Birthday Parties

How to have a terrific

birthday party for your kids . . .

Click here to find out about having me perform at your party

(if you are having a large family/community event for your child’s first birthday, check out this page)

I have been the featured magician at hundreds of birthday parties and events, and have come to conclude that the following key points can help you be sure it’ll be successful (even if you’re not having a magician perform):

  1. Let the kids “warm up” when they arrive. Many of them will be feeling shy or otherwise out of sorts coming to an unfamiliar place, even if their schoolmates are there.

  2. Postpone planned activities to about a half hour after the party starts to accommodate latecomers (also, see the first item in this list).

  3. Let the kids play with each other as much as possible.

  4. Keep the party length close to two hours.

In the case of a birthday party where a magician will be performing, that translates to:

  1. Allow the kids to meet and interact with the magician before the main performance.

  2. Start the magic show closer to the beginning of the party, as opposed to the end. That way, the kids are high energy for the show, and there will be fewer distractions for the kids outside of the magic show itself.

  3. Immediately after the show, sing the birthday song, blow out the candles, and depending on the time of day, serve lunch or snacks.

  4. This is a good time to offer balloon twisting, face painting, or something fun that won’t interfere with their other activities. Free play is usually the best option for an “activity.”

When I come to your party, it might look like this:

If you have a schedule in mind, we should do that! But if you’re still thinking about a schedule for your party, the following tends to be very well received:

  1. Party Start Time - Consider whether you want to feed the guests lunch. If not, you’ll typically want a start time between 1:00pm and 5:00.

  2. Guest Arrival - No matter what time you tell people to arrive, you can assume that not everyone will be there until a half hour later. I will arrive at the party start time, during which time I will set up my equipment and do “crowd work,” as the kids arrive. This warms them up for an especially fun show.

  3. Show Starts - If everyone gets there before the half hour mark, I can start early. But either way, I will begin the performance by then, and you and the other parents can take a crack at the adult beverages. As the parent, sit back and relax. I’ll gather the kids, introduce myself, and wrap them all around my little finger for the next 45 minutes.

  4. Audience “Control” - Rarely do I have an audience or audience member that I can’t handle. With that said, if there’s an unruly kiddo that needs some extra redirection, I have NO PROBLEM with an adult helping out unasked. It’s your house. Your kid. Your rules. With THAT said, birthday parties are fun and exciting, so don’t expect the kids to be silent the whole time.

  5. Food Break - Even if you’re not serving lunch, you’ll probably have a birthday cake and you’ll DEFINITELY want to sing the Birthday Song. When the show wraps up, I’ll direct the kids to follow your directions so that they may eat in the dining room/kitchen/back yard/etc.

  6. Play Time and Balloons!

    • There are a few things you can be sure of:

      • Some kids eat fast and some eat slowly

      • The kids love to watch me make balloons animals . . . for about 5 minutes

      • The kids want to enjoy each others’ company

    • So for the first few minutes after the show, I’ll pack up my equipment and set up the balloon station. Then the kids can come to me any time they want. I generally discourage the kids from standing in line, and instead encourage them to approach me when there are only one or two kids getting a balloon made. I’m “on” the entire time, so you can expect more entertainment, e.g., magic, “dad jokes,” and occasionally some surprises.

    • During this period, concurrent with my making the balloons, the kids can have structured or free play time. I encourage parents to opt for free play. Not only do kids tend to prefer this, but it’s a lot easier on you. Less planning, fewer things to have to buy (e.g., a piñata, etc.).

  7. See ya next time! - Two hours after my initial arrival, the party’s over. The parents leave with their kids, and you get to bask in the glory of having a party better than the other parents.