HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a magician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to magicians in the UK. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the quote should say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a magician in five steps

  1. Watch a live set, not a showreelAsk the magician for unedited phone footage from a real party or dinner. A showreel is cut from the best ten seconds of fifty shows.
  2. Match the style to the roomClose-up among guests, a parlour set for forty, or a stage show for two hundred. Say which, and say who the audience is.
  3. Fix the timings in writingArrival, set start, set length, breaks and finish. Magic works in the gaps — drinks, between courses — not over the speeches.
  4. Ask your venue about insuranceMany venues want suppliers' public liability cover. Find the figure, then ask the magician for the certificate.
  5. For a children's show, ask about a record checkA basic DBS check, a Level 1 disclosure in Scotland or a basic AccessNI check. It is your call to ask; the law does not license magicians.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No register applies to magicians in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is needed to perform. Membership of a magic society is a club, not a licence. What protects you is a written booking, evidence of real performances and references from recent hosts.

Ask the magician for two hosts from the last six months you can contact, and for live footage.

Public liability insurance for the venue

No law makes a magician hold insurance, but hotels, schools and halls often refuse an act without public liability cover, and some name a minimum. A magician working close to guests with props, fire effects or a dove act is the kind of supplier venues ask about.

Ask the venue for its figure, then ask the magician for the insurer's name, the cover level and the expiry date.

Criminal record check for children's shows

Anyone can request a basic check on themselves: a basic DBS check for work in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or a basic AccessNI check in Northern Ireland. It shows unspent convictions only. No licence requires a self-booked magician to hold one, so asking is your decision.

Ask the magician to show you the certificate or the online disclosure, with the issue date. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

A magician who performs for a living is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies and the show must be done with reasonable care and skill. Do not count on a 14-day cooling-off period: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes services related to leisure activities booked for a specific date out of the cancellation right, so the magician's own terms decide what you get back if plans change.

Read the magician's cancellation and deposit terms before you pay, and keep the confirmation. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A magic act is a standard-rated performance; a registered magician adds 20% to the fee. Magicians over the £90,000 registration threshold have to charge VAT and list it separately from the price.

Ask the magician whether they are VAT-registered, and if so get the number and see the 20% shown separately. gov.uk →

“Can I see a full set filmed at a real event?”

A good answer: A clip of a whole routine with real guests reacting, not a studio edit. A good magician has plenty and sends them without fuss.

“Which style suits my event — close-up, parlour or stage?”

A good answer: A magician who asks about numbers, room and running order before answering. Close-up for mingling guests; a stage show only if there is a stage, seating and sound.

“How long will you perform, and when are the breaks?”

A good answer: Set lengths in minutes and where they fall in your day, worked around the meal and speeches.

“Is anything in the act a risk at my venue — fire, flash paper, livestock?”

A good answer: A straight answer, and a check with the venue. Some halls ban naked flame; a magician should know their own act's needs.

“Do you have public liability insurance, and can I have the certificate?”

A good answer: Yes, with the insurer named and the cover level the venue asked for or above.

“For the children's party: do you hold a recent criminal record check?”

A good answer: A basic DBS, Level 1 disclosure or basic AccessNI certificate the magician can show you, and a sensible plan for the children's toilet trips and leaving the room.

“What happens if you are ill on the day?”

A good answer: A named stand-in of similar standing offered in the contract, or a full refund of anything paid.

“Is travel in the fee, and is there a charge if we run late?”

A good answer: Mileage and parking stated up front, and an overtime rate per half-hour in writing.

