St Louis
Things to do in Saint Louis MO
 24 things to do in the lou

wedding magician prices upscale corporate event magician prices close up magician

Saint Louis, MO

Rates range from

$10 – $150 per guest

With centuries of history as a native American settlement and then again as a major port on the Mississippi River, St. Louis is a city with a ton of things to explore. I got a chance to spend a week there, and here are some of my favorite things I did while in St. Louis.

The average cost for a magician is $43 per guest. In rare cases it can be as high as $350 per guest. You’ll likely spend between $15 and $75 per guest. Price depends on the factors given below.

The st. Louis Gateway Arch
One of the most popular tourist destinations in Missouri is the Gateway Arch in St Louis. The St. Louis Arch is the iconic symbol of the city and one of the most popular tourist destinations. The 630-foot tall steel structure was built in 1963 and stands as a monument to westward expansion in the United States. Visitors can take a tram to the top of the arch for views of the city and the Mississippi River.
The St. Louis
Gateway Arch

Magician’s rates is the most famous attraction in the city. The arch is a prominent part of the city’s skyline, and it stands at over 600 feet.

Magicians are a great option for any event, but how much does it cost? The price of magicians varies depending on many factors. These factors include the skill level of the magician, performance experience, whether they have assistants, the date of the event, level of magic act customization, etc.You can walk through the park that the arch sits on, or you can pay to take the small elevator up to the top of the arch. Note that the elevator is tiny and not for those that are claustrophobic once at the top. You can get amazing views of the city and out across the river into Illinois as you walk across the top of the arch to get to the other pod that takes you back down.

Like most service professionals, there’s no set price for “a magician” because each event is unique.It’s a tremendous and historical attraction in the city but again, not one for those who are afraid of heights or small spaces.ice ball sphere round ice cube

Gateway geeyser

RSVPs, party favors like these cool ice cubes—the perfect “icebreaker”— you need the magic!more info

This park was initially supposed to have a second arch, but after they lost funding, they decided to install this geyser instead. Most people don’t even know that it’s here, but it runs every day during the summer months and noon for about 10 minutes.

Before you get a magician

The fountain supposedly shoots up to the height of the arch on a day with no wind. When we went though, it shot high but nowhere near the arch’s height. It’s a fun, quick stop in the city with a unique history, and the park is beautiful for sunset as well since you get a great view across the water to the STL Arch.

When you rent a magicianMissouri Botanical Garden, here’s what you can expect to invest to make sure your event isn’t boring or embarrassing.

magician lease

  • Anheuser-Busch Bre: Operational costs hit the stage illusionist harder than any other magician performer. A stage illusionist uses large props (the equipment alone costs many thousands of dollars), special lighting and sound, and for each gig must transport all this crap to and from the venue.

We’ll need to get more to find the average price of a magicianwery.

In this article we’ll divide magicians into two broad categories—magicians and kids magicians. Given the higher volume of “kids magician” data points, and the typically lower fee, the “average cost of a magician” can give a misleading number.

The Anheuser-Busch Brewery is one of the most popular tourist destinations in St Louis. Visitors can take a tour of the brewery, see the Clydesdale horses, and sample some of the beer. The Budweiser brewery tour as probably America’s most well-known brewery. Budweiser has had its presence in St. Louis for more than a century. There are many tours you can take, ranging from free to $35. The free tour is a great one, though, as it takes you in a historic barn to see the Clydesdales and then into a few more of the beautiful brick buildings that make up the Budweiser facility.

The price of a small personal, e.g., a The area is massive, and it really feels like a town as you’re walking around and exploring it on tour. After the tour, you can enjoy some free samples and relax in the impressive beer garden. They have their Budweiser, which is really a must stop for beer lovers in the city. But if you wanted another brewery to check out, I recommend going to urban chestnut as well.zoom magician birthday party starts at $700. For a virtual corporate Saint Louis Science Centerzoom magician the price ranges from $1000 to $5000. The average price in 2022 for Jon Finch’s virtual show is $1748 — the lowest cost was $1100 and the highest cost for a Jon Finch zoom show in 2022 in was $3500.The Saint Louis Science Center is a hands-on museum that is fun for the whole family. The museum has exhibits on science, technology, engineering, and math. The museum is home to the James S. McDonnell Planetarium and the OMNIMAX Theater.

