With so many different cultures across the wonderful world of ours there are tonnes of dressing up options and sources of inspiration for all parties and occasions. If you are looking for a novelty fancy dress outfit modelled on classic cultures from Mexicans and Japanese to Egyptians and Greeks then feast your eyes on our five favourite costumes to get you in the mood.

French Sailor

If you are looking for something nautical or something typically French then this sailor costume will certainly ruffle a few feathers! With the novelty top, trousers and complementing neck scarf you will be doing the YMCA in no time at all! All you need now is some obligatory red wine and good food and you are laughing.

Ladies Flamenco outfit

Are you ready to get your dancing shoes on? Our stunning women’s flamenco dancing costume is wonderfully intricate and is the ideal choice for any Spanish-themed party with dress and matching headpiece. Originating in Andalusia, this striking dress will ensure you look like the sexy senoritas enjoying their fiestas on the Costa del Sol!

Ladies - do you think our dress could inspire you to move like this on the dance floor?!

Mens Mexican Tequila outfit

This unashamedly Mexican outfit is great fun for stag parties and birthday parties alike. Become that fiery, cheeky Mexican gringo with a novelty sombrero and Mexican Serape striped t-shirt with shredded sleeves for extra authenticity! The outfit comes with unique holsters – designed not for guns but for shot glasses and bottles! Arrrrrriba!

Irish Leprechaun

Get ready to rub the old blarney stone and have some fun on St Patrick’s Day with our great-looking Irish Leprechaun outfit. This one-piece suit includes over-sized novelty hat and typical Leprechaun beard ensuring you will be dressed to impress on the streets of Dublin’s Temple Bar!

Hawaiian Beauty dress

This beautiful Hawaiian Luau outfit is the perfect choice for any Hawaiian beach party this summer. Sleek and supremely colourful, ladies can simply add a colourful Hawaiian-style garland to complete the look and away you go! You’ll be all set to do the hula!

We have many other superb outfits from a diverse range of countries and eras so why not check out our outfits from Around the World today and prepare to be transported to new and exciting cultures!

Stay tuned for a more in-depth look into creating an authentic look for cultures and countries across the globe.

This weekend sees the arrival of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend to Hackney with over 50,000 lucky music fans arriving with their free tickets in East London for two days of fantastic tunes.

It is the biggest free ticketed music event in Europe and this year the line-up looks set to be the best ever, with Jay-Z, Jack White, Kasabian, Swedish House Mafia, Rihanna, David Guetta and many many more embarking on Hackney Marshes. Catch a glimpse of Tinie Tempah working his magic on the Carlisle crowds at last year's festival:

The weather looks to be attempting to dampen the spirits of festival goers to this weekend’s Isle of Wight Festival, as the unusually sodden June weather looks set to continue across the south coast.

Isle of Wight’s annual music celebrations are being headlined by Pearl Jam, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

The summer’s music festival season is set to go into overdrive in the coming weeks with T in the Park also on the horizon on 6-8 July, where better weather will be hoped for. The reformed Stone Roses are set to headline in Balado, Kinross-shire along with Snow Patrol and Kasabian. Those cheeky chappies Mani and Ian Brown will be sure to have the Scottish crowd in the palm of their hands.

With world class music and a little over indulgence on food and drink it can only mean the festival season is ready and rearing to kick off. If you are that way inclined why not get into the party spirit with bold, colourful costumes that evoke the spirit and essence of music festivals.

Some festivals have their own fancy dress theme such as Bestival. This year’s Bestival theme is wildlife that is guaranteed to bring the animal out in all of you!

Glastonbury goers will be getting itchy feet this summer with Worthy Farm out of action in order to let the ground recover and avoid clashing with the London Olympic Games. Latitude Festival in Suffolk offers a smaller alternative to Glastonbury with a similar vibe and family-orientated atmosphere. Get your fancy dress outfits for Latitude along with a superb selection of accessories to help you stand out from the crowd.

Get your thinking caps on and dress up in an outfit that lives and breathes your own personality in the summer sunshine with our fun outfits for music festivals.

If you want us to spoon feed you with inspiration then here are our top five festival outfit ideas for 2012:

Mummy Don’t Wanna Grow Up costume
Perfect for cheeky chappies who just want to keep on having fun!

