On Friday night, I slipped into a sparkly LBD, grabbed four good girlfriends and set out to celebrate Christmas in style… under canvas!
I discovered Papa Kata while searching for marquee alternatives for my wedding. They provide amazing canvas tipis for all sorts of events and are based in Harrogate, Yorkshire. After much, much research we decided Papa Kata’s beautiful tipis were just a little out of our price range, but by then I was hooked. Luckily, I spotted an ad for ‘Papa Christmas‘ – a Christmas party under canvas, complete with Papa Kata’s distinctive styling, food, drink and a live band.
The theme for the evening was Moroccan, and the interior was just breathtaking. Multiple tipis were connected together to create a huge open space, but fire pits, twinkly lights and glowing lanterns kept us warm as toast.
The five of us settled on our bench, complete with fur throws and plenty of wine, ready for our three course Moroccan feast.
Hummus, olives, marinated vegetables and a delicious tomato tangine served with toasted pitas started us off. This was the only course I remembered to photograph before I was lost in the food – rare masala lamb with griddled courgette, bombay potatoes, a bean and vegetable tangine and minted yoghurt dressing, followed by cardamom pudding with orange and custard. Absolutely delicious.
When the food was finished and the wine bottles empty, we took to the dance floor – the live band played soul and Motown, followed by disco classics and, of course, Christmas tunes from the DJ.
It was a truly fantastic evening – every year my girlfriends and I have a night out to celebrate Christmas, but this was something completely different and the effort that went into creating this festive Moroccan wonderland made it extra special.
There are still tickets available for Papa Christmas 2012 – check the dates here. If you’re in Yorkshire or nearby and still looking for the perfect Christmas party setting, I’d thoroughly recommend it.
What I wore coming tomorrow!
This looks amazing! Definitely an unusual but interesting christmas party 🙂 x
That sounds amazing! x
Im not long back from a holiday in Marrakech ( If you haven’t been, you MUST) and can attest to the fact that the food is incredible over there.
Plus, I can definitely see how a Morroccan atmosphere could = a Christmassy one, all the lanterns and rich foods, and beautiful colours everywhere..
Beats another helping of turkey any day! : )
Maddie
I am completely green with envy! That is absolutely STUNNING. Thank you for sharing!
I love these TiPis! I sang at a wedding in one near Skipton and it was the best wedding I’d ever been to (And I’ve sang at a LOT!) I think they’re really great for being a blank canvas that you can pretty much theme any way you like. This Moroccan theme looks awesome! x
This looks absolutely incredible Jen. Such a beautiful way to celebrate with friends.
xx
Wow, I can’t imagine a better night! And it looks beautiful, gutted there won’t be one at your wedding (although I am sure it will be awesome without haha!) xx
They are so beautiful! We’ve gone with something very similar 🙂
This looks and sounds gorgeous! Me and my friends always have a Christmas meal and I reckon they’d love this, shame we’ve already had ours xxx
What an amazing way to spend an evening, celebrating Christmas with your friends. I’ve never seen anything like it & I think the Moroccan theme is so fitting.
http://www.cagneyandlace.com
Wow, this looks amazing! I LOVE Moroccan food too, so it’d be great to go somewhere close to home. Hopefully I can catch one soon
chloex
A chilled Christmas experience – now that’s what I call stylish. I can’t wait for the outfit post xo
This looks and sounds so amazing, so amazing that I want to cry. I adore Moroccan food and the marquee looks stunning! Shame I’m no where near Yorkshire!
Lucy Loves To Blog
They are my main choice for my wedding party because they are local but your right they are quite pricey,but look amazing I’d love to know what you’ve gone with as I’m really struggling with my budget to use on of these 🙁
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Sounds (and looks!) amazing!
What a lovely occasion! We’re big fans of unique celebrations at http://www.bananashoes.com. Thanks for sharing.