It feels far too early to be talking about Christmas. The nights are still light and nobody’s thinking about mince pies yet. But if you’re the person responsible for the office party or a big family celebration this December, now is exactly the right time to be reading this, and here’s why.
Every year I take the same bookings in the same order, and every year I have the same conversations in November with lovely people who left it a few weeks too late. The best December dates, especially the Fridays and Saturdays in the run-up to Christmas, get snapped up first. If you want entertainment for your party, the single biggest thing standing between you and a great magician is simply time.
Why December books up faster than any other month
Christmas is the one time of year when nearly every company and every family wants to celebrate, and they all want to do it in the same three or four weeks. That creates a crush of demand on a very small number of prime dates. Add in that a good magician can only be in one place on any given evening, and you can see why the popular slots vanish early.
The clients who get exactly what they want are the ones who plan ahead. The ones who ring around in late November are often choosing from whatever’s left. Booking early isn’t about pressure, it’s simply how you give yourself the pick of dates and the performer you actually want.
Why close-up magic works so well at a Christmas party
A Christmas party has a particular challenge built into it. You’ve often got people who work in different departments, or family members who only see each other once a year, all in one room and expected to mingle. Drinks help, but there’s always that early stretch where the room hasn’t quite warmed up.
That’s where close-up magic comes in. I move between groups performing magic that happens right in your guests’ hands. A deck of cards visibly turns to solid glass in front of them, or a colleague’s own shuffled Rubik’s Cube is solved in the blink of an eye, and within a minute a quiet table is laughing together and calling other people over to watch. It breaks the ice without anyone having to force it, and it gives your guests a shared moment to talk about for the rest of the night and back at their desks in January.
There’s no stage and no fuss. It works around the meal, the drinks, and the dancing rather than interrupting them, which makes it ideal for the natural flow of a party.
Perfect for the corporate Christmas party
Most of my December work is corporate, and it’s easy to see why close-up magic suits it so well. A company Christmas party throws together people from different teams, different offices, and sometimes people who’ve only ever met on a screen, and expects them to relax and mingle. Magic that happens in their hands is one of the quickest ways to get a room of colleagues laughing together and genuinely talking.
Whether it’s a full office party, a team dinner, a client entertaining evening, or a drinks reception before the awards, I tailor the performance to your crowd and the tone you want to set. Over the years I’ve performed at corporate Christmas parties at venues across London and the Home Counties, from City Central at the HAC and The Caledonian Club in Belgravia to The Ivy Soho, The Crown Inn at Burnham Beeches, and the grandstands of Kempton Park and Epsom Downs racecourses. I’m equally comfortable working with event planners, venues, and office organisers to fit around your schedule for the evening. Private family celebrations are very welcome too, and get a warmer, more relaxed version of the same magic.
A simple bit of advice for party organisers
If you take one thing from this post, let it be this: sort your entertainment early, ideally as soon as you’ve locked in your date and venue. It’s the part people leave until last, and it’s the part with the least availability. Getting it booked takes one thing off your list and guarantees you the performer you want rather than the one who happens to be free.
There is more detail on how December bookings work on the Christmas party magician London page.
Check your date now
If you’re planning a Christmas party this year and want close-up magic that gets the room talking, don’t wait until the calendar fills up. Get in touch here to check whether your date is still available, and let’s make this year’s party the one everyone remembers.