilidh Band has a degree in music, so a very high level of professionalism can be guaranteed.
They have put a lot of thought into what makes the perfect ceilidh, and the band strongly believes that the most important element to a great wedding is that it is tailored exactly to the happy couples' specifications.
Here are just some of the locations where we have been booked by clients on FixTheMusic for weddings and events...
- Castello di Gargonza, Arezzo, Italy
- Luxembourg
- Gran, Norway
- Kincaid House Hotel, Milton of Campsie, Glasgow, UK
- Midlothian, Scotland
View more videos and read verified reviews of Seafolk Ceilidh Band ➡️
5. Ceilidh Storm
Average booking price: £1,517 (as of March 2023)
Location: St Andrews, Scotland
Ceilidh Storm are a charismatic covers and ceilidh band based in Scotland with an excellent repertoire of rock and pop from acts as diverse as ELO, Queen and Taylor Swift.
They perform as a quartet or trio and can also add fiddle if the emphasis is on the ceilidh.
Ceilidh Storm provide a fresh, original and unique sound.
All their musicians are professionally trained, full-time working musicians with impressive performing credits.
View more videos and read verified reviews of Ceilidh Storm ➡️
6. The Edinburgh Ceilidh Band
Average booking price: £1,044 (as of March 2023)
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
The Edinburgh Ceilidh Band are a lively professional Scottish dance band.
They are a band that can be hired for all events from Scottish country dancing to lively ceilidhs, weddings, graduation balls.
They are in demand to perform at weddings and functions throughout the UK and internationally.
As well as providing music for ceilidhs, the band is also experienced at traditional reeling and Scottish country dances. The band has travelled to France, The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Spain, Kenya and Oman to play for functions, with more trips scheduled in the future.
View more videos and read verified reviews of The Edinburgh Ceilidh Band ➡️
7. Paragon Ceilidh Band
Average booking price: £1,429 (as of March 2023)
Location: London & Sussex
Paragon Ceilidh Band is a fantastic ceilidh and covers band to hire for weddings and all other occasions!
In the 15 years since the band was born they have built up the enviable reputation of being one of the best bands on the UK function scene.
Their exceptionally wide repertoire ranges from cool, dinner jazz, themed evenings, popular party songs and styles from the 1950s through the '60s, '70s and '80s, soul, funk and disco to today’s pop hits.
View more videos and read verified reviews of Paragon Ceilidh Band ➡️
8. Willow Ceilidh Band
Average booking price: £1,602 (as of March 2023)
Location: London
Willow Ceilidh Band perform lively Scottish, Irish, English & Welsh folk music at weddings and events throughout the UK and abroad at destination weddings.
With fiddles, accordion, guitar & expert caller to teach the ceilidh dances, they're a young, energetic and modern ceilidh band - guaranteed to get you and your wedding guests dancing!
The band is particularly in demand at destination weddings in Europe. They have recently been hired to perform in Tuscany, Italy and have upcoming weddings in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal.
Willow Ceilidh Band specialise in weddings & know that each one is unique. We carefully consider the following details in order to create the perfect ceilidh for you:
Number of guests, age range & dancing experience e.g. beginners / more experienced
Music: perhaps you prefer mainly Scottish tunes or have a favourite tune or song
Timings: we would normally perform for 3 x 45-minute sets but can adjust to suit
Sound, Band & DJ options: we bring a full PA system and offer Ceilidh & Disco / DJ packages
First dance - options include a circle dance or romantic waltz
View more videos and read verified reviews of Willow Ceilidh Band ➡️
9. Harvest Moon Ceilidh Band
Average booking price: £1,605 (as of March 2023)
Location: Dorset, UK
Harvest Moon Ceilidh Band are a lively band playing tunes from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, America and England.
We are available for performing concerts, barn dances or ceilidhs at pubs, festivals, weddings, birthday parties, BBQs or any other parties!
So if you're looking to hire the finest Celtic folk and ceilidh band Dorset has to offer, get in touch with us.
View more videos and read verified reviews of Harvest Moon Ceilidh Band ➡️
10. The London Ceilidh Band
Average booking price: £730 (as of March 2023)
Location: London, UK
The London Ceilidh Band has lots of experience playing for Scottish themed ceilidhs and Irish musical nights and we guarantee that we can put a sparkle into your event.
There is a vitality to our sound that encourages people to get up and dance.
Whether it's a wedding, a student social or a community fundraiser, we will give it a professional touch.As a band, we have performed for a variety of events in a huge range of venues including exclusive hotels, stately homes and village halls.
We're regularly booked to perform for weddings and events at The Honourable Artillery Company and East Dulwich Tavern in London.
The London Ceilidh Band is a group of musicians who provide live Celtic music for special occasions.
We are based in Croydon but would consider travelling throughout the South East.We are a traditional style band which includes accordion, violin, bass guitar and drums.Every band member is an experienced musician and as a group we have performed for parties, weddings, and fundraising events.
