Celebrating my 50th Birthday with a Carnival-Inspired Masked Ball!

At times it felt like an impossible dream. My plan was to gather my closest family and friends for two nights at a UK countryside retreat to celebrate my 50th birthday. What could go wrong? In fact it was nearly Murder on the Dance Floor… but we did not kill the groove.

Celebrating my 50th Birthday with a Carnival-Inspired Masked Ball!

As a February baby, I’d always wanted to do something Carnival-related (my original goal was to spend my birthday at Trinidad Carnival, but I hadn’t organised anything in time). However, it was no joke trying to find a space that would accommodate the numbers and also be affordable, flexible and available on my preferred dates. I wanted somewhere that would feel like a destination but also like a house party where you felt comfortable enough to kick off your heels and dance barefoot.

Finally, after months of searching for a venue, I found the wonderful Hamps Hall and Barn in Staffordshire, run by a company called Party Houses. This would be the setting for my Masked Ball —theme “Venice Carnival meets Mardi Gras” — with an invitation to guests to ‘go to town’ when it came to costumes. I couldn’t wait to see how everybody turned out.

Party Planning Like a Boss

When you’re trying to organise something on this scale, in a location you’ve never actually visited, it’s almost like planning a wedding. I spent many hours on the phone with my sister trying to figure out what to eat, wear, music, decor… I didn’t even find the right mask until just 2 days before the party! From the initial excitement when the main venue was almost fully booked within 48 hours and I had to book a spillover venue, I was soon dealing with the stress of cancellations.

While many people I would have loved to share the moment with couldn’t make it for various reasons, I’m still so grateful for all those who showed up. It’s not easy to gather around 40 people on a Monday and Tuesday, with folks travelling in from London and across the country as well as flying in from places like Lagos, Nice, Berlin, Poland… what a bunch of troopers/extreme party animals!

Getting Ready for Fat Tuesday

Monday was about settling in, finding our way around the expansive Hamps Hall and Barn, discovering its many delights (mini library, XBox snug, games room, hot tubs), catching up over a light supper spread and dancing in the kitchen into the early hours.

On Tuesday, the weather didn’t play nice, so while a couple of people went off for activities (e.g. golfing), most of us wound up at the local pub for the afternoon. Shout out to the Dog and Partridge Country Inn where I enjoyed a tasty burger. 

Then it was back to our venue to get ready for the Masked Ball with various suppliers arriving and setting up. It was great to finally meet my caterer Jakub from Eat Away Catering and also my bartender Gary of GJ Events, both absolutely brilliant in the run up to the event and throughout the party.

Jakub created a hot and cold buffet with salads, quiches and quesadillas, Thai Green veg curry, Beef Bourgignon, BBQ harissa chicken, cheese platter and pastries, and everything was just so delicious. Since it’s not a Naija party without jollof, I’d also managed to track down a Nigerian caterer in Stoke-on-Trent, Shaddy’s Ventures, who provided some yummy jollof rice and peppered turkey to add to the meal. 

Murder on the Dance Floor

My barman Gary and his friendly assistant set up a super cool looking mobile bar and served up a mix of drinks including a Carnival-themed cocktail menu. Our former Mothers & Shakers client, Stuart who owns Dry Drinker, sent a case of non-alcoholic drinks to keep the teetotallers sweet. Thanks Stuart! Finally DJ Osa Jatt rolled up to rock the house with a mix of old school party bangers, Afrobeats and Carnival tunes. We tore up the floor from around 10pm until nearly 3.30am. Good times.

Some of my favourite moments of the night: Seeing my gorgeous chocolate birthday cake, baked and decorated by my talented friend Rachelle who’s a pro chef, food designer and florist. When everyone sang Happy Birthday and I got overwhelmed with emotion. My uncle Pax’s heartwarming speech. Snapping photos in front of the (wonky) photo wall.

Dancing through the night with some of my besties. When I made my entrance wearing my sparkly dress and shoes, gold mask and carnival headdress and everybody clapped and whistled and made me feel like a queen.

That was also my first sighting of all my guests dressed up for the night and I was BLOWN AWAY by how utterly gorgeous everyone looked and how much effort they’d made. 

Thanks for the Memories

It was an absolutely unforgettable couple of days that filled us all with a sense of adventure (and some mayhem), a ton of food and booze, and a whole heap of love, joy and memories. Thank you to everyone who made my 50th birthday ultra special. It was a beast to organise though and I’m still in recovery mode. For my 60th, it’s just t-shirts on and meet me wherever I am!