Our Services

Hiring a Magician

A magician is a wonderful way to amuse and entertain guests at weddings, corporate events, parties and other special occasions. A skilled magician can either hide in plain sight and “wow” people when they least expect it or excite and amaze an audience with a live scheduled ‘Cabaret’ performance.

Either way, adding a quality magician or illusionist to your next event will help make it both memorable and successful.

Are you ready to make your next event a magical one? If so, the following tips will ensure that you know exactly what to look for in a magician and what to expect from their performance.

Types of Magic

There are several fields of Magic and not every magician is trained in, or performs all of them; this is why it is important to have a clear idea of what types of performance you may require for your event. As you would suspect from our name, Close Up Entertainment can provide ‘Close-up’ magicians for mix and mingle receptions or seated dining situations but our experienced and multi skilled team can also provide stage magicians, illusionists and mentalists (mind readers) for larger scale ‘Cabaret’ performances, which is now very much in demand following the recent exposure on prime time television. We also have a trusted group of suppliers who can provide other types of entertainment such as Caricaturists, Children’s Entertainers, Photo booths and much more.

So, the first step in hiring a magician is to decide what type of magic you want performed and what styles would suit the personality of your guests and the tone that you are trying to set. Are your guests the type of people that want to laugh or would they enjoy a more intellectual and mysterious style? Is your event a party where humour is appropriate or are you catering to a more conservative crowd?

Sometimes, the venue will have a major impact on the types of magic that can be performed. For example, the venue for your corporate event might have a stage that would be great for a Cabaret show, while an outdoor wedding venue might lend itself more to the strolling Close-Up magician

The following are the most common styles of magic performed at weddings and other events:

Mix and Mingle Magic

This style of magic is best suited to small groups of people in a reception environment where the magician is only a few feet or less away from the guests and can move from group to group. This style of performance is very personal in approach, involves a lot of audience participation and is a great icebreaker and conversation starter.

Ideal situations would include weddings, parties, formal function, corporate events and trade shows.

Table Magic

As the name suggests, this is magic performed at the table side in a formal dining or restaurant setting. The effects are still considered ‘close-up’ in nature but are performed as a mini Cabaret to all the guests seated at each table, usually between courses.
We have provided this style of magic at functions in some of this country’s top hotels and venues and would be ideally suited to weddings, formal dinners, charity Balls and restaurants.

Mentalism

Commonly referred to as ‘Mind Reading’, Mentalism has become extremely popular since Derren Brown first came to our screens in 2000 with his series ‘Mind Control’ and it has featured very heavily in recent seasons of Britain’s got Talent. This type of magic will leave your guests in shock and disbelief as the performer is able to impossibly reveal the spectators thoughts and make astounding predictions.

Stage Magic ‘Cabaret’

In a cabaret or stage performance, the entire audience watches the magician perform a show or structured routine. The magician can bring guests up on stage to assist with effects and the show can be themed around the event and can include much larger illusions and effects such as the world Famous sawing a person in half.

Quality Control

Whilst knowing your guests, venue and event mood is critical, the quality of the magician is equally if not more important as an experienced magician can adapt their performance in real time to suit several audience types or cover for mishaps or delays at your event.

Unfortunately just about anyone can hold themselves out to be a magician so to protect our professional integrity, these are our promises to you:

All performers are personally vetted by our management team and we will always strive to have at least one of our in house team at every event.
All performers will hold public liability insurance and certificates can be provided prior to your booking should the venue require them.
All performers will have been enhanced CRB Checked.
All Magician performers will be members of the Magic Circle.

Wedding Magic

At Close Up Entertainment, we consider ourselves as wedding specialists and are proud to have been the only non-musical act to reach the finals of the 2019 Essex wedding awards.

We all want our big day to be perfect and unique, but…… Let’s face it, weddings can be a bit samey; especially if it is being organised by a venue that do them day after day to a set structure. Photos, food, dancing and music and possibly some bad toasts from drunken relatives.
So why not make your wedding reception really pop and ensure it is an event that people will remember by including a magician.

Our team has thrilled and captivated guests at hundreds of weddings in the UK and beyond and can keep your guests entertained during the photograph session and then continue into the wedding breakfast and go around the tables between courses or even to entertain your evening guests to literally make those potentially dull moments ‘disappear’.

Our Wedding Packages

The ‘Ice Breaker’ Package

1 x Magician for 90 minutes. (less than 100 guests)
This performance can be either during the drinks reception/ photographs or around the tables at the wedding breakfast. For smaller, more intimate weddings we can split the time between the two sessions.

