General Interest

We all like a change now and then and what better time to start a fresh than New Year’s Day? Lots of people make the same resolutions so why not think about doing something a little more personal or relevant to you this year. Resolutions Are Hard! Giving up sweets can be difficult when you’ve just received 5 bars of Cadburys, 4 chocolate Santa’s, 3 tins of roses, 2 shortbread and a Lindor ball in a pear tree! It’s probably not the best time to start a detox when you will be sweating sugar syrup so why not strive for something more achievable until the yummy foods have all been eaten? Continue reading →

‘Aint no party like a New Year party! Gather your friends, family around for the biggest night of the year and party your way into 2016. There are plenty of shindigs going on over this festive season, but if your New Year party is happening at home then why should you miss out on all the fun? Here at Hollywood we know how to party so why not pop down to your nearest store to get yourself party ready! New Year Costumes Now you are in the comfort of your own home, there is no excuse not to get dressed up for the occasion! We have a huge range of funny fancy dress costumes to get you in the party spirit so you are sure to find something suitably silly. How about one of our excellent banana costumes which are always a hit all year round? You could even be a giant turkey; a haunting reminder of Christmas over indulgences! If food isn’t your thing why not channel what this season is all about and dress up as Jesus himself! Continue reading →

Party your way into the New Year with Hollywood! Get the drinks flowing at your party with some of our fantastic drinking games and funnels. Your friends will love battling it out in Beer pong or racing each other on a double tube beer bong! Beer Pong! Our beer pong sets are currently on sale for only £7.50 each so there’s never been a better time to pick up one for you and your friends. We have a whole range to choose from including the new and exciting Twister pong and, of course, classic American beer pong. If you’re a drinking game novice then don’t panic as all of our sets come with instructions and even place mats so you can set out your cups with precision. Continue reading →

Bournemouth is the party central of the South so if you’re after a wild New Year then come down to the coast! There are plenty of events to choose from no matter what your tastes so check out our hot picks below... New Year Madness! The Old Fire Station will be sticking to their annual tradition of a sell out Dub Optic New Year! There will be Hula Hooping, Hip Hop and live graffiti to keep you buzzing until the early hours. This event is sure to sell out again this year so get your tickets now! Halo will be glamming up for New Year with a masquerade ball! 9 hours of partying is reserved for nightclub veterans so dress to the nines and bring in 2016 in style. There will be glitter canons and a champagne reception, can you think of a better combination?  Continue reading →

New Years is a time for elegance so it’s no surprise that masquerade balls are hugely popular. Slip into your ball gowns and press your suits ready for the end of the year extravaganzas! Masquerade Masks For Everyone! No matter what your taste or style, you will have no trouble finding the perfect masquerade mask in a Hollywood store. You will be greeted with a wall full of glitz, feathers and colour, with hundreds of designs to choose from. From full face fancies to pretty lace eye masks, we really do have it all. It’s not just the ladies that will be spoilt for choice either as we have a great range of male and unisex masks too. Continue reading →

See the New Year in the right way! Fireworks are perfect for just about any occasion, but what better excuse than New Year? Here at Hollywood we have a huge array of fireworks to choose from so be sure to pay us a visit! Fireworks From Hollywood As some of you may know, you can buy fireworks from Hollywood all year round at both our Castle Lane, Bournemouth branch and our Queens Way, Southampton branch. Especially for New Year you can now purchase them from out Bournemouth town centre branch too from 26th-31st December! When you come to Hollywood for fireworks, not only do you have a huge selection of top brand fireworks to choose from, you’ll also get advice from people that know what they do. We’ve all seen fireworks, but how many people know what each type does, or even the names of the different types that are available? Knowledge is the key when putting together a good display so spending a little time on our website could be the most fun educational experience you’ve ever had! Continue reading →

New Year is a time to party all your troubles away and start the next year as you mean to go on! For many people that will mean putting on your nicest clothes and raising a glass of champagne, but here at Hollywood we like to do things a little differently! Fancy dress is fast becoming a New Year staple and with each year we see wilder and weirder costumes emerge, but there will always be those few firm favourites. If you’re thinking of donning a funny costume to see in 2016 then check out some of our fancy dress ideas here. Continue reading →

