Every year from November onwards, my diary fills up with Christmas party entertainment across London. Corporate dinners at The Ivy. Drinks receptions at the Royal Opera House. Awards evenings at the St Pancras Renaissance. And for a year or so, a rather extraordinary run of dates on the British Pullman — a five-course luxury dining train that departs Victoria at 6:30pm, winds through Kent, and returns at 11pm. Close-up magic between courses, carriage to carriage, while the countryside disappears into the dark outside.
I’ve performed at a lot of Christmas events. And in that time I’ve learned a fair amount about what works, what doesn’t, and what event organisers often get wrong when it comes to entertainment.
Here’s what I’d tell anyone planning a London Christmas party right now.
Get the timing right
The most common mistake I see is entertainment booked for the wrong moment in the evening.
Close-up magic works best during the natural pauses — the drinks reception when guests are arriving and don’t yet know each other, or between courses at dinner when conversation has lulled. It’s not a sit-down show. It happens in the room, with your guests, in groups of three to eight people at a time.
At UBS Wealth Management, Duck & Waffle, Park Chinois and the Royal Opera House, the brief was always the same: get people talking, break the ice, make it feel like an occasion from the first moment. That’s what close-up magic does better than almost anything else.
What it’s less suited to is a moment when guests are already deep in conversation and don’t want to be interrupted — the main course, for instance, or the formal speeches. I always advise clients to keep me away from those windows.
Think about your guest profile
A room of 80 financial services professionals at Bidborough House requires a different approach to 50 guests at a private Christmas dinner at Manicommio in Chelsea. The magic is the same — the tone, the pace, and the entry point are different.
I’ve performed for senior partners, CEOs, medical professionals at the Royal Society of Medicine, and guests at the Trafalgar St James and The Clarence in Whitehall. The common thread isn’t the industry — it’s that close-up magic works for people who are used to quality. It doesn’t talk down to them. It baffles them. That’s the point.
If your guests are sophisticated, they’ll appreciate entertainment that treats them as such.
Consider the format of your event
Drinks reception only? One to two hours of close-up magic works perfectly — I move through the room continuously, hitting every group.
Drinks followed by dinner? I’ll work the reception, take a break during the starter, return for the middle courses, and finish before the speeches. Neat, unobtrusive, effective.
Awards ceremony or more formal event? This is where a short stand-up show can work well — I performed a dedicated magic show for an intimate audience at the Royal Society of Medicine that worked beautifully precisely because the format suited the occasion.
The British Pullman was its own category entirely. Performing on a moving train presents its own particular pleasures — there’s nowhere to go, the atmosphere is already extraordinary, and guests who might take a while to warm up in a static venue are somehow immediately open to the experience. Something about being in motion.
Book early — Christmas dates go quickly
I take a limited number of Christmas bookings each year. Corporate clients in particular tend to book early — September and October are when most Christmas diaries get locked in, and the best dates disappear first.
If you’re planning an event at any of London’s better venues this November or December, it’s worth getting in touch now rather than leaving it until the autumn rush.
I perform at events across central London and beyond, and I’m happy to discuss your event, your brief, and whether close-up magic is the right fit — before you commit to anything.