When it comes to hiring a magician, the first question is how much will a magician cost to hire? And quite rightly so it is a pertinent question that needs answering. You’re hosting an event and there will be a budget to fit it.
As you can imagine the question isn’t easy to answer for lots of reasons. How much magicians charge is based on the following factors.
What can change the Magician cost for an event?
A Magician may add Travel Costs
It seems very logical that travelling to and from a venue is a relevant time/cost factor to be worked into a quotation. So with that in mind, you may be best looking at local magicians to perform magic tricks for your special occasion, if you hoping for reduced costs.
A Professional magician vs a Semi-professional magician!
What’s the difference between these two types of magicians? Most professional magicians perform magic as their full-time job. They have been doing it long enough to build up a fantastic reputation and client base that this is their main income.
A semi-professional magician will do close-up magic in addition to their main job. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. The bonus of this is that their costs may be slightly less to hire. It may also mean that they haven’t got as much experience in all settings, but you may be happy to go with it. From my experience, I know many magicians who are amateurs that could easily outperform some full-timers!
How long do you want to hire a magician?
A children’s magician may have a set period of 1 hour. Where a wedding magician may suggest that they usually do 2 hours for weddings. Working out the correct amount of time is important. At a wedding breakfast, you could have 12 tables of 10 guests, to make sure all your guests experience the close-up magician, you could be looking at 10 minutes per table. This would add up to 120 minutes (2 hours). And if you have a good magician at your wedding, your guests will expect to see them perform.
How Many guests?
We’ve sort of touched this one above. The more guests that you have at an event, the more time it will take to get around everyone.
At Private parties and corporate events with lots of guests, a local magician often suggests sharing the room with another great magician. Instead of trying to get around your 400 guests in 4 hours, they would each do 2 hours and entertain 200 each.
Do you want Dynamo at your wedding?
How amazing would it be to have a TV magician like Dynamo or David Blaine at your wedding? Many famous tv magicians and entertainers that you know of, are available for private bookings. I know someone who booked Take That for their 40th birthday party in their garden!
So, sure you can have nearly anyone for your party entertainment. However, this only restriction comes down to what they cost to hire. If you are after a world-famous illusionist, then expect to pay a higher amount. I wouldn’t expect Dynamo for £150 per hour!
How much does a Wedding Magician cost?
The average wedding costs in the UK are around £30,000 but as a proportion, the costs of hiring a Magician are quite low!
Typically the average price for a wedding magician would be around £200 per hour. Which would make the average wedding magician cost £200 – £1000 for a 2-hour booking.
How much does a Close-up Magician cost?
Close-up magicians usually travel light! They can carry most of their accessories on their person. This means that close-up magic is more cost-effective for travelling costs and more flexible in set-up costs.
How much does a Children’s Magician cost?
Some of the best magicians I know perform amazing magic for children (& their parents). So Birthday Parties is another popular type of magician. If you wanted to hire a magician, they would normally on average cost from £150-£500 for a kid’s birthday entertainment. Some to expand and provide a live show with tricks and a bigger party package too.
How much does a corporate events Magician cost?
To hire a magician for a corporate event to perform interactive magic, will depend more so on the amount of time required. Corporate events generally have more people to entertain. Whether it’s a drinks reception or at trade shows, the quote will take a little more planning. Nobody would want to be left out.
At a corporate event, you may find that the suggestion may be to hire 2 or 3 magicians to cover the audience better.
How much do stage magicians cost to hire?
Stage magicians are usually used to travelling a little further. They also normally have more costs associated to travel. Their illusions are much larger than that of a close-up magician. Their magic act usually costs more to put together and as it’s more of a niche than a wedding magician, I’d expect the costs to be more.
Where close-up magicians may be able to do 3 or 4 bookings in a day, a Stage magician might be limited to 1 or 2 (if it was in the same venue).
For a private party, a Stage magician could charge anything from £500 upwards.
Are all Professional Magicians members of The Magic Circle?
The quick answer is NO! Unlike gas fitters who legally need to be registered to be able to provide their professional service. Magicians don’t need to be part of a magic circle or magic society.
Most Magic Clubs require an audition to become a member. So if most magicians that are part of a magic circle will have proven that they have a proficient ability in magic.
Getting a personalise cost for an event?
We get that you’re doing your research and trying to work out what magicians charge. The only true way to find out about your event is to request a no-obligation quote. Explain what your next event will be and the number of guests. The more detail that you share with your chosen magician the clearer the response will be.
Hire a magician has a huge listing of magicians that are available to hire. Get in touch with one via our website to deal direct and find out how much the magician costs.