By Pete James, Member of The Magic Circle since 2016 and Associate of the Inner Magic Circle since 2021. Last updated 18 October 2026.
For a Christmas party on a Thursday or Friday in the first three weeks of December, book your magician in September or October, ideally as soon as your date and venue are confirmed. Other December dates usually have room into November, and January parties can often be booked a few weeks ahead.
That is the short version, and it comes from fifteen years and more than 500 events, a good share of them in December. The reason is simple arithmetic. Most London office parties land on a Thursday or Friday in the first three weeks of the month, so the whole city is competing for roughly nine good dates, and I can only be in one room on each of them. I wrote about why the best Christmas dates go first earlier in the year. This post is the practical bit: when to book, depending on your date, and what to do if you are reading this later than you would like.
A Booking Timeline for Christmas Party Magic
Find your date in the left-hand column. The right-hand column is when I would aim to have it confirmed.
| Your party | When to book |
|---|---|
| A Thursday or Friday in the first three weeks of December | September or October. These are the dates that go first, often before the companies chasing them have confirmed a venue. |
| A Monday to Wednesday in December, or the last few days before Christmas | October to early November usually works. |
| A weekend family or private Christmas party | As early as you can, ideally September or October. December weekends are busy with family and private parties as well as office events. |
| A Christmas party held in January | A few weeks to a month ahead is often enough. January is far easier to book than December. |
| A big party, 200 guests and up, needing more than one magician | As early as you can, ideally by September, because I am booking a team of experienced close-up magicians, not just myself. |
| The same party every year | As soon as this year’s date is set. Plenty of my December bookings are companies coming back, and they get first pick. |
One thing worth knowing: the lead time is about the date, not the size of the booking. A 45-minute set on a peak Friday is just as hard to find as four hours on the same evening, because either way that evening is gone.
Book Entertainment Straight After the Venue
Most organisers book in this order: venue, catering, drinks, and then entertainment once everything else is sorted. By then the good dates have usually gone. The better order is venue first, then entertainment the same week, because the entertainment has the least availability of anything on your list.
If your venue is still being confirmed, send me the date anyway. I will tell you whether it is free, and we can take it from there once your venue is confirmed.
Left It Late? What Still Works in November and December
You are not out of options. Here is what I would suggest if you are booking from November onwards:
- Ask about your date anyway. Availability changes, and it costs you one message to find out.
- Look at a midweek date. A Tuesday or Wednesday party is much easier to book than a Friday, and many teams prefer it.
- Move the party to January. Venues, catering and entertainment are all easier and kinder on the budget, and nobody is already partied out.
- Book a shorter slot at the right time. If you can only get one set, put it at the start of the evening, when people are drifting in from their desks and the room has not warmed up yet. That is where close-up magic makes the biggest difference.
What to Have Ready When You Enquire
You do not need everything finalised. These five things let me give you a firm price rather than an estimate:
- Your date, and a second-choice date if you have one
- The venue, or at least the area
- Rough guest numbers
- Whether it is a staff party or a client thank-you evening, because it changes the material more than the venue does
- The shape of the evening: arrivals, dinner, speeches or awards, dancing
There is nothing else to arrange. I need no stage, no power and no sound system, and everything fits in a jacket pocket. If your building has a security desk, just tell me whose name the booking is under.
What a Christmas Party Magician Costs
My bookings run from £450 to £1,200, depending on how long you book me for and, at Christmas especially, the date. A peak December Thursday or Friday sits at the top of each band, while January sits at the friendly end. There is no travel charge anywhere in London, Kent, Surrey or Berkshire, and full public liability insurance is included. The full price breakdown explains what moves a quote, and the same logic applies to Christmas bookings.
Christmas Party Booking: Quick Answers
Is October too late to book a Christmas party magician?
No, but it is the last comfortable month for a peak date. In October you will usually still find a December Thursday or Friday if you are flexible on which week. From November onwards, midweek dates and January are the safer bet.
Can I book a magician for a party in December itself?
Sometimes. It depends entirely on the date, so send me yours rather than assuming it has gone. Midweek dates are your best chance.
How many magicians do we need for a big Christmas party?
One close-up magician comfortably covers up to about 150 guests over two hours. Past that it is worth talking about a longer booking or a second performer. For parties of several hundred, I put together and manage a team, invoiced as one supplier. There is more on the magicians for large events page.
Do you cover Christmas parties outside London?
Yes. I am based in Orpington and cover Christmas parties across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and the rest of the South East, with the same packages.
Check Your Date
If you are planning a Christmas party, the quickest way to find out where you stand is to send me your date. There is more about December bookings on my Christmas party magician London page, ideas for the rest of the evening in Christmas party entertainment ideas for London offices, and the full picture of my work for companies on the corporate entertainment page. For a family celebration, see private parties.