The cost rate for a zoom magician varies depending on the following five factors:Busch Stadium

    Home to the St Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium is a must-visit for any baseball fan. The stadium offers tours of the facilities, as well as a chance to see the Cardinals in action.
  • Date and time of the virtual event . The price of booking a virtual magician in December will almost always be way higher than in April. Some of Jon Finch’s magic shows in December 2021 were $5000. The average of Finch’s December shows was $2901.Missouri History Museum
  • DurationThe Missouri History Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of the state of Missouri. The museum features exhibits on the Lewis and Clark expedition, westward expansion, the Civil War, and more. The museum is free to the public and offers educational programs for all ages.: The price of a 10 minute or 20 minute Zoom magician appearance will lower than the price of a 90 minute appearance.
  • Scott joplin house state historic site
  • Guest count : A virtual event with fewer than 10 or 15 attendees will often be lower than an event with an expected guest count of more than 50 or 100 attendees.The Scott Joplin House State Historic Site is the former home of ragtime composer Scott Joplin. The house is now a museum that features exhibits on Joplin’s life and work. The house is open for tours and offers educational programs for all ages.
  • Prep and rehearsal needed : If you need to use a platform that is not Zoom (Webex, MS Teams, Bluejeans, Google Meet), this will sometimes increase the price and always cripple the entertainer. Asking a virtual magician to perform over a non-Zoom platform is like hiring Tiger Woods and to play golf using only a baseball bat. All virtual magicians (yes, every last one) have performed most of their shows over Zoom. That means if you’re happy to play in the magician’s arena, your group will have a smoother experience since the magician can focus on the audience and the magic.
  • Next up is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. I was blown away when I visited this Cathedral; it is breathtaking with massive mosaic murals all along the ceiling of the interior. It’s one of those places that you can sit in for an hour since the art that lines the wall is so intricate.
  • Special custom tricks : If you’d like the Zoom magician to customize the show for your group, that’s not a problem! Since a special show like this takes extra time and energy, this is a factor that is usually taken into account in the price of the virtual magician.They have a mosaic museum downstairs that you can see when it’s open as well. The Cathedral is a quick stop, but I guarantee it’s one of the most impressive US-based cathedrals you’ve ever seen. 
  • view more
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis

<div”> Magic Shows in Las Vegas | Jon Finch finchmagician

Skip to main content
I discussed why the Skip to footer
Cathedral Basilica
was the #1 spot to visit in Saint Louis, MO. It’s a majestic building and a must-see attraction. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is a beautiful church that is the seat of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The cathedral is open for tours and offers Masses and concerts.
VIDEOS

The cathedral is home to the St Louis Cathedral Concert Series, which features world-renowned musicians. The best thing about the cathedral is its beautiful stained glass windows, which are some of the largest in the world. VIRTUAL SHOWSForest Park

VIRTUAL MENTALIST
HOLIDAY PARTY MAGICThe next few recommendations are in the Forest Park area of St. Louis, which is a massive part of Missouri. Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States and covers over 1,300 acres. The park is home to the Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and the Muny Opera. The park has a golf course, an outdoor swimming pool, and miles of trails for hiking, biking, and running.

VIRTUAL TEAM BUILDING First up is the St. Louis Zoo. Often voted one of the best in the United States, the St. Louis Zoo is an excellent spot in Forest Park. The zoo itself is free to visit, and you only have to pay to park, and for some of the add-on attractions, we had a blast exploring the large zoo and got to see everything from elephants to penguins.