Here at Hollywood we take health and safety very seriously, especially when it comes to children. That’s why we put our trust in R H Smith and Sons to provide us with high quality and rigorously tested Smiffy's products. Smiffy's Fancy Dress Smiffy's are a household name when it comes to fancy dress and for all the right reasons. You may have seen their recent feature on BBC’s “Fake Britain” where they highlight issues surrounding counterfeit products and safety risks. In Series 6: Episode 10 viewers can see just how risky buying fake fancy dress costumes can be. We see how fakers are not only damaging honest businesses, but putting both our children’s and our own safety at risk. Jodie Frisby had purchased an Elsa fancy dress costume for her daughter online, but little did she know that she was receiving a fake costume. The dress fell apart within minutes and when put to a fire test the costume was incinerated in seconds. So remember, if you are looking for an Elsa costume this Christmas, this is the Elsa you should be purchasing. Claudia Winkleman also fell victim to untested fancy dress when her daughter’s Halloween costume caught fire. She went on to lead a campaign to put safety standards in place for fancy dress costumes. Continue reading →

ITV’s Text Santa is back this year for festive fundraising with Christmas Jumper Day! Follow in your favourite TV personalities footsteps and whip your winter woollies out and get your money making hats on to make this year a success! Where Your Money Goes Previous years have seen Save The Children’s Christmas Jumper campaigns raise huge amounts of money and support here in the UK. This Year ITV’s Text Santa will help make it the best year yet! Proceeds from this year’s fundraising will go to Macmillan Cancer Support, the Make A Wish foundation and, of course, Save The Children.  With your support nurses will be on hand to help those suffering the effects of cancer, terminally ill children will get the Christmas they deserve and children in the UK and across the world will receive support when they most needed. What better reason do you need to get a team together and raise money this winter? Continue reading →

With Christmas just around the corner and school holidays creeping ever closer, it’s time to start thinking of ways to entertain the family. What better way than taking them to a panto! There are plenty of exciting offerings this year, both in Bournemouth and further afield. Bournemouth Snow White will be showing at the Bournemouth Pavilion from Saturday 5th December up until Sunday 3rd January. This panto boasts a star studded cast including Eastenders stars Gillian Wight, as the Wicked Queen and Matt Lampinskas as the Prince. With glittering sets, extravagant costumes and plenty of laughs, it’s sure to be a hit for the whole family! Follow the link for tickets! Continue reading →

It’s the film we’ve all been waiting 10 years for and it’s finally so close that we can almost touch it! I am, of course, talking about Star Wars “The Force Awakens”. There are some very high hopes for the new edition to an already huge saga and Disney has a lot to prove! Will it be the movie of the decade? Star Wars Star Wars is a franchise known all around the world. Since the release of the first movie in 1977, the empire (real and fictional) has grown more than anyone could have imagined. Whether you’ve seen the films or not, you know the characters because they are everywhere! Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker have become household names and you can’t go to any convention without seeing at least one group of Stormtroopers. Star Wars has such a dedicated fan base too, with people doing good deeds in the name of the force, like The SO16 troopers who often take part in charity events dressed head to toe in authentic Star Wars costumes! Continue reading →

With Christmas just around the corner, don’t forget about all of the little shops and local businesses that are there for you year in and year out! On Saturday 5th December Small Is Big CIC is hosting Small Business Saturday for all the local shops and traders in your area. Christmas Shopping When most people go out Christmas shopping they head straight for the big high street names and stock up on mass produced, branded gifts and clothing. It’s just what we’re used to in this modern society and quite often, it’s a last minute dash too. But just down the road could be a quirky little shop selling unique items that would make the perfect present. Handmade and homemade gifts are always the most thoughtful and interesting to open on Christmas day so treat your loved ones to something new this year! With costly advertising and high rent on shop space, sometimes the best shops go unnoticed, so this Saturday, make sure you look out for them! Continue reading →

What is St Andrew's Day? On November the 30th the world celebrates St Andrew's Day, Scotland's national holiday day. It is a day of feasting and celebrating with music and dancing. In 2006, the Scottish Parliament designated St Andrew's Day as an official bank holiday and it is also a national holiday in Romania. Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Romania, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Saint Andrew, Barbados. In these other European countries, superstition surrounds St Andrew's day, with many believing that the eve of this celebration is the opportune time to carry out rituals revealing the future husbands of single women. Traditionally these rituals were only performed by young women, but nowadays young men like to get involved in the festivities too. Continue reading →