Black Second Skin Suit
Ideal for those who want to lark about without exposing your identity!

Green Beer Bottle costume
A must-have for any beer lover – just make sure no-one tries to drink you!

Sultry Scarecrow costume
Partying in a field? Why not dress as a sultry scarecrow and keep those pests at bay!

Sexy Pixie costume
Fly away to this year’s summer music festivals with this stunning outfit

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of their debut hit, Wham! duo George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley are said to be planning a one-off “pop extravaganza” for their adoring fans.

Sales of 1980’s fancy dress clobber are likely to go through the roof following these revelations following a recent tabloid story.

A Wham! insider told The Mirror: "They probably won’t do a long tour or release new material like Take That but they do want to commemorate the event with a big gig… and an even bigger party afterwards!

"Things are still in the early stages but everybody is getting really excited about it.

"George and Andrew have often said their ‘Club Tropicana’ days are well behind them, but seeing as their anniversary coincides with George releasing new material, it’s one of those ‘now or never’ moments."

Wham! sold over 25 million records worldwide between 1982 and 1986 and were an inspiration to a generation of partygoers throughout the 80’s.

Admirers of George and co. will no doubt already be planning their outfit for the one-off concert and we have a great selection of inspirational 80’s style party outfits for men and women alike.

The 80s were an iconic decade for entertainment and fashion. Subsequently our popular 80s fancy dress is guaranteed to ensure you take centre stage at the concert or any other 1980s themed bash.

Our Made in the 80s outfit actually doubles up as an ideal Wham! costume, so you can get the George Michael look straight out of their number-one ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ hit record!

You ladies can look equally glamorous and colourful with our ladies’ 80s fancy dress outfits. Return to the 80s with our bright and bold Lets Get Physical Girl costume straight out of Olivia Newton John’s music video for her number-one single ‘Physical’.

With novelty 80s wigs, cool shades, shoes and more we also have the goods to help you accessorise your look and dress up as the coolest 80s star around.

The opening group game for England’s Euro 2012 campaign drew over 15 million television viewers on Monday night, according to national television ratings.

England’s 1-1 draw with France in Donetsk saw Roy Hodgson’s men get off the mark in their group with games yet to come against Sweden tonight and co-hosts Ukraine next week.

If you are planning on watching the Sweden or Ukraine match with friends in the pub or at a house party why not get into the spirit of the tournament with our patriotic England fancy dress outfits and accessories?

It’s all going on in England this summer, what with the Olympic Games also coming to our shores in July, so our unashamedly English outfits are ideal for enjoying all the sporting festivities in the coming weeks.

1966 Soccer Hero Costume

No-one could possibly forget the year England secured the World Cup on home soil back in ’66. So why not bring football home again yourself with our 1966 football hero outfit, featuring an authentic long-sleeved red football top. To complete the kit you’ll find our white baggy football shorts and red socks, not to mention a Bobby Charlton-esque comb-over wig!

St. George Knight Costume

Keep the spirit of St. George alive and kicking with this novelty Knight outfit that will help you maintain your honour for Queen and

country! With a spectacular long tabard, cape and imitation chain headpiece you will epitomise the courage and honour of the nation – why not add further essential accessories like a sword or shield to protect your beers?!

St. George Babe Wig

Simple but effective for our female football fanatics, our St. George Babe Wig is a great way of showing support for your country whilst looking ultra-sexy at the same time! Combine it with a red England shirt and you will look supremely colour co-ordinated.

Billy Bob England Teeth

Take a leap of faith and nail your colours to the mast with these Billy Bob England Teeth. These ‘bad teeth’ have the English flag emblazoned on the front and are a guaranteed to create some laughter and banter amongst friends.

Most importantly, sing loud and be proud and cheer the boys on to bring the European Championships home for the first time ever!

Take a look at the last time England and Sweden met at a major competition back in 2006:

For those who may have left buying a funny fancy dress outfit to the last-minute we have taken the liberty of listing our funniest fancy dress outfits available for same day despatch when ordered before 5.15pm. At All Fancy Dress we have a dedicated section of funny costumes – from rude and outrageous to just downright hilarious we are confident you’ll find something that will have you rolling with laughter all the way to the party.

Whether you want to emulate a fictional film or TV character or your favourite computer game hero there is plenty of ammunition available to help you clown around and let your hair down.

