diff --git a/airtime_mvc/application/models/Show.php b/airtime_mvc/application/models/Show.php
index 832186d80..2653fe848 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/application/models/Show.php
+++ b/airtime_mvc/application/models/Show.php
@@ -1044,17 +1044,31 @@ SQL;
                 $event["nowPlaying"] = false;
             }
 
-            //event colouring
-            if ($show["color"] != "") {
-                $event["textColor"] = "#".$show["color"];
-            }
-
             if (!empty($show["background_color"])) {
                 $event["color"] = "#" . $show["background_color"];
             } else {
                 $event["color"] = "#" . self::getDefaultBackgroundColor($startsDT);//DEFAULT_SHOW_COLOR;
             }
 
+
+            //event colouring
+            if ($show["color"] != "") {
+                $event["textColor"] = "#".$show["color"];
+            } else {
+                $bg = $event["color"];
+                //Calculate the text colour (black or white) based on the brightness of the background.
+                $r = intval(substr($bg, 1, 2), 16);
+                $g = intval(substr($bg, 3, 2), 16);
+                $b = intval(substr($bg, 5, 2), 16);
+                $brightness = 0.299*floatval($r) + 0.587*floatval($g) + 0.114*floatval($b);
+                if ($brightness > 130) {
+                    $event["textColor"] = "#000000";
+                } else {
+                    $event["textColor"] = "#fcfcfc";
+                }
+            }
+
+
             foreach ($options as $key => $value) {
                 $event[$key] = $value;
             }
@@ -1067,12 +1081,33 @@ SQL;
     /** Get a palettized colour for the show. */
     private static function getDefaultBackgroundColor($date) {
 
+        $basePalette = ['A22BE8', '2FFF8D', 'FF743C', '2ED4FF', 'E8D82B'];
+        // 'B23F11', 'FF7E4A', 'FF6C31'
+
+        /*
         $palette = [['42d5a1', '56bd99', '65ab93', '7b938b'],
                     ['42a4d5', '569bbd', '6594ab', '7b8b93'],
                     ['4264d5', '566fbd', '6576ab', '7b8193']];
+        */
+        $palette = [];
+        for ($baseColorIdx = 0; $baseColorIdx < count($basePalette); $baseColorIdx++) {
+            $dayPalette = [];
+            for ($shade = 0.0; $shade < 0.8; $shade += 0.1) {
+                $origColour = $basePalette[$baseColorIdx];
+                $r = intval(substr($origColour, 0, 2), 16);
+                $g = intval(substr($origColour, 2, 2), 16);
+                $b = intval(substr($origColour, 4, 2), 16);
+                $r = floatval($r) * (1.0 - $shade);
+                $g = floatval($g) * (1.0 - $shade);
+                $b = floatval($b) * (1.0 - $shade);
+                $color = sprintf("%02x%02x%02x", $r, $g, $b);
+                array_push($dayPalette, $color);
+            }
+            array_push($palette, $dayPalette);
+        }
 
         //$hashValue = (md5($date->format('d'))[0] % $cols) + ((intval($date->format('h'))/24) % $rows);
-        $row = intval($date->format('d')) % sizeof($palette);
+        $row = intval($date->format('w')) % sizeof($palette);
         $foo = $date->format('H');
         $col = intval(intval($date->format('H'))/24.0 * sizeof($palette[0]));
         //$color = $palette[$hashValue % sizeof($palette)];
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/public/css/fullcalendar.css b/airtime_mvc/public/css/fullcalendar.css
index 2ce2e3a52..e0c991eb5 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/public/css/fullcalendar.css
+++ b/airtime_mvc/public/css/fullcalendar.css
@@ -605,9 +605,9 @@ table.fc-border-separate {
 	left: 0;
 	width: 100%;
 	height: 100%;
-	background: #fff;
-	opacity: 0.3;
-	filter: alpha(opacity=30);
+	background: #C3C3C3;
+	opacity: 0.15;
+	filter: alpha(opacity=15);
 	}
 	
 .fc .ui-draggable-dragging .fc-event-bg, /* TODO: something nicer like .fc-opacity */
diff --git a/airtime_mvc/public/css/styles.css b/airtime_mvc/public/css/styles.css
index 9f4294be8..a36363894 100644
--- a/airtime_mvc/public/css/styles.css
+++ b/airtime_mvc/public/css/styles.css
@@ -1371,7 +1371,7 @@ thead tr.fc-first
     height: 32px;
     line-height: 32px;
 }
-
+ful
 /** Extremely nasty workaround for a fullcalendar bug, where clicking "Add Show"
     would cause this large space under the table header. The CSS to get to that
     is ridiculously complicated and set in the HTML (!) dynamically with JS,