Magicians

Parent Q&A

Select any title to view the full question and replies.

  • Who's the best bay area kids magician for a childs birthday party? Kids there will be 7-14. Thanks! 

    Magical Nathaniel was great for my son's 8th birthday party. 

    www.magicalnathaniel.com

  • Looking for a magician for a birthday party for our daughter's 8th birthday in the Bay Area, We want the best of the best and prefer a female magician or a woman magician since it's for our daughter. Any recommendations?

    https://www.sillycircusshow.com 

    also great:) and its a woman

    If you’re open to a male magician, I would recommend Mike della Penna. He performed at a birthday party where my child was a guest-- it was a 7th or 8th birthday-  and he was engaging, funny, and overall fantastic. It seemed to me that he appealed to boys and girls equally. 

    Perry Yan. We enjoyed his show at the Berkeley Public Library pre-Covid.

    https://www.pymagic.com/

    Happily Ever Laughter is AMAZING!!!

    I can't recommend them enough. They live magic! 

    https://happilyeverlaughter.com/

  • I am looking for a magician for my kid's 8th birthday party. There will be only a handful of kids so not looking for someone too expensive or over the top. 

    Any recommendations for Oakland would be much appreciated!

    My daughter and I enjoyed a magic show at the Berkeley Public library by Perry Yan. He was a hit with both the young and old.

    https://www.pymagic.com/

    My friend and neighbor Brian Scott is the guy you want! i've seen him in action many times and he's hilarious and amazing! 

    http://www.brianscottproductions.com/

We've hired Mr. Shap for our daughter's birthday party when she turned 6. He's great with the kids, makes balloon animals and holds their attention for his magic tricks. His Yelp reviews are also top rated.

We've also used the Berkeley Bubble Man (aka Sterling Bubbles) for another birthday party, when she turned 7, in a park. He engaged the kids really well and it was great fun. Also highly recommended.

Pre-covid, we hired Perry Yang for my kid's birthday party. He was fantastic! It was extremely easy to do business with him. He was funny and absolutely great with kids. He also does balloon art and made amazing balloon creations for kids after the magic show. https://www.pymagic.com/

I recommend Mike DellaPenna.  He’s an elementary school teacher, a dad, AND an excellent magician.  http://www.mikedellapenna.com/home.html

Archived Q&A and Reviews


Questions

ISO magician for birthday party

Feb 2016

Looking for a magician who also entertains the adults! Somebody who amazes, but is also seriously funny (and great with the kids, too). No balloons or face painting - just great magic. Thanks! Heather


Prince Luke all the way! http://princeluke.moonfruit.com He is loving, creative, and great with kids. Happy customer


I've seen many magicians at kids birthday parties, but the only one I've seen who was actually entertaining for the adults too was Ash K. Plus, his tricks were awesome!! Here's his site. Ash4Kids.com Teresa


Magician for Neighborhood Party

May 2012

We are looking for a magician (or other appropriate entertainers) for a neighborhood block party this summer. Age ranges 1-12. Thank you.


I have to recommend Jeremy the Juggler (http://www.jeremyevents.com/). Juggling, magic, fire, and origami - he had the kids and adults in stitches. Kevin Jude


Need Magician for 5 yo boy party in June

April 2012

Looking for magician for 5 yo boy's party. Expect about 25 kids. Will be at a park in Pleasanton. Cynthia


My son had a magic party for his 5th last summer. We hired Courtney Kolb (of Berkeley) to do a magic show. He was AMAZING! The kids and adults loved it. He was able to do magic tricks to their age level. The kids were rolling around in laughter. Best idea ever. Info: Courtney Kolb, courtney [at] ckmagicshows.com, (510) 220-0189. Fun Times


She is wonderful. Also local for where you are, has many talented Magicians, and party entertainers. Summer is good to book in advance. http://www.partiart.com/troupes/index.html Sharyl


March 2012

Re: Birthday party entertainment for a 7 year old
Joan, We have had Thomas John twice and he's great. A good juggler and entertainer and funny to both kids and adults. Also very reasonably priced. 'Thomas John' thomastrumanjohn [at] gmail.com Good luck.


Magician for a 5 Yr Old Birthday Party

Oct 2011

Can anyone recommend a magician for a 5 year old birthday party located or willing to come to the east bay? Also, please include how much I should expect to pay for this type of entertainment. Thank You. Jen


Mike Della Penna @ Oxford ElementrySchool is a Teacher and a Professional Magician . He does parties, but I don't know his rates!! He is Great!!!