Also, there’s a great butterfly enclosure with tons of butterflies flying all around you that’s popular as well.
REVIEWS
It’s a fantastic zoo, and it’s crazy that it’s a free attraction in the city.
St. Louis science center

price of magician

VIDEONext up is the St. Louis Science Center. The Science Center is another free spot in the Forest Park area. It’s a great place to visit with younger children. The center has a lot of fun interactive exhibits ranging from video games and dinosaurs to rotating exhibits like Pompeii.
VIRTUAL SHOWS

ZOOM MAGICIAN
VIRTUAL MENTALIST
HOLIDAY PARTY MAGIC
VIRTUAL TEAM BUILDING

hire a magician

REVIEWS


magician hire rates

magician for hire prices

  • Not all magicians handle all types of work, and if you see one advertised as “for all occasions,” you have reason to magic shows in las vegas ? be wary How many miracles have you experienced lately?. las vegas magicians .
  • Providing entertainment does not mean merely delivering
magicians las vegas .memorable magic
at your event.
vegas magic shows ?
It means the way you are treated through each of the steps that precede and follow
las vegas magician ?your

how much does a magician cost

top magicians in vegas ?successful event
.
magicians in las vegas .
Having performed at hundreds of events over the latest 17 years throughout French Lick Indiana and its periphery, I offer a professional service that transforms dull, ordinary events into successful,
Las vegas magic shows magicextraordinary events
shows las vegas magic shows in las vegas las vegas magic show magic shows in.

Criss Angel may seem cool to watch on a TV show, but you may not want him in your home for your kid’s birthday party. But if your child loves vegas magic show las vegas magic shows vegas vegas magic shows magicians las Criss Angel vegas las vegas magicians vegas magicians las vegas magician magicians in, you can get a Criss Angel magic set.  vegas magicians in las vegas illusionists las vegas famous magician in vegas

las vegas magicians famous vegas magician magicians vegas magician las vegas. .
  • In the same way, a magician who is experienced in managing a room full of sugar-filled children may not be ideal for an adult birthday party or a corporate holiday party. magic shows in las vegas magic shows las vegas las vegas magic shows
vegas magic shows magicians las vegas las vegas magicians
magicians in las vegas top magicians in vegas las vegas magician

magician+for+hire+cost

magicians in las vegas
Interactive Magic Gets People Talking
Energizes Your Guests with Magic And Hilarious Comedy magicians in las vegas

 People Will Remember Your Event Event Types for Years to Come

las vegas magic shows
magic shows las vegas
magic shows in las vegas

magician prices

las vegas magicians
magicians las vegas
.
magic shows in las vegas magic shows las vegas las vegas magic shows

The first request is a close-up, one-hour-long performance for a family reunion with 25 attendees in a private dining room in an upscale restaurant. The venue is 30 minutes distance from the close-up magician. The fee may be between $300 and $750 per hour.

vegas magic shows magicians las vegas las vegas magicians
magicians in las vegas top magicians in vegas las vegas magician Friendly, Punctual, Competent & Professional
magicians in las vegas top magicians in vegas Your Guests Will Literally Come up And Congratulate You
You’ve Seen Magic? Master Magician Jon Finch Offers Unique Magic You’ve Never Seen
las vegas magicians

magician charge cost

magicians las vegas
vegas magic shows
las vegas magician for availability, click here
.

Another request is for a “kid’s magician” for a six-year-old birthday party lasting. The fee may be between $140 and $275 for 45 minutes. .

