Karaoke for private parties and campsites: how I organize it

Karaoke has something other extras don't: you don't need to be able to sing well for it to work. In fact, the less perfect it is, the more people laugh. That's why it's one of the resources that works best both at private parties and at campsites.

Equipment needed

I bring a screen with the lyrics, wireless microphones and a wide catalog of songs in several languages, so that both someone looking for a Spanish classic and someone who prefers something in English can sign up.

How I break the ice at the start

At the start almost nobody wants to go up alone, so I usually begin by inviting groups of friends or families to sing a very well-known song together, to take the pressure off. Once the first group sings, everyone else gets into it much faster.

At private parties

At birthdays or family celebrations, karaoke works very well as a block within the party, usually after lunch or dinner, when there's already an atmosphere but the dance-floor part hasn't started yet.

At campsites

At a campsite, karaoke is perfect because it connects families who don't know each other: singing together, even badly, creates a group atmosphere almost instantly. It works well both for children (with well-known kids' songs) and for adults.

How I avoid dead time

The risk with karaoke is that, if nobody steps up, awkward silences build up. That's why I always have a list of "safe bets" ready (songs that almost never fail) to fall back on if the atmosphere is slow to get going.

If you'd like to add a karaoke session to your private party or your campsite entertainment, tell me about the type of crowd and we'll work out together how to set it up.