Magician for 4 year old birthday Berkeley

Aug 2011

I am looking for a birthday party entertianer for my son to be 4 year old, so I need someone who is kid friendly and funny with the kids. I am looking for a clown /magician. The party is in Berkeley. The theme is circus Stuart


We celebrated our grandson's 5th birthday last month. His parents invited a wonderful magician who entertained the assembled tots mostly six and under (and all of the grown-ups, too!) for over an hour. The children had a great time. His name is Courtney Kolb and he has two children of his own in that age range, so he knows his stuff! Here is his website: http://www.ckmagicshows.com/ and contact info: (510) 220-0189 courtney [at] ckmagicshows.com Highly recommended! Debra


Magician for 2 year old Birthday Party

July 2011

Hello BPN Parents, I am looking for a great Magician for my son's 2 year old B-day. It would great to find someone who is entertaining and engaging but not too scary for the little one's. Someone who can is great with balloons would be fantastic! Thanks! Mom


I have hired magician Gerald Joseph 3 times in the last 6 or 7 years, for multiple parties. He is just awesome-- our godson and kids were 5 years old at each of the parties, but the younger kids in the audience loved him and were mesmerized as well. He wasn't cheesy or creepy, and really kept the adults entertained as well. I and my husband have seen many magicians at other events, and always feel that Gerald was by far the best. My kids would agree as well. You can google him to find his contact info. anon


We had two magicians/jugglers for my son's 3rd birthday party (but there were plenty of slightly older and younger kids there). They were a big hit with all the ages. They are Will and Eli rouge_et_noir_jugglers [at] yahoo.com. Anon


I think my son was four when we had him, but I would recommend Magic Dan. He was great with everyone, very entertaining and easy to work with. Bryan


Entertainer for 6th Birthday

Dec 2010

We hired the magician and balloon person Lance Snead for my son's 5th birthday party over 10 years. Then last year I saw him perform for a 7 year old girl's birthday party and he was fantastic. Francesca


We got Will and Eli for our son's 5th birthday party. They are jugglers and magicians and both kids and parents loved them. My son wanted them to come back for his party this year but, sadly, they were unavailable. They are high school students so cheaper than some of the professionals, but VERY good. They can be reached at rouge_et_noir_jugglers [at] yahoo.com or (510)910-0224 or (510) 386-3937. Anon


Dec 2010

Re: Entertainer for 6th Birthday
I would like to recommend Thomas John, a really nice and talented juggler/entertainer. He was very reasonably priced compared to the others I talked to (he actually accepted the amount I offered) and he was really funny, getting adults and kids laughing throughout the show. He is not a stunning fire-throwing/fire-eating mega-performer. He's just a funny charming guy who's good at juggling and doing silly things kids like, like spitting a ping pong ball at a xylophone and playing a tune! We were totally happy with his recent performance at our 4-year-old son's birthday party. He was professional, on time, and read the crowd to know when to switch gears and do balloon animals (an extra we hadn't even expected). I've just been waiting for an opportunity to recommend him on BPN! Here's his contact info: www.gigsalad.com/thomas_john thomastrumanjohn [at] gmail.com Happy juggling.


Magician for 7-8 year olds

Aug 2010

Looking for a great magician or some great entertainment for 7-8 year olds...8 yr. old is birthday boy. km


I thoroughly recommend Gerald Joseph. He is great with kids, very funny, and has an amazing array of tricks. Gail Reilly


We had a great magician/juggler pair, Will and Eli (rouge_et_noir_jugglers [at] yahoo.com). Both kids and adults loved them, and we had kids whose age ranged from 1 to 11. My kids still talk about them a year later. Will and Eli were a little slow responding to emails, but showed up on time (and our place is hard to find) and did a GREAT show. I would book them again in a heartbeat, in fact I tried but they were busy the day we needed them. Kristie


Entertainer for 3rd birthday in home

Jan 2009

I'm looking for an entertainer for my daughters third birthday party which we will be having at home with a group of energetic 3-5 year olds. As I also have a 6 month old that needs my attention I am hoping to find somone who also leads the party activities and keeps things on track.