*90 minutes performance time over a max 3 hour period

The Gold Package

1 x Magicians for 2 hours (up to 100 Guests)
This performance can be split across the drinks reception/ photographs and around the tables at the wedding breakfast.

*2 hours performance time over a max 3 hour period

The Platinum Package

2 x Magicians for 2 hours (up to 200 guests)

This performance can be split across the drinks reception/ photographs and around the tables at the wedding breakfast.

*4 hours combined performance time over a max 3 hour period

The Platinum Plus Package

2 x Magicians for 3 hours (up to 200 guests)

As our platinum package but with the inclusion of ‘Announcing the Bride & Groom’ into the Wedding Breakfast and the Announcement of The Speeches.

Bespoke Packages

In addition to the above, we are happy to work with clients to create bespoke packages to suit their needs including the addition of a Cabaret performance for the entire room.

When is the best time to utilise the skills of a Magician at our wedding?

The Drinks Reception

While you are busy having photos taken and the like, we will mix and mingle with your guests and keep them entertained until you arrive. let us look after your guests while you concentrate on looking amazing for your photos.

The entertainment begins a little after your guests arrive from the service. As they gather, the magicians will entertains each group with amazing magic effects and feats of mind reading designed to break the ice and put guests at ease.

The Wedding Breakfast

Table magic is one of the most popular times to have magic at your wedding. Clients love having us perform at the wedding breakfast, entertaining guests with some more highly skilled sleight of hand and mind reading. This is both interactive and guaranteed to have everyone laughing in between the courses of the meal.

The effects performed will be completely different from those during the drinks reception so I does not matter if your guests see us a second or even third time.

We liaise and work closely with the venue and waiting staff to ensure all tables are included and that we finish prior to the speeches.

The Evening Reception

For this portion of the wedding we focus on the Bar or breakout areas so as not to compete with the Band or DJ. This is usually a far more relaxed style of performance to small intimate groups with the focus being more on humour than complicated effects as we may also be competing with the beer and champagne.
One thing you can rely on is that we will ensure your guests are having the time of their lives. While you dance and greet guests in turn, we will keep the rest of the audience fully engaged and entertained.

No matter which option you feel will work best for you, we will tailor his performance so that your guests talk about your special day for years to come.

Now it is time for you to add some magic to your big day! If you want to make your wedding a truly memorable experience for your guests, please contact us to discuss your wedding needs.

Cabaret Show

A cabaret show is a 20–60 minute show performed for the whole audience. At Close Up Entertainment, we can supply a number of options for cabaret, including; Classic Magic, Comedy Magic or Mind Reading.

We are happy to discuss your event in detail and if required, create a bespoke cabaret act for your company, wedding, private party or product launch.

A cabaret performance, makes an excellent addition to any event, giving everyone the opportunity to relax and enjoy our performance together.

Corporate Events

If your company organises corporate hospitality events, you will be well aware of the need to stand out to make an impact. Let us add some excitement to your next corporate event by having our award-winning magicians perform for your clients. We can be there simply to amaze and captivate your clients and guests with a wide variety of modern and exciting magic in the reception setting or we can help bring your brand to life by incorporating your companies’ logo, product or business cards into effects or shows.

We have provided corporate entertainment to a host of high-profile clients and organisations including; The House of Lords, Moorfields Eye Hospital, Eurostar, Wentworth Golf Club, Heritage Inns, Marriot Hotels, The Royal College of Surgeons and The Hilton Hotel Group.

Trade Shows

If you are exhibiting at trade shows or exhibitions, you need to know that potential clients are visiting you and not your competitors. We can help make you stand out and draw a crowd by performing a short, hard hitting magic routine utilising your brand or products before handing them over to you for the pitch and close.

So do you want to make a bigger impact, draw larger crowds or have your products and services presented in a magical way? If so, you need us in your corner.

Private Functions

It takes a lot of work to keep your party guests entertained. Stop worrying about whether your guests are having fun and let us handle the entertainment. Whether it is a birthday, anniversary, hen do or a simple get together… Our unique style of award-winning magic and baffling mind reading is sure to captivate and entertain each and every party guest. We have performed at hundreds of parties and it always creates a fun, memorable and magical experience for everyone.

Unlike many magicians, we always offer our clients a chance to meet with us before booking so that you can feel comfortable and confident that you are hiring the best magicians for your party or event.