Christmas is one of the busiest stretches in the face-painting calendar, and the work it brings is wonderfully varied. Some weeks I am at a residential estate's tree-lighting event, some at a shopping centre, some at corporate year-end functions. Different audiences, different settings, but the same brief: add a bit of joy to the day.
Christmas events at residential estates
A lot of estates organise an annual Christmas evening — Santa visits, treats, sometimes a carol service, and a queue of children who all want their faces painted before they head off to see Santa. The painter sets up in a communal spot, parents bring kids over, and the queue ebbs and flows for two or three hours.
Designs are festive but quick: holly leaves on a cheek, a Christmas tree with a star, a small reindeer, a glitter snowflake. The trick at events like this is knowing when to keep designs small enough to keep the queue moving, and when to spend the extra time on a child who clearly wants the full version.
Shopping centres, restaurants, and year-end functions
Shopping centres and restaurants book face painters for the same reasons: keeping families entertained for longer, building a festive atmosphere, and giving parents something easy to point children at while they finish a meal or browse the shops.
Corporate year-end events are usually a mix. Staff bring their kids, the kids want their faces painted, but I always make sure the adults know they are invited too — a small holly leaf or snowflake by the eye works beautifully on adults at a smart function and tends to surprise the staff with how much they enjoy it.
What gets asked for
The classics. Snowflakes, holly and mistletoe, candy canes, Christmas trees, reindeer noses, full Santa designs for the brave kids. Glitter is in heavy demand — what would normally be a simple design becomes a holiday design with the right finish.
Booking a face painter for a Christmas event
Christmas is one of the few times of year when booking late is a real problem. November and the first two weeks of December are usually full by mid-October. If you are planning something — an estate event, a corporate function, a family day — the earlier the better.
Get in touch and tell me what you have in mind. I will put together a quote that fits the format and the timing.
From the event