I have a feeling that your party may be too young for this -- but maybe for next year -- I just wanted to post the incredibly good experience we had with Will & Eli of ''rouge et noir jugglers'' -- they are two local high school aged juggler/magicians that we hired for my son's 5th b'day. Although some of the card tricks were over the heads of the younger kids, they were nonetheless transfixed, and Will and Eli put on a great, warm, kindhearted show. They were very prompt, very friendly, and did a terrific job of engaging the kids in the show. The birthday boy was awestruck at the ''real magicians'' that came to his house. The parents also really enjoyed them. And their rates were much better than some of the more ''professional'' party entertainers I contacted. Highly recommend them -- although 3 is probably too young to appreciate a magic show...but, again, maybe next year. You can contact Will & Eli at rouge_et_noir_jugglers [at] yahoo.com Emily

Editor: recommendations were also received for Puppeteers and Face Painters


Seeking a Magician to Entertain at a 6yr old Birthday

Dec 2008

I'm looking for a Magician who'd like to preform at our daughter's 6th birthday. The date of the party is mid-Jan 09 and we'd love to find a fun, eager person with some experience at being a magician for a kids birthday party.


Wonderful magician I saw two years ago at a party for a 7 yo. Alex (?forget last name- I have his card though) magicbyalex.com 510 237 0249. Really good, very good for kids. Daphne.


Carla Winter has a great group of entertainers,including magic. her # is 925 -937-5457
Sharyl


Nov 2008

Re: kids' birthday party
We recently used a magician for my son's 6-year-old birthday party who was phenomenal! His name is Magic Dan (www.magicdan.com or 415-337-8500). Everyone raved after the show. He was perfect with the children (no condescending jokes) and funny for the adults as well. He was very professional - arrived on time, unassuming in our home, very considerate of our home and guests, and the magic tricks were really super! I can see he would be able to easily adapt to any age group to provide an entertaining show. Highly recommend!


Our office hired Magic Dan for our holiday party - we had about 15 kids ranging in age from 2 years to 15 years, and the kids loved the show. The adults did too, and it was a nice diversion for the kids, who otherwise would have been bored at a party like that. Magic Dan was funny, enthusiastic, and put on a great show! SH


Earlier Reviews


Magician for 4 y/o birthday party

March 2007

Hello, I'm looking for a magician in the North Berkeley area for my son's birthday party at the end of this month. Any recommendations? Thank you. kailuahi


We just had Magic Dan (415-337-8500 or magicdan27 [at] comcast.net) perform at our son's 5th birthday and he was a big hit. He entertained 15 kids (ages 2-7) for about 35 minutes with his great combination of magic, humor and a friendly disposition. The adults enjoyed it, too! Furthermore, Dan's rates are competitive and he's a pleasure to deal with -- professional, courteous, prompt and flexible. I highly recommend Magic Dan. Eden


Looking for Inexpensive Magician

Nov 2006

Our son's fourth birthday falls in the midst of Chanukah and Xmas madness. We want to opt for a small, intimate birthday party at our house, but he'd LOVE to have a magician there. We are looking for someone who is fun with kids. We don't want to break the bank over this. There will probably only be between 6- 10 kids there! Is there anyone local out there who charges less than $100? We are in Oakland. We plan to have the party at our house the week before Xmas, specifically the 17th. Any help much appreciated! Mama Seeking Magic


i have a co-worker who does magic shows for young children and he's excellent. he does this on his own time and is very creative--puts on a whole show/story to go along with the tricks. he also frequently gives away fun things for the kids like coloring books, tattoos, etc. his name is quijuan (pronounced ''kwan'') maloof and you can contact him at mr.q[at]themaloofs.com or 415.666.0980. his prices depend on # of children (& # props that he gives away). good luck! know a magician


I know of a great boy magician that could be perfect for a child's birthday party. His name is Simon and I think he is 11 or 12 years old. He does magic tricks for shows with Katies Dance Studio (he is also a great dancer). Marcia


Magician for 6 yr. birthday

Dec 2005

Anyone use a magician in the last year that they would recommend and that won't break the bank? I vowed I'd never hire a party entertainer, but if I could do it without mortgaging the house it would make my child very happy. Thanks anon


Two years ago, we had Sir Lantz the Magician at our daughter's 6th birthday party. He was fabulous! Uses the birthday girl/boy as his sidekick, makes the kids laugh hard, is really good at the magic, utterly professional to work with and an entertainment bargain. I'm sorry I don't have contact info for him - try Googling him as a start. Party Mom


