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George Wyndham is originally from the UK but now lives in Shanghai where he runs the events company Kick The Gong Around, which puts on 1920s-themed parties at venues around the city. When he's not doing that, he's probably playing harmonica for the Horde or organizing snazzy trips to the UK for minted Zhong guo ren.

Friday morning and I'm hauled from the depths of slumber by my girlfriend's maddening iPhone alarm ring-a-ding-ding. You know the one that sounds like it was composed by Satan? Ugh. Every day I swear I'll change the jingle to something less obnoxious but of course I forget, forever doomed to wake up with that sense of rising panic. Anyway its time to get moving. Up and into the shower. Make coffee. Toast. Get dressed. And out into the hustle and bustle of the Shanghai morning on my faithful black scooter, which unbelievably still works after more than three years battling the Shanghai traffic.

It's an action-packed day for me because Kick The Gong Around, my events company, is hosting its most ambitious party yet this New Year's Eve: The New Year's Eve Vaudeville Spectacular! It's being held at and in collaboration with the Pearl, the stunning space previously known as Chinatown. In the spirit of the old venue, our show is a massive logistical endeavor featuring a vast lineup of performances, including circus acts, burlesque dancers, improv comedy, a live band, a jazz singer, and two DJs. This morning I'm auditioning talent for the show. Firstly I'm off to see Tony C — my contact at the Shanghai Circus — who's been supplying our events with weird and wonderful acts all year. While it's never been clear what the inscrutable Tony C's actual function at the circus is, one thing is certain: he's highly capable of sourcing sensational contortionists, trapeze artists, magicians, jugglers, sword swallowers, etc. seemingly at the tap of wand. We talk. He grins toothily. And I usually don't ask too many questions. Today I want to have a peek at a sword swallower (sounds dodgy). Also, I want to take a look at the Charlie Chaplin-character clown. While I'm checking them out, Tony C will be enthusiastically telling me about his new wine business. I swear that every Shanghainese guy I meet nowadays has just launched some wine-related venture. It's crazy. China: The grapes of wealth. Cheers.

Post circus auditioning session, I'll bike over to Magnet Cafe in Jing'an for lunch. I really like their salads and sandwiches, plus they have excellent coffee. I'll probably have a chat with my oldest Shanghai friend Gaz Williams, who's always in there propping up the bar, telling anyone who'll listen about the glory days of dubstep. Afterwards, I'll scoot off to meet my partner in crime Brian Offenther, who's been Kick The Gong Around's co-conspirator for a while now. We'll discuss party logistics, planning, stage times, costumes and pricing. My girlfriend, Cruz Maria, another co-conspirator and the brains behind KTGA's operation, will join us to go over the event posters she's been designing. I'll carefully outline to her any tweaks that need making (akin to walking through a minefield!) before we'll head to dinner at Lotus Eatery, the new-ish branch on Dingxi Lu.

Normally on Friday nights my band The Horde has a show on at Fennel Lounge and I'll join the boys Tom, Franco and Johnny around 9:30pm to blast through some epic folk tunes. We released our first album this year so, hopefully, some people will buy a few copies (20rmb!). During the show, Franco, Tom and I will argue about the song list (they usually win) and at some point one of my 'effing harmonicas will get a blockage, generally mid-solo. In between sets I'll take down a cocktail or two, probably spending more than our band fee in the process, while catching up with all my friends who've come to see us play. The show will finish sometime after midnight and we'll all pile into the frog restaurant around the corner. There will be much celebrating and much delicious frog hotpot washed down with Tsingtao Beer. Taxi home. Bed. Blissful sleep.

Saturday rolls around and I'm off to the fabric market to pick up new 1920s-'30s costumes. Typically we host our events on Saturday as it gives people time to get their outfits ready. Part of the joy of a costume party is the meticulous preparation process and I always like to go overboard on the details. Hair and make up? For sure. Also I'll go down to Dongtai Market to get a couple of visual vintage props like an old cane, a bowler hat, a period cigarette advertisement, or an old opium pipe to keep everything reasonably authentic.

If we are doing an event then I'll get down to venue around 5:00pm to check if everything is working. Stressed out, I'll get into an argument with the venue manager. It's been a year since we first started putting on our particular brand of vintage and retro costume party in Shanghai and its been exciting to watch it grow from small venues with mainly friends to cramming over 500 people into luxury boutique hotels and art deco spaces on the Bund. Despite this, I'll forget something vital. Usually it's to pick up a gangster roll of 50 or 100rmb bills from the bank to use as change on the door. I'm sure I do this on purpose to make my life just a tad more difficult. Later on, Cruz Maria and our fantastic photographer Liva Koz will come down and help arrange the vintage photobooth, which always looks phenomenal. Party starts and Brian Offenther and I begin the music. People arrive. Swing dancers dance. People gyrate on the table. Performers will perform. People get sweaty in their costumes. Much gin is consumed in tea cups. And at 2:00am the police arrive and we'll have to turn down the music. People start to drift away. Pack up stuff around 3:30am and take all the gear back to my apartment.

Wake up late on Sunday and I'll hook up my projector and lie on my couch watching episodes of Homeland and ordering Sherpa's. Cruz Maria will remind me than we need to upload last night's pictures to our website and Facebook group. I'll grunt in response. Feeling sore I'll ask myself if I'm too old to be putting on events and trying to hold down a job. Probably, but who cares? To retains one's youth, one merely just has to repeat one's follies, right?

For more information, tickets, line-up and so forth for Kick the Gong Around's NYE Vaudeville Spectacular, go .