Harry Hill Costume

If you are a fan of Harry Hill’s TV Burp you will love the opportunity to dress up as the bald British comedian! With his trademark black suit and giant white collar, black-rimmed glasses and a bald head cap to cover your hair you can be transformed into the award-winning star. But will you win the award as best dressed at the party? There’s only one way to find out… “FIGHT!”

Mummy Don’t Wanna Grow Up Costume

An outfit that has proven to be very popular for birthdays and stag dos, this novelty costume creates the hilarious optical illusion of you being carried on the back of your mummy! Complete with inflatable body for mummy and babysuit and bonnet, you are sure to have people take pity on you. Don’t forget to add the must-have oversized dummy to complete the look!

Moon Man Costume

Take one small step for man and another giant leap for mankind with our Moon Man Costume! This hilarious astronaut costume is primarily for men and comes complete with jumpsuit, helmet and the attached ‘mooning’ bum and belt! Just be sure not to land in that crater – ouch!

Little Britain ‘Bubbles’ Costume

An outfit that will have Little Britain fans roaring with laughter wherever you end up, the officially licensed two-piece Bubbles costume is modelled on the larger-than-life character from the hit television series. With fat suit and towel included, you could also add further accessories to complete that ‘sultry’ look! “Call me Bubbles darling… everybody does!”

Sumo Wrestler Costume

Ever wondered what it would be like to take on the might of the Japanese sumo wrestlers? Well now you can become one yourself with our great looking adult Sumo Wrestler Suit, with padded jumpsuit and wig for that traditional sumo hair do! No-one will want to challenge you to a duel. This outfit is perfect for Asian themed parties or even as a computer games costume as E Honda from the successful Street Fighter series.

If you have been given the honour of being best man, then all eyes are on you to produce a fab stag do. Well to produce a top stag weekend there are many things to consider like chasing money, organising accommodation and transport, choosing activities and evening entertainment plus choosing a lively destination which will offer everything you're looking for. They’re just the main tasks you have to face when organising a stag do, so you may think this is a massive challenge.

To make your job easier, there is one solution that will make your job easier. Book through StagWeb, who can organising everything for you and do all the chasing for, so you can sit back and relax. All you have to decide on is the destination and choose from a great list of packages and activities available.

If you’re not already aware, the 2012 Olympics will be taking place in London which will likely draw in millions more tourists to the area. Below is a list of alternative destinations you could consider visiting on your stag do.

Birmingham

England’s second biggest city offers a fantastic experience for a weekend with the boys. Whatever you're looking for in a weekend, Birmingham can accommodate it. For nightlife, head to the city’s Broad Street which is home to many top bars and restaurant. To say this area is lively is an understatement.

If you’re looking for day time or evening activities, then you’ll be spoilt for choice. The city is home to many top football clubs including Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and more. So if you and boys fancy catching a game, then StagWeb can sort you out with match tickets and hospitality. Across from Broad Street is the Indoor Arena which plays host to many top musicians, comedians and sporting events.

Bristol

If you head over to the West Country this year, you’ll be in for a treat. This summer is full of great free events including the International Balloon Fiesta and the Harbour Festival. The city is known for offering a fantastic diverse nightlife that is home to some fantastic bars and restaurants.

StagWeb offer some fantastic unique activities that are perfect for a UK stag weekend. Why not tackle the Somerset Challenge or even try your hand at Hovercrafting?

Liverpool

Liverpool will definitely tick all the right boxes for a stag weekend. The Merseyside city offers so much choice for groups that you’ll have a hard job fitting everything in. One area Liverpool excels in is through sport and entertainment. Why not arrange through StagWeb a day out at Liverpool FC where you can have a tour of Anfield or Goodison Park or watch a match. Maybe a day at the races is more appealing where you and the boys can watch the GG’s and celebrate with each winner.

If you and the boys fancy exploring the cities history and culture then why not revisit the famous places of interest associated with the Beatles like the famous Cavern Club, Penny Lane and the Beatles Museum located near the Liver Building.

Stag parties and fancy dress go hand in hand, so if you haven’t planned a fancy dress theme for your up and coming trip, then below is considerations to think about when deciding. Why not set your theme around the destination you're visiting. If it’s Bristol, then maybe pirates could be appropriate. If you’re visiting Liverpool then maybe dressing as the Beatles could be suitable.