I highly recommend Gerald the Magician - he has a web site. We had him for my son's 5th and 6th birthday parties.He is EXCELLENT and great with kids. I have seen him many times. Price maybe $200 for an hour plus??? He lives in Antioch, but travels anywhere. Contact me if you need more info. kathy


I have used The Buddy Club the last two years and they are terrific. I had the Bubble Lady one year and Timothy James the next. They kept the kids enthralled and had great audience particpation (for 4-6 year olds). I invited the whole class, which justified the expense. If you are doing a smaller party, you can book a party at their shows on the weekends. You pay for those who show up for your child and you can have pizza, cake and ice cream afterwards. The private performance bookings run a bit high, but I found the price was well worth it for 30-45 minute show. Plus, I didn't have to search around the find someone great, they give you ideas and who's available for the day you want. I really encourage you to call or check out the Buddy Club...check them out at www.thebuddyclub.com.


I recommend Magic Dan! He's a good magician with an easy-going and light- hearted style, and unlike many children's' magicians, he doesn't stoop to getting laughs by insulting the kids. (I hate that put-down humor.) Plus he's sweet and dependable. For nine summers straight I hired Magic Dan to perform at my library, and the kids and parents never got tired of his act. Every year the kids would check to be sure he was coming back! www.magicdan.com 415-337-8500 Nicole


2003 & Earlier


Jan 2003

Can anyone personally recommend a magician for a 6th birthday party? We've had Buki the Clown (everyone enjoyed) and we know Gerald Joseph. We are looking for other leads. ljm


A neighbor boy just had his fifth birthday, and the fabulous Jeremy Shafer thoroughly entertained all of us, kids and adults. He does a magic/comedy act that's really a crack up. Shafer himself is like a six year old boy in a young man's body, jumping around all over the place. His energy is up there with the birds. He comes in riding a unicycle, does silly juggling, pulls various things out of hats and wigs, then does a fantastic oragami show that includes the kids. Like I said, the kids were delighted, and we adults laughed and laughed. He's fantastic. Give him a call. 510-548-6670. He's in Berkeley. Julie T.


For a fun (an economical) change of pace from adult magicians, try Cyrus and Ezra Stoller, two brothers who perform a terrific magic show, and then also stay to help with the rest of the party. About $50 for the show, a bit more for helping out. Contact them at cyzzie at yahoo.com! Suzanne


More reviews

May 2004

Re: Entertainer for under $75 for 5-yr-old's birthday party We recently had two great magicians come to my daughter's 7th birthday party. I did not want to buy into the whole trend of paying $200+ for a kid's BD party entertainer so I put a notice on UC Parents of Teens Network looking for teen entertainer for the party. Two Berkeley High kids answered the ad and did a great magic show. They asked for a grand total of $20 a piece, but of course I paid them a little more. I don't know where their number is but you could proabably find them through Parents of Teens again. Both adults and kids enjoyed their magic. monika


Flying Calamari Brothers

Re: Entertainer for 6-year-old's party (November 2001)
We just saw the Calamari Brothers Magic Show at the Lafayette Library. They were so much fun, the kids loved them esp. the 6 year olds. Fun magic tricks, lots of humour and audience participation. I'm not sure how you would get hold of them but you could try calling the library and asking for their contact details. David and Vivienn


Note from Myriam: Web Site here: http://www.webquarry.com/~patty/TFCB/ Marco Entertainment 5337 College Avenue, Suite # 704 Oakland, California 94618 Phone: (510) 851-3791 Email: TFCBMagic AT aol.com I've seen them at the Oakland Library... They're very funny and enjoyable for both kids and adults.


My name is Mark Cassettari AKA Mark Calamari from the Flying Calamari Brothers. I was forwarded an e-mail from the UCB Parents Recommendations page and I wanted to thank you and David and Vivienne for the kind words regarding our show. We are extremely happy that both kids and adults like our show and we appreciate the recommendations! A co-worker e-mailed me a copy of the recommendation. I didn't have any idea that the web page existed and I've been working for UC Berkeley for 11 years! Our web site is : www.flyingcalamaribrothers.com The rest of the information you provided is correct. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me at 510 851-3791. Thanks again!
Regards, Mark Cassettari
Carpenter, International House


Leo Luna

1999

Leo Luna is great. I've seen him 3 times, and each time he's been wonderful. He does tricks and involves the kids and hands out candy at the end. He's in the yellow pages under magicians -- or at 925-846-3888 Chris