100% risk free money back guarantee
const paragraphs = document.querySelectorAll('h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, p, blockquote, li, aside, address, summary'); function capitalizeFirstWordAndSentences(element) { const walker = document.createTreeWalker( element, NodeFilter.SHOW_TEXT, { acceptNode: function(node) { return node.textContent.trim().length > 0 ? NodeFilter.FILTER_ACCEPT : NodeFilter.FILTER_REJECT; } }, false ); let isFirstWord = true; let node; while (node = walker.nextNode()) { const text = node.textContent; if (isFirstWord) { // Capitalize first word only if it's lowercase if (text.charAt(0) && text.charAt(0) === text.charAt(0).toLowerCase()) { node.textContent = text.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + text.slice(1); } isFirstWord = false; } // Handle sentence capitalization (after periods) node.textContent = node.textContent.replace(/\.\s+([a-z])/g, function(match, letter) { return match.replace(letter, letter.toUpperCase()); }); } } paragraphs.forEach(paragraph => { capitalizeFirstWordAndSentences(paragraph); });
Jon Finch 
Master Mentalist and professional
magician Jon Finch
delivers magic shows for corporate audiences. With more than two decades of experience entertaining, his performances blend misdirection, sleight of hand skill, showmanship, and audience interaction to create a magical experience. From impossible illusions to modern marvels, Jon Finch's mentalism and magic shows amaze, amuse, and leave a lasting impression.Since the entertainment at your event is so important and since I know that you’ll love the unique magic of French Lick magician Jon Finch, I am offering a 100% risk-free money-back guarantee.
+1 317 766 6519
[email protected]I want to work with you only if you think the magic will be a good fit!

magician prices

(for the
fastestOut of all the magicians in Indiana, which should you choose?
response, click the smoky button)
magic postsYou could find a local magician who may be a cheap magician.
magic terms
AboutPlenty of less experienced entertainers would jump at the opportunity to practice their tricks on your important guests. But hiring a seasoned entertainer is a no brainer.
Sitemap

The next request is for a weekend-long trade show. The fee for a trade show magician is roughly $5,000, but it can be as low as $2,500 per day.Privacy policyIf you and your guests aren’t delighted with my performance, I’ll return every cent of your investment.

Terms of Service
Try doing that with any other magician. This is a solid stance few entertainers are willing to take. That’s how confident I am about the quality of my service!Jon Finch | Magician & Mentalist™ © 2026
You don’t want to take any chances on the success of your event when you could hire the best French Lick magician or your important event.
Often you get what you pa

We’ve barely scratched the surface of the types of shows a magician might be requested for.y for. A bargain basement entertainer could be more costly in the long run.

An illusionist or a mentalist charges more than the numbers above. Briefly, an illusionist is one type of magician who uses big boxes and tigers on stage. A When considering the entertainment at your event, it is important to be sure you are dealing with a professional. mentalist is a magician who does mind tricks.though

my act is extremely safe

The cruise market allows the magician to entertain in more traditional performing venues like theaters with outstanding technical support. Still, the magician needs to have at least an hour straight of various materials. The magician may need to be away from home for long periods. (for now), as a French Lick magician I am covered by a $3,000,000 insurance policy.

Let’s hope one of your guests doesn’t shoot one of my rubber bands across the room and end up hurting another guest.
However, in the unlikely event that this sort of thing should happen, it’s comforting to know that I have $3,000,000 set aside forsuch an occasion.Code Snippet ma-customfonts 3.4.2

magician for all ocassions

French Lick Magician for Hire | Jon Finch
French Lick,
IN
47432

Most magicians regard kids’ magic shows as a lower-value market with less-than-ideal performing conditions. As a trade-off, the higher volume of magic shows within a tight radius compensates the magician. 

A good kid’s magician has a room full of ripe prospects at each magic show and a fresh crop of birthdays each year.finchmagician.com

From one event to the next, both the costs to the magician and the needs of the client change. The price of a magician could be as dynamic as his act. 

Factors such as the distance between the magician and the venue, duration of performance, needs of the client, event type, and experience of the magician all affect your investment.Share this French Lick magician for hire | Jon Finch article.

Jon Finch
Louisville magician Jon Finch
brings astonishing entertainment to Kentucky. Known for his captivating performances and mind-reading abilities, Jon has become a favorite throughout the Louisville area. With a client list that includes KYC and Humana, the Louisville magician delivers top-tier magical experiences for corporate events and private parties. For unforgettable entertainment in Louisville, choose mentalist and magician Jon Finch to amaze and delight your guests.
Jon Finch | Magician & mentalist for special events
2323 Woodglen Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46260
+1 317 766 6519
[email protected]

cost magician price

(for the
fastest
response, click the smoky button)
magic posts
magic terms
About

“You get what you pay for,” is no less accurate for magicians than for any other professional.Sitemap

Privacy policy

You get what you pay forTerms of Service

Jon Finch | Magician & Mentalist™ © 2026

As a rule, bargain-basement prices mean bargain-basement talent, but there are exceptions to that rule.

