It is the first question I get, and it almost always comes with an apology in front of it. There is no need: asking the price is the sensible thing to do.
The honest answer is that there is no single rate, and you should be wary of anyone who gives you a figure before they know what kind of event you have. What I can give you is the full list of what moves that number, so you know what you are comparing when you ask for three quotes.
What really sets the price
The format of the show
Going from table to table during the drinks reception does not cost the same as a forty minute show on a stage. Close-up magic needs the magician and little else. A main show involves a script, rehearsal, setting up and, depending on the venue, sound and lighting.
The length and the number of sets
A thirty minute performance at the aperitif is one thing. Three sets spread across a twelve hour wedding is quite another, because it blocks out the whole day.
The number of guests
Twenty people around a table and two hundred in a function room are not the same job. Above a certain size you need microphones, screens or a completely different approach to the show so that the back row can see anything.
Where it is
Within the Community of Madrid, travel is usually included. Outside it, the journey starts to count, and if the event ends in the small hours four hundred kilometres away, so does accommodation. It is not an arbitrary surcharge: it is the next day that is no longer available.
The date
A Saturday in June at the height of wedding season and a Tuesday in February are not priced the same. If your date is flexible, say so when you ask for a quote: sometimes there is room to move.
Whether you want something bespoke
Building a product, a message or the company name into an effect is creative work, not repertoire. It is quoted separately because it is built from scratch for that event and never used again.
How to ask for a quote that is actually useful
Most vague quotes come from vague requests. With these five details any serious magician can give you a fixed figure:
- Type of event and date. Wedding, company dinner, birthday, communion.
- Place. The town and, if you already have it, the name of the venue.
- How many people. A rough number is enough.
- What moment you have in mind. Drinks reception, after the meal, as the finale.
- How long you want it to last.
With that, you get an answer the same day. Without it, what you receive is a range so wide it is useless for comparing.
The warning signs
A fixed price without a single question. If someone quotes you without knowing how many people there are or where it is, they are either improvising or they have one show that they do the same way everywhere.
Nothing in writing. The quote has to say what is included, how long it lasts, what time setup is and what happens if the event runs late. Events always run late.
Vagueness about equipment. It has to be clear who provides sound, lighting and a stage. It is the most common argument on the day and it is avoided with one line in the quote.
No invoice. No invoice means no contract, and no contract means nobody to hold to account if they do not turn up.
Cheap and expensive
The lowest price is almost never the problem. The problem is what tends to come with it: generic material, no rehearsal in the space, no plan if it rains and nobody to answer if something unexpected happens.
The highest price guarantees nothing on its own either. What you should look for is evidence: real video of performances, references you can check and a conversation in which the person asks more than they promise.
A magician who wants to know what your venue is like, what time dinner is served and who the guest of honour is, is thinking about your event. One who only wants to know when they get paid is thinking about theirs.
Have an event in mind? Tell me the date, the venue and how many of you there will be, and I will send you a fixed quote within 48 hours at the latest.