You may decide to set your theme around the activities you’re taking part in. If you’ve booked paintballing for your stag do, then you may decide to dress up in camouflage army gear. An alternative would be to go horse racing dressed up in jockey silks.

Whatever you decide, check out AllFancyDress.com for a great selection of fancy dress outfits which are perfect for your next stag do or your jolly boys outing.

For more information regarding stag weekends, head to StagWeb.co.uk.

Are you planning a Hen Night for a friend or family member? Don’t be stumped when choosing a theme for her last night of freedom! There are so many playful themes that you can make the most of to ensure she never forgets her hen do.

We are now in the midst of the Hen party season and at AFD we’ve taken the time to provide you with five of our most favourite Hen Night themes to give you a helping hand and help you party like these ladies below!

"Grease is the word"

If you’ve always wanted to be Sandy or you’re a fan of the 50s then why not get all your girls Pink Lady jackets modelled on the hit film Grease. These stunning tops look great with leggings and heels and are a very popular choice with all the ladies.

Cops and robbers

Forget pursuing criminals and keeping the streets free from robbers, if you wear some of our stunning policewomen outfits you’ll have them queuing up to be arrested instead! Everyone likes a man or woman in uniform and it is a great opportunity to stamp your authority on the guys. You may even want some playful handcuffs to ensure you keep hold of any good looking men throughout the night!

Time to save the world

Prove that it’s not only the men who can save the world with our super sexy superwomen outfits. Whether it is Batgirl, Wonder Woman or Supergirl you can prove that you are a real tough chick with our stunning corsets designed to flatter your figure.

Spice Mania

If you and your friends really want to show your ‘girl power’ then why not team up as the Spice Girls! Our novelty costumes are great fun whether you want to be Scary, Posh, Baby, Sporty or Ginger Spice! You’ll have the guys rubbing their eyes in disbelief wondering if the girls have reformed!

Be an animal... literally!

You and the girls can act like animals and look like animals too with our sexy animal costumes that exude happiness and confidence! Whether you want to buzz around as a Bumble Bee and become a friend to Mother Nature or show off your curves as a loving Lady Bug, there’s something for all personalities.

At All Fancy Dress we are currently offering our hottest Hen Night costumes at fantastic prices. For a limited time our customers can buy six costumes for the price of five. Simply call us on 01268 574170 to receive your refund on one costume and ensure the hen goes free!

It is now just weeks until tennis fans from across the country converge on the All England Lawn Tennis Club in South West London for a fortnight of world class grass court tennis.

Novak Djokovic returns to defend his crown this year after beating rival, Rafael Nadal in a tightly contested four set final in 2011. British hopes will again rest on the shoulders of Andy Murray and if you are preparing to visit ‘Murray Mound’ at All Fancy Dress we have some excellent outfits to help you get into the spirit of the tournament.

Before you prepare your picnic and dream of your strawberries and cream why not slip into our John McEnroe tennis costume and relive the magic as the fiery American himself! You cannot be serious – we sure are! Complete with a John McEnroe wig what better way to get yourself noticed on TV with your friends?

Patriotic Wimbledon outfits

What better way to show your support for Britain’s tennis hopefuls this year at Wimbledon than by wearing a suitably British fancy dress outfit? This year promises to be a truly spectacular one for all concerned in the UK, with the recent Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the upcoming Olympic Games in London and various sporting occasions such as Wimbledon.

Let us recommend three patriotic outfits for you to consider on your day out at Wimbledon later this month:

Union Jack Facepaint

If you are itching to display your pride for your country then why not do so where everyone can see it – on your face! Our perfect union jack facepaint kit could be the extra 10% our British hopefuls need to see fans in the crowd and help them over the finish line!

Wearable Union Jack Flag

These symbolic wearable union jack flags are great fun and allow you to wear your normal clothes underneath. The flag has red sleeves on the inside allowing you to simply slide it over your t-shirt or top! Transform your usual look into a symbol of great national pride.

Union Jack Tutu Dress

For the women that loves to look glamorous whether they are at home or out and about, our stunning tutu dress complete with union jack design is a sure fire way of looking your best on Centre Court!