There are a few hobbyist magicians who never perform professionally (for money) and are more skilled and entertaining than some working magicians.

Entertainment can make or break an event. Guests remember the show long after they’ve forgotten the flowers, the favors, the centerpiece, the decor, the ceremony, or even the food (food ranks second).

Professional live entertainment brings energy, interaction, and fun to the event.

For your event, you want everything to be perfect.

But remember what your guests will most remember.

If you’re operating on a shoestring budget when it’s an important corporate function or private event, you’ll be safer to skimp on the decorations than the entertainment.


Things to keep in mind

  • Depending on the factors laid out in this guide, you can expect to budget between $10 to $55 per guest.
  • Some magicians require the balance paid in full 30 days before the event to secure the date.

Discounts

    • It is sometimes possible to get a discounted rate if you book well enough in advance.
    • If your event is on a non-peak day (Monday through Thursday), if this applies to your situation, you can use it as a negotiation chip if your budget can’t cover the performer’s quoted rate. The odds are that the magician won’t have a booking on a weekday.
    • Many magicians offer a discount of up to 50% for each additional hour after the first hour.
    • Such a discount is a win/win since you get more magical entertainment at a lower price, and from the magician’s perspective, most of the cost to him is front-loaded.
    • He is holding the show date, preparing his props, getting ready for the show, traveling to the venue, etc, not to mention the decade or more of honing his craft.
    • The magician has already made most of his investment upfront. The wise magician should be happy to stay and perform for another hour at a discounted price.
    • If you do intend to negotiate, remember that it is courteous (though not customary) to issue a counteroffer than merely asking the performer to give you a second offer.

Magician Rates – The Data

There are three popular event booking services. These websites host profiles of magicians.

thumbtack

Two of the best ones are Thumbtack (which doesn’t specialize in magicians or even entertainers) and Gigmasters (now called The Bash…which does not specialize in magicians, but does specialize in entertainers).

gigmasters

Walmart is to widgets as Gigmasters is to magicians.
These sites offer a lot of conveniences.

But there’s a catch.

The main problem is that the person needing a magician selects some items from a restrictive drop-down menu, then the person may or may not write a sentence or two describing their needs, and then wait for ten blind magicians to send them quotes.

hire magician cost

The entertainer is often unaware of the specifics of the event. You’ll get the best deal and the best experience, and no unpleasant surprises if you give the professional what he needs (details of your event) to work out the best quote for you.

When you find a magician through Thumbtack, each magician pays Thumbtack at least $12 whenever you engage with them. Even when he receives a rejection message, “You seem great, but we can’t afford your fee.” Thumbtack still treats that as a lead, so the magician pays for it.

When you book the magician through Gigmasters, Gigmasters takes a minimum of $20 for each booking or 5% of the fee—whichever is greater. In addition to that, magicians pay annually to be on the site.

Since entertainers need to inflate their rates when booking through such sites, you will get the best deal by contacting the magician directly instead of going through such a booking service. How do you contact the magician directly? Find their website and contact him via the website, email, or phone.

Simple.

The above sites advertise on Google with headlines like “The 10 Best Magicians in Indianapolis” or “The Top Ten Magicians in Chicago.”

The above sites have no way of ranking “best magicians” aside from the bookings the website processed for the performer. The top magicians tend not to use such sites anymore, which means you see only a part of the picture.

Let’s dig deeper

magician prices

In 2018, I decided to have a conversation with one of the highest-ranking agents at Gigmasters.

According to my recon, within a 100-mile radius of Indianapolis, Gigmasters received 250 requests per year for a magician (keep in mind that Gigmasters is only one of many paths a party host may follow when searching for a magician). The average duration of a magic show was 1.5 hours. The average magician quote was $350 per hour, and the minimum quote was $140 per hour (the “lowest quote ever,” as she put it).