Whether it is between your work colleagues or your friends, everybody loves a Secret Santa! The chance to buy a fun gift for someone you know well or maybe not at all is what makes it so exciting. Here at Hollywood we’re in the business of fun so, as you can imagine, we have plenty of great ideas for secret Santa gifts! No matter what your budget we will have something just right for you, so be sure to spread Christmas cheer and smiles this year! Secret Santa For: Under £5 We all like to stretch our cash further over Christmas and there is plenty you can get for your money. How about one of our great cardboard character masks for the TV and film buffs? If you want to give something more festive, one of our cooked turkey hats would make the perfect gift for anyone young or old! If your secret Santa is a bit of a joker then we have a whole host of pranks and tricks from as little as 50p so you could make them a joke stocking. Another great gimmick gift would be one of our fake ASBOs, given for bad taste in music, being boring and showing off your wealth. Continue reading →

No matter how dull you find your 9-5 job, there is one thing we can all look forward to at the end of the year... The office Christmas party! It’s never too early to bag some festive bargains, so why not come and see us now! Decorate Your Office! Turn your office into a winter wonderland with some festive decorations from Hollywood. Just in, we have a whole range of deluxe Christmas ornaments for inside and outside, including snowing Christmas trees! We have glitzy tinsel curtains to cover walls, windows and doorways in a whole range of seasonal colours. If you want to turn your workplace into Santa’s grotto then you’ll need one of our fantastic scene setters. These are large wall coverings that transform your office into the North Pole and other festive fantasies! Don’t forget to get some balloons too; after all, what is a party without balloons? Visit our larger stores in Castle Lane, Bournemouth and Queens Way, Southampton for our biggest ranges! Continue reading →

With the weather getting chilly and the days getting shorter, Bournemouth transforms from a beach resort to a winter wonderland! The lights are going up, the Moose Bar has landed and Christmas spirit is all around. What To Expect From Our Christmas Market? Bournemouth’s annual Christmas market is always alive with different sights and smells and brimming with new and unusual curiosities. Inspired by Germany’s traditional “Weihnachtsmarkt” you will see row upon row of little Alpine chalets selling seasonal treats and treasures from around the world.  From the 12th November right up to the 3rd January you can indulge in a festive shopping experience like no other. Continue reading →

Children In Need is back this year and even bigger, with more excitement, courage and entertainment packed into one night than ever before! There will even be a space themed surprise! What To expect? This year’s Children In Need show will fall on one of the most unlucky days of the year, Friday 13th November, but fear not, there will be an imperial army on hand to defend us! This year the BBC has teamed up with Lucasfilm and Disney for a one off, extra special surprise! That’s right; there will be a Star Wars sketch! C-3PO, R2-D2 and everyone’s favourite Ewok, Warwick Davis will join forces to find a worthy human to trigger the totaliser for the night. Continue reading →

Come In And See Us! All Hollywood branches will have extended Halloween opening hours so you have even more chance to find the perfect costume for you! We will even be open on Sunday just for you! Here at Hollywood we know there’s not always enough hours in the day so we’re here to help! Our Bournemouth branches on Castle Lane...

Know your gnashers! Fangs are a staple Halloween accessory for a whole host of costumes so it’s important to get the right ones for you! Full Set If you ever went trick or treating as a kid you will know all about the plastic full set fangs. Quite often these will come in a set with fake blood. These are a little plastic mouth piece that you fold in half and place over your own teeth to give the illusion of fangs. If you’re after something cheap and easy, these will serve you well; just don’t expect to be able to talk too much with them in. These tend to be better for kids as swallowing them is pretty much impossible. Continue reading →

We all have the joker in our group that doesn’t take anything seriously and Halloween is no exception. If you are that friend, then have no fear! Hollywood has you covered with a whole host of comedy Halloween costumes! Ghost The classic white ghost costume has brought joy to millions over the years and this year it has had a fantastic re-vamp! Most people opt for cutting some holes in a white sheet, but bed linen is getting expensive and I’m sure your other half (or mum) is getting tired of having to replace them! Check out this hilarious Ghost costume, made to fit your body so no weird bunching this time! It’s so simple that it’s perfect and if you’re on a budget it’s a steal at £14.99! Continue reading →