We can also play French Café music to give the right atmosphere for receptions and themed evenings.So if you're looking to hire the finest ceilidh band London has to offer for your special occasion, get in touch with us!
Here are just some of the locations where we have been booked by clients on FixTheMusic for weddings and events...
- The Honourable Artillery Company, London
- East Dulwich Tavern, London
- Battle, UK
View more videos and read verified reviews of The London Ceilidh Band ➡️
Receive quotes from ceilidh bands in the UK
We hope you've enjoyed reading this list of the best ceilidh bands UK has to offer in 2023. At FixTheMusic, we list top-quality UK ceilidh bands that have been selected by invitation only, so if you're looking to hire a ceilidh band for your wedding or party, you're in the right place.
As well as the best ceilidh bands in the country, we also work with many other local ceilidh bands and musicians, ideal for smaller parties or where you're working to a strict budget.
When you submit an enquiry, you'll receive quotes directly from available bands so you can compare them by watching their videos, reading their reviews and by asking them any questions you might have via our secure messaging system.
FixTheMusic is free to use – we're a secure platform for liaising with and booking outstanding musicians worldwide
Some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about hiring a ceilidh band for your wedding or event...
How much does it cost to hire a ceilidh band?
Ceilidh bands usually charge about 300 GBP per musician, so a trio would cost roughly 900 GBP and a 4-piece ceilidh band would cost approximately 1,200 GBP. As with all musicians, price depends on several factors, not least how far they will need to travel to reach your venue. Bands will generally quote an all-in price (which includes all expenses) or quote their performance fee with expenses clearly detailed.
How long do ceilidh bands perform for at weddings and events?
They usually perform 2 or 3 sets of 45-minutes, or something similar to this. Any longer is not recommended as the live music at any event should not be overused or it doesn't have maximum effect. Also consider that performing ceilidh music (and indeed the dancing that goes with it!) is a physical activity for both musicians and guests. Breaks in between sets can be around 30 minutes.
What music do ceilidh bands perform?
They perform the standard ceilidh dances, from the Scottish and Irish traditions. Famous dances include The Dashing White Sergeant, The Gay Gordons, Canadian Barn Dance, Highland Schottische, The Military Two Step and the Pride of Erin Waltz.
Do they perform pop & rock covers like a standard wedding band do?
About half of ceilidh bands just perform the traditional Scottish and Celtic dances, but some also perform pop & rock covers...these bands are often referred to as "Ceilidh and Covers Bands". They tend to perform a set of traditional music followed by a pop & rock party set to finish the night off.
Most of my guests aren't experienced ceilidh dancers. Will the ceilidh band teach my guests the dances?
Yes! Nearly all ceilidh bands feature a "caller" who will guide your guests through the moves. The band will usually take a few minutes to explain the dances, followed by the actual performance. The caller explaining the dances is a really fun and interactive part of the entertainment, and of course, it means that less experienced guests can take to the dance floor!
Do ceilidh bands bring their own equipment?
Ceilidh bands will bring all of their own instruments, and sometimes their own PA system and lighting. However, this is not always the case, so you may need to provide a PA system and lighting based on their specifications. Most bands usually charge less if they require the client to provide some equipment.
Which musical instruments do ceilidh bands consist of?
There is a huge amount of variety in the instrumentation of ceilidh bands. Most bands will include a violin (fiddle), an acoustic guitar and a drum kit to set the rhythm. However, several other instruments are often added, including accordion, piano or keyboard, bagpipes, flute or tin whistle and bass guitar.
How much space does ceilidh dancing require?
The band itself will require about 3m by 5m area, but ceilidh dancing takes up a lot of space...much more than a typical disco dance floor, so it's best to clear away tables and chairs to provide the maximum space available.
Do ceilidh bands take requests?
There are only a handful of ceilidh dances, and bands will know their repertoire to a very high standard. It's best to leave the set list to the band's own. discretion. For ceilidh and covers bands, they may be able to accommodate some requests in their covers set.
FixTheMusic is a one-stop-shop for booking outstanding, recommended professional musicians – and it's completely free for you to use.
So if you're looking for the best UK ceilidh band, hire them on FixTheMusic and you'll be guaranteed a fun night full of dancing! A ceilidh wedding is one of the most popular forms of musical entertainment you can choose for your big day.
As well as UK ceilidh bands for hire, many of our top-rated musicians can also provide Irish fiddle bands, performing modern Irish folk music.
Fill in the enquiry form to receive offers directly from hand-picked local ceilidh bands. Once you've confirmed details with your preferred act, book and pay securely through our secure online checkout.
— Adam is a co-founder of FixTheMusic and works on everything from copywriting and marketing to design and user experience. He studied Music at Cambridge University. Adam is a keen pianist, and also learned cello and trumpet from an early age.