This average included bookings through only Gigmasters. It does not include Thumbtack, Gigsalad, Yelp, Yellowpages, and all the other platforms online, let alone all the requests that went directly through a magician’s website.

If you’ve read this far, you’re savvy enough to understand that this does not mean most magicians charge $350 per hour. It’sthe average, a number that is not that informative since there are far more kids’ birthday parties (happening every day of the year) than there are corporate holiday parties.

It would be like giving the “average” doctor’s salary—including brain surgeons, dentists, and anyone who has a doctoral degree in any field.

The “magician” title is a broad one: it comprises trade show magicians who are working with budgets of $10,000+ per weekend (at the national level), and kid’s birthday party magicians who are working with $200 budgets (and supply and demand).

  • Those throwing a kid’s birthday party are more likely to use a site like Gigmasters than someone seeking a magician for a client appreciation event or awards ceremony, so from the perspective of Gigmasters, the volume of kid’s party requests dramatically exceeds the amount of adult party magician requests.

price of magician 2

When booking through Gigmasters, the magician gets the customer’s email and phone number as soon as the magician sends a quote.

Many magicians who charge $1,500 or more may bypass the booking process through Gigmasters to avoid the cost of Gigmasters’ booking fee (the booking fee is 5% of the magician’s rate than a fixed amount).

Location

On Gigmasters, there are 5% more magicians in Chicago than in Indianapolis, yet 300% more requests for a magician in Chicago than in Indianapolis.

The above figures are from only one website, but going by the numbers on this website, an Indianapolis magician would do well to move to Chicago.

In terms of requests for a magician, Chicago dwarfs every other Midwest city. Chicago has triple the number of requests, no matter which Midwest city you look at.

Midwest cities ordered by number of requests for a magician:

2017

  1. Chicago
  2. St Louis
  3. Cincinnati
  4. Naperville (basically Chicago)
  5. Indianapolis
  6. Louisville
  7. Lexington

2020

  1. Chicago
  2. St Louis
  3. Indianapolis (almost tied with STL in 2020)
  4. Naperville (basically Chicago)
  5. Cincinnati
  6. Louisville
  7. Lexington

Those are Gigmasters figures. According to Google search volume, there are more requests for “Indianapolis magician” than “Cincinnati magician,” and no search volume for Louisville (though I’ve booked several shows in Louisville, so maybe it’sthat Gigmasters doesn’t rank in Google as well in Louisville).

More Cincy people searching for a magician go through Gigmasters than Indy people, but that may be because Gigmasters ranks higher in Cincy than in Indy (on Google).

Gigmasters has a reputation for presenting many “discount magicians” (quality of service varies). Keep that in mind when looking at the following figures.

According to Gigmasters, the average fee for a magician (booked through Gigmasters) in all the Midwest is close to $350 for an event — most bookings through Gigmasters are for a kid’s birthday party.

In Monon, Indiana, the lowest booked fee in 2019 was $250, and the highest in Monon was $1600.

For a magician in Cincinnati, the average was $250 for 1.5 hours.

In St Louis, the average booking was $450 for 1.5 hours. The max was $900 per hour, and the minimum was $250 through Gigmasters.

In Louisville, the average for 1 hour was $415, the max booking was $1,000, and the minimum booking was $125.

In Chicago, the highest fee booked through Gigmasters was $1,000.

In Indianapolis, through Gigmasters, the lowest fee for a magician was $240. In 2019, the highest cost in Indianapolis was $500 per hour.

Since my most recent booking in Indianapolis through Gigmasters was a four-figure booking (where the first figure wasn’t a “1”), I take the $500 number with a grain of salt. Reportedly, more than ten shows had been booked at that fee ($500/hr) through Gigmasters in 2019.

I was puzzled when I learned that the highest-rate booking in Chicago was $1,500, yet in Indianapolis, it was $500.

Most higher-end magicians I’ve talked to bypass the Gigmasters booking process altogether and choose to book directly with the party host or event planner.