The big day will be upon us within a matter of days. The Queen and her nation will soon be celebrating her 60 years on the throne, with festivities set to take place at Buckingham Palace, across London and in many other corners of the United Kingdom.

At allfancydress.com we have all been feeling very patriotic ourselves and in the lead up to the big day we have uncovered the towns and regions where our Jubilee merchandise has proved most popular as people nationwide prepare to celebrate this historic day.

Of the top 20 counties ordered by the average spend per capita on our Jubilee merchandise, eight (40%) of them were located in the South East. The Home Counties and other counties in and around London (Kent, Surrey, Essex, Herts, Bucks and Berks) have all strongly supported the Jubilee.

Kent appears to be the most patriotic major UK county recording sales figures of twice the national average per head. South East neighbours Essex have also got into the spirit of the occasion with street parties and family celebrations likely following sales of Jubilee merchandise approaching twice the national average (191%).

Interestingly enough, although London will be playing host to the Queen’s official Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Londoners are in fact 70% less patriotic than the average region!

Top 10 most patriotic major UK counties

1. Kent
2. Essex
3. Surrey
4. Suffolk
5. Northamptonshire
6. Hertfordshire
7. East Riding of Yorkshire
8. Worcestershire
9. Staffordshire
10. Lincolnshire

Best performing small UK counties

Due to small sample sizes we did not feel it was appropriate to include data collated from the nation’s smaller counties. However, Powys in Mid Wales and Midlothian in Scotland significantly outperformed much larger parts of the country and look set to enjoy a regal Jubilee weekend.

As you would expect, following the news of Kent and Essex being the nation’s most patriotic counties, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Chelmsford all found their excitement for this weekend way above the national average, with the former regarded as the UK’s most patriotic major town!

There are sure to be Diamond Jubilee celebrations too in Stockton-on-Tees with one of the highest per-head spending in the UK (244%).

The West Midlands does not appear to have lost any love for the Royal family either with Solihull (236%) and Cannock (215%) in the top five most patriotic major UK cities.

Top 10 most patriotic major UK cities

1. Tunbridge Wells
2. Stockton-on-Tees
3. Solihull
4. Chelmsford
5. Cannock
6. Newport
7. High Wycombe
8. Wakefield
9. Maidstone
10. Cambridge

Best performing small UK towns

Again, there were a number of smaller counties and regions across the UK whose sample size was too small to include in our report. But we would certainly like to doff our cap to the likes of Wrexham, Grantham and Canterbury, all of whom have shown unparalleled enthusiasm towards all things Diamond Jubilee this month.

Mark Heaton, of All Fancy Dress, added: "Our survey has been a real eye opener. It is great to see such a wide variety of regions getting into the spirit of one of the most historic days in living memory.

"People can still buy last-minute Jubilee merchandise with same day despatch for all orders placed before 5.15pm."

Note: This research was carried out by online party retailer www.allfancydress.com by comparing all sales of jubilee merchandise by area. As a national retailer AFD compiled sales data from across the country to identify an average spend per capita on jubilee merchandise and then compared against orders received within each area highlighted.

In a somewhat bizarre move a Beverly Hills auctioneer has decided to place Elvis Presley’s crypt up for auction. Darren Julien is reported to have opened up the bidding for the late rocker’s tomb to fans as part of a ‘Music Icons’ collection.

It all seems rather bizarre, but Darren Julien has held similar auctions for late superstars in the past. Not only has he sold Michael Jackson’s unmistakable Thriller jacket and another jacket worn by The Beatles ace, John Lennon, he also sold Marilyn Monroe’s stunning ‘River of No Return’ dress – all for between $240k and $1.8 million.

Presley’s tomb is currently situated at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, but is expected to be auctioned off on June 23rd - potentially to a bidder from anywhere across the globe!

Following his tragic death in a bathroom on August 16th 1977, Presley was laid to rest in his tomb for eight weeks before his remains were transported to his Graceland residence.

According to American entertainment site, TMZ, the winning bidder will receive the crypt, a memorialisation inscription, opening and closing of the vault for burial and access to the chapel for committal service.

Do you want to learn how to dance and move like Elvis with his snake hips? Check out this awe-inspiring video of ‘The King’ in action live on stage:

Are you preparing to wear one of our favourite jewelled Elvis outfits and want to recreate his moves? Take a look at our Elvis Presley costume range today.