Getting the quote right

  • The date, the venue, the arrival time and the exact performing times — sets and breaks
  • The style of magic booked (close-up, parlour or stage) and the audience size it is priced for
  • Travel, parking and any overnight stay as separate lines, not folded into one figure
  • Their VAT number, if registered, with VAT under the performance fee
  • The deposit, when the balance is due, and what you get back if you cancel or they do
  • The overtime rate if the event overruns
  • Who actually attends: the magician you saw perform, or another booked through an agency — employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • Only a slick showreel, and no live footage or recent references
  • No written booking — just a figure agreed by text and a bank transfer
  • A large non-refundable deposit with no cancellation terms
  • They will not say whether their act uses fire or effects your venue bans
  • For a children's party, no answer on a criminal record check and no plan for supervision
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£1,000

What a magician costs: £250–£1,000 per booking

Magicians quote per booking — a set number of hours or sets — with travel and any overnight stay added. A longer booking usually costs less per hour than a short one. Magician price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Magicians near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Arrive early and briefThe magician arrives before guests, checks the room, meets the host and learns the order of the day: when the meal is, when speeches start.
  2. Close-up during the gapsCard and coin magic among small groups at the drinks reception or between courses, moving on before anyone feels trapped.
  3. The set pieceIf a parlour or stage set was booked, it runs at the agreed time with seating, light and any microphone sorted beforehand.
  4. Children's shows: the host stays in the roomFor a party, the magician performs with an adult from the family present and does not take children out of sight.
  5. Pack down and settle upProps cleared, the balance paid as agreed, and anything that ran over noted against the overtime rate.

Close-up magic
Tricks done within arm's reach of a small group — cards, coins, borrowed objects.
Parlour set
A short show for a seated group, larger than close-up but without a stage.
Mentalist
A performer whose act is mind-reading and prediction rather than sleight of hand.
Walkaround
The magician moves between groups of guests rather than performing to one audience.
Public liability insurance
Cover for injury to guests or damage to the venue caused by the act; venues set the level.
Basic DBS / Level 1 / basic AccessNI
The criminal record checks an individual can request on themselves in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the booking confirmation and receiptsThe written terms are your evidence if you need a refund or the magician turns up short of the agreed time.
Note what was deliveredDid the magician play the agreed sets for the agreed length? Jot it down the same evening while it is fresh.
Ask about a repeat booking rateSome magicians offer a better fee for a return date; get it in writing if you want it.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours on the magician helps the next host. If the magician let you down, the make-it-right step comes first: they are asked to put it right before your review is published.

STEP 1Write to the magician firstSay what went wrong — a short set, a late arrival, an act unsuitable for the audience — and what you want, by message or email. The Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49, makes reasonable care and skill part of every booking with a magician, and a set that cannot be repeated can be made good with money off.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the magician under four stars and you are asked whether to pass the problem to them first; we follow it through. Then your review goes up.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesNo regulator oversees magicians. If a trader will not answer, ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland; they can pass it to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money still owed by the magicianA refund the magician will not pay can go to small claims without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a magician: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies to magicians in any UK nation. What can need a licence is the event: indoor entertainment in Northern Ireland needs a council entertainment licence, and in England and Wales entertainment at an unlicensed place can need a Temporary Event Notice.

No licence makes a magician hold one, but you can ask. A basic DBS check covers work in England and Wales; Scotland uses a Level 1 disclosure and Northern Ireland a basic AccessNI check. Each shows unspent convictions.

Not by law. Many venues insist on public liability cover from every act, so ask the venue for its figure first, then ask the magician for the certificate.

£250 to £1,000 per booking, typically around £400. See the magician price guide for what moves the figure, or search your town above for magicians nearby.

Close-up for a drinks reception or a dinner where guests are seated at tables; a stage or parlour set if you want everyone watching at once and the room has the space, light and sound for it.

Ask for every penny back in writing. A no-show is a plain failure of the reasonable care and skill the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires; if no refund follows, small claims is the route.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Children's EntertainerHow to hire: CaricaturistHow to hire: Balloon ModellerHow to hire: Stilt WalkerHow to hire: Fire PerformerHow to hire: MC / ToastmasterHow to hire: Face PainterHow to hire: Party PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Magicians near you

Magicians in LondonMagicians in ManchesterMagicians in BirminghamMagicians in GlasgowMagicians in BelfastAll magicians on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  2. mygov.scot — apply for a Level 1 disclosure
  3. nidirect — types of AccessNI checks
  4. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  5. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  10. nidirect — small claims process
  11. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  12. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register