  • Thumbtack is a similar website. From the Thumbtack website, after Googling “cost of a magician,” we can see this old 2017 infographic below showing the hourly quote for an event with <70 guests:

cost of a magician

But beware:

The phrase “average cost of a magician” is almost meaningless due to the ambiguous term “magician.”

Gigmasters and Thumbtack got that average figure from kid’s magicians.

More than double the data points (all the shows Thumbtack has access to) are for kids’ birthday parties, so around $300 may be the average price for a local 30-minute kids’ birthday party magic show.

If you’re looking for a professional magician for a wedding or a corporate event, then looking at the average “cost of a magician” is misleading.

I said, “partly due to the ambiguous term magician.” There’s an even more significant factor at play here.

Most people searching for magicians click on the first link in Google (which may be the Bash, Thumbtack, or GigSalad) and are the same people who have never booked a magician before.

They haven’t experienced the horror of lousy entertainment, so they are likely to pick the cheapest entertainer available. They don’t have much else to go on (like a friend’s recommendation or having seen a good magician at a previous event).

This Gigmasters and Thumbtack data excludes seasoned event planners and meeting planners who already know the perils of picking a professional magician from the list provided by the event entertainment bureaus.

Though there are good magicians listed on such websites, the bad ones outnumber the good and rise to the top because more first-timers book them. The tip-off of a “first-timer booker” is their first (and only) question, “What’s your price?” They aren’t bad people; theyhadn’t yet been stuck with an inexperienced magician.

The data Gigmasters and Thumbtack present to you (via this article) is not only an average of an extensive pool of different types of performers. They are entertaining at a range of other event types. But, also, Gigmasters itself has access only to the fraction of people whose first thought was to google ‘magician + city’ and click the first and most visible link in the results (often a directory like Yelp, Expertise, Gigmasters, or Thumbtack).

Gigmasters does not have access to the magicians who proactively contacted a company about its annual employee appreciation event. They then established a relationship with that company and sold the company on having something special for its employees. After this, the company booked him for $5,000 for a two-hour performance of close-up magic and has continued hiring the same magician for over a decade.

When Thumbtack presented “The 10 Best Magicians in St Louis,” nobody at Thumbtack had seen any of the St Louis magicians before or even scoured the websites of magicians and watched videos to decide who was the best. Their algorithmpicked the ones most frequently booked (through only its website), which are often not the best but the cheapest.

Keep that in mind when looking at the numbers presented below. The numbers don’t describe all magicians. Even the average number displayed does not represent what you might expect to pay for YOUR event.

The average isthat. If in Thumbtack, 100 magicians charged $300 for a kid’s birthday party (totaling $30,000). Ten magicians charged $3,000 for a wedding, a corporate holiday party, or a fundraiser (also totaling $30,000), Thumbtack would tell you the average price of a magician is $545 ($60,000 divided by 110 magicians = $545).

Even if every person on the planet looking for a magician requested one through Thumbtack, that average number still doesn’t help you.

  • That’s why I’m digging deeper. I’m telling you the real price of a magician for a show—not an average of hundreds of bookings from hundreds of magicians for dozens of various events.

Strictly speaking, a “professional” magician earns most of his living from performing magic. Still, we’ll use the “professional” term here to differentiate between a magician and a kid’s magician. Just sounds more professional than “adult entertainer.”

I’m sure you’ll agree.


It can be confusing trying to get an average number since the blanket title “magician” covers the close-up magicians (not even remotely famous to the general public) who charge $5,000 or more for a strolling performance. The same title includes the kid’s birthday party magician performing a $200 half-hour show for a room full of 5-year-olds.

An adult birthday party magician is a different story.

When you’re looking for a magician to entertain a sophisticated, discerning adult audience (oran ordinary adult audience), looking up an “average” cost of hiring a magician on lead generation websites like Thumbtack or Gigmasters can be misleading.

The magician performing high-end close-up magic or strolling mentalism for a corporate banquet, a wedding reception, or a private party typically charges a fee four to ten times higher than the rate for a kid’s magician for a birthday party.

