Private events
Private party DJ in Toronto
Birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, mehmoonis and house parties that outgrew a speaker on a shelf.
A party rig is not a small wedding rig. It is a different shape, and it goes into rooms that were never designed for it.
From $2,500 · Sound, lighting and an operator · Toronto and the GTA
- Our own sound and lighting
- One operator, load-in to strike
- English-language service
- Toronto and the GTA
What $2,500 gets you
A four to five hour evening with a system sized to the room, floor lighting, a wireless mic for the speeches, and one person on site who sets up, runs it and takes it away. No hourly creep, no separate setup fee.
| Room | Typical rig | From |
|---|---|---|
| Home or condo party room, up to 60 | 2 tops, 1 sub, 4 wash fixtures | $2,500 |
| Restaurant or small hall, up to 120 | 2 tops, 2 subs, 8 fixtures | $3,200 |
| Banquet room, up to 250 | Full reception rig, 12 fixtures, uplighting available | $4,000 |
Condo party rooms: read this first
Half the private parties in this city happen in a condo amenity room, and almost all of those buildings have rules the booking form does not mention: a noise cut-off, a two-hour elevator window, a deposit, and sometimes a hard ban on anything on a speaker stand.
- Ask the concierge for the amenity-room rules in writing, not verbally.
- Book the service elevator both ways. Load-out at 1am is the one people forget.
- Check whether the room has two independent circuits. Many have one, and one circuit will not run a rig and a kettle.
- Find out the actual noise cut-off. It is usually 11pm and it is usually enforced by one neighbour.
Mehmooni
Persian house parties have their own shape: dinner late, dancing later, and a floor that does not need warming up. What they need from a DJ is patience for the first two hours and the sense to be ready for the moment the room turns, which is not a moment anybody schedules. We run these often; the Persian celebrations page has the catalogue and the shape of the evening written out.
Speeches, which is what people actually remember going wrong
Nobody leaves a fiftieth birthday complaining about the sub placement. They leave saying they could not hear the daughter's speech. A private room is almost always harder for speech than a banquet hall: low ceilings, hard surfaces, a bar running, and forty people standing where a microphone is pointed.
- A wireless handheld and a wired spare, always, on every booking.
- The speaking position agreed before doors, not decided by whoever stands up first.
- Music down and the bar warned thirty seconds before, which is a conversation we have with the venue rather than with you.
- Announcement cues and tested microphones for the host you choose.
What we will tell you no about
- A room under sixty people where a speaker on a stand would genuinely do the job. We will say so and you should spend the money elsewhere.
- Running past a building's noise cut-off. It is enforced by a neighbour, not by us, and it ends the party instead of shortening it.
- A rig sized for the guest count when the electrical supply is one domestic circuit. We will size to the circuit and tell you what that costs you.
- Adding hours at midnight. Extra time is agreed in advance, in writing, at $250 an hour.
Check your date
The first question is always whether the date is open. Start there: the rest takes two minutes.
Common questions
What is the minimum for a private party?
$2,500 for a full evening with sound, lighting and an operator. Below that you are better served renting a speaker, and we will tell you so. A DJ-only booking into a room with a usable house system is a different thing. That starts around $900 and is on the Persian celebrations page.
Can you play in a condo party room?
Yes, and we know the constraints: elevator windows, single circuits, and an 11pm noise cut-off in most buildings. Send us the building rules and we will size the rig to them.
Do you provide a microphone for speeches?
Always, and a spare. Speeches are the part of the night people remember being inaudible.
How long do you play for?
Four to five hours is standard. Additional hours are $250 each, agreed in advance rather than negotiated at midnight.
Do you set up and take down yourselves?
Yes, and it is in the price. Setup is roughly ninety minutes, strike is forty-five.