29 Aug How much does a close-up magician cost?
How Much Does a Close-Up Magician Cost?
An honest UK pricing guide from a full-time pro with 28 years in the game. What you should expect to pay, why prices vary, and what actually makes a magician worth the money.
Hiring a magician isn't something most people do often - so the first honest question is always the same: what does it actually cost? Good question. And you deserve a straight answer, not a vague "it depends" followed by a pitch.
So here it is. UK close-up magic fees for a professional start around £500, and rise from there depending on the event, guest count, duration, location and the experience of the performer. A full-time pro with years behind them will charge more than someone doing it at weekends - and for very good reasons, which I'll get into below.
Before we dig in: yes, I send a full pricing PDF the moment you enquire - no haggling, no hidden costs, no awkward back-and-forth. But this post isn't a sales page. It's the guide I wish existed when I first started getting asked this question 28 years ago.
The starting point — what to expect
If you're looking for a pro who does this full-time and actually knows what they're doing, expect to pay from £500 for a UK event.
That's the floor, not the ceiling. The upper end stretches well past £1,500 depending on guest count, duration, travel, date and experience. But £500-ish is where serious performers begin, and quotes below that figure should trigger a few questions, not a quick booking.
When I started out in 1997 I took gigs for £100. Were those clients getting value? Not really — I was awful. Being any good takes years. There are no shortcuts to learning how to handle a room full of strangers, a shy bride, a heckler at the back, and a drunk uncle who wants to "see how you did it" all in the same 90 minutes.
Per hour vs per event — how magicians actually price
If somebody quotes you purely by the hour, you're probably not talking to a full-timer.
Most serious performers price by the event, not the hour. The reason is simple: a 90-minute gig involves 3-4 hours of travel, 2 hours of setup and breakdown, gear maintenance, and months of rehearsal behind every routine. The "hour" you see me for is the tip of the iceberg.
That said, if you want a rough ballpark: expect around £250 per hour as a back-of-envelope figure for a pro. But in practice, most real quotes are structured around packages — drinks reception, wedding breakfast, evening reception — because that's how events actually run.
What affects the price
Six levers move every quote you'll receive. If you know them going in, no quote can surprise you.
- Experience: a full-timer with hundreds of events behind them commands more than a weekend hobbyist — and for very good reason (see section 05).
- Event type: weddings and corporate gigs usually price higher than house parties because they demand more preparation and tighter delivery.
- Guest count: more guests = more ground to cover = more performers, or longer hours.
- Duration: a one-hour drinks reception vs. all-day coverage from ceremony to evening — very different quotes.
- Location & travel: an event near the performer's base is cheaper than one that needs a hotel, a train, or a 4am start.
- Date: Saturday in peak wedding season (May-September) or December (Christmas-party season) costs more than a Tuesday in February. Basic supply and demand.
Want the actual
numbers?
Skip the research. I send a full pricing PDF the moment you enquire — package options, what's included, real figures. No haggling, no hidden costs.
Get My Pricing PDF →Takes 30 seconds. PDF arrives within the hour.
Pricing by event type
The £500+ floor applies across the board — but every event type has its own pricing structure, packages, and quirks. Here's how it breaks down, with a link to the full guide for each.
Drinks, breakfast, evening — or all three
Wedding quotes are structured around the day's three entertainment windows. Expect from £500 for one window, rising to £1,500+ for all-day coverage, depending on guest count, location and travel.
Full wedding pricing guide →
30ths, 40ths, 50ths, 60ths — adult parties
For adult milestone parties, budget from £500 for 1.5 to 2 hours. Venue parties and home parties price similarly; travel and duration are the main variables.
See party options →
Drinks receptions, galas, product launches
Corporate quotes tend to sit from £650 upward, reflecting the tighter brief, wider guest count and higher stakes. Large events often need more than one performer — I'll flag that at quote stage.
Corporate packages →
The busiest 6 weeks of the year
December is peak season. Expect a 10-20% uplift on standard rates for prime dates (first three Fridays of December), and book early — my diary for December is usually closed by September.
Christmas rates →
The cheap-magician warning
If a quote comes in at £150, £200, or £250 — stop.
Not "get excited about the deal." Stop. Ask questions. Because at that price point you're almost certainly booking someone who either (a) does this as a weekend hobby alongside a day job, or (b) hasn't yet built the skill to hold a room.
That's not snobbery. It's maths. Nobody who has invested 5+ years in this craft, carries £10m public liability insurance, and pays their rent from it can sustainably charge £150. The numbers don't add up — so something is missing from the package, and it's usually experience or reliability.
The worst outcome isn't "I paid a bit more than I needed to." It's "the entertainment fell flat and the event never quite recovered." Your wedding, your 50th, your launch — those don't get a second take. Here's how to choose the right one.
Frequently asked pricing questions
The questions I get asked 10 times a week, answered in one sentence each.
How much does it cost to hire a professional magician in the UK?
Expect to pay from £500 for a full-time professional. Quotes below that figure usually signal a weekend hobbyist rather than a career performer — which matters more than people realise.
What are the average rates for booking a magician for a private party?
For adult private parties — 30ths, 40ths, 50ths, 60ths — budget from £500 for 1.5 to 2 hours. Home parties and venue parties price similarly; travel is usually the main variable.
What factors influence magician booking prices?
Six: experience, event type, guest count, duration, location and travel, and date. Saturdays in peak season (May-September and December) cost more than a Tuesday in February — supply and demand.
What is the typical price range for a magician at a corporate event?
Corporate quotes tend to sit from £650 upward, reflecting tighter briefs and higher stakes. Large conferences, exhibitions and multi-room events may need more than one performer — that'll be flagged at quote stage.
How much does a magician cost per hour?
A rough ballpark is around £250 per hour, but most full-time pros price per event, not per hour — because every 90-minute gig carries 3-4 hours of travel, 2 hours of setup, and months of rehearsal behind it.
Hiring a magician comes down to this: £500+ isn't a premium, it's the honest floor for a full-time pro who'll actually deliver. Cheaper quotes usually cost you somewhere else - in experience, reliability, or the quality of the night itself. Pay fairly for the right performer, and the entertainment becomes the moment your guests remember for years.
Stop wondering. Start enquiring.
If you want the actual numbers for your event - not a vague estimate, not a sales pitch - the next step is simple. Send an enquiry, and I'll have a full pricing PDF in your inbox within the hour.