Now consider that there are 2.5 times as many magician requests for kid’s birthday parties as there are for the following non-exhaustive list of general markets that magicians can serve:

magician prices

  • Corporate Banquets
  • After Dinner Entertainment
  • Wedding Receptions
  • Adult Private Parties
  • Company Picnics
  • Trade shows
  • Product Launches
  • Sales Meetings
  • Graduation parties
  • After Prom Entertainment
  • Holiday Parties
  • Association Events
  • Cabarets
  • Casinos
  • Colleges
  • Clubs
  • Country Clubs
  • Open Houses
  • Fundraisers

combined.

Each market has different potentials for scalability, and the entertainer must approach each differently. The needs and expectations of each market are different. The challenges and rewards vary for each market.

  • The 2.5* increases even more when you include requests for elementary school assemblies.

The above pie chart shows you the number of requests that filter into those sites. You begin to see now how such a surplus of cheap babysitter magicians deflates the “average.”

You’re looking for the dark blue.

This pie chart is even simpler. When a site like Gigmasters, Gigsalad, or Thumbtack spit out an “average price of a magician,” remember that fully 3/4ths of the requests they receive are for all those kid’s birthday parties.

Sites like the above will show you a distorted figure like $250 to $350. The distortion arises because the number of requests for kid’s magicians performing a 30-minute show for children—more than double the number of requests for adult magicians—pulls down the average.

On the other side of the coin, there are economy magicians who charge $200 per hour for practicing their tricks on your audience. If you’re on a tight budget, you may feel tempted to get a gutter magician or a magician who performs kid’s tricks and hands out balloon animals (that tend to pop on the drive home).

You may not want such a crackpot magician performing for your distinguished guests. No one except your guests will hold that against you.

When you pay bargain-basement prices, you risk getting bargain-basement entertainment. Or even worse, you bring someone to entertain your prominent guests and receive complaints about “that weirdo magician in every wedding party photo.”

weirdo magician

When I was a DJ in St Louis, there was a cautionary tale ofsuch an uncouth wedding DJ — he photobombed as often as he could.

Your party does not center on the entertainment—the entertainment centers on your celebration.

The success of your event depends on budgeting the necessary funds to get top-shelf entertainment.

Better Safe than Sorry

One last cost that both party hosts and magicians often overlook is the minimal but real risk of property damage or injury during any performance of entertainment.

Just like anything in life, magic can be tragic.

Some magicians use fire in their effects. Many mentalists, blindfolded, slam their hand down on five inverted lunch bags, avoiding the one lunch bag concealing a rusty spike. Other mentalists—including Jon Finch a long time ago-drive a car blindfolded (relax, I’m a magician).

Gusts of Gravity

magician rates

Several years ago, I’d have a card selected, signed, returned, and shuffled into the deck, then I precariously secured the pack (lost card and all) in a rubber band and threw the deck up at the ceiling.

A gust of gravity would grab the deck and pull it back down (always), and I’d catch it (almost always).

There, nailed into the ceiling, was the signed playing card staring down at everyone like a ghost.

I had performed this trick hundreds of times.

But then one time, there was a 30-degree slant to the ceiling.

The card stuck, but the angular impact dislodged all the playing cards from their rubber band wrap, and they showered down over many spectators. Fortunately, the falling playing card injured no one.

In life, accidents indeed happen. Fortunately, in my 18 years of performing professionally, no one has ever been hurt.

  • Whatever magician you find, you want to be sure the magician has performer’s liability insurance. Such a policy is specialty insurance that any professional magician who cares about their audience ought to have.

There are many types of magicians and many kinds of events. The prices vary widely. To get a better idea, fill out our online form, which will ask you for some details about what type of event it is and how much money you would like to spend on your magician.

95% of Jon Finch’s shows are corporate, and his virtual shows have an average price tag of around $1,800.

On the other end of the spectrum, Finch does magic at adult Zoom birthday parties for as little as USD 700.




zoom magicians