You can learn a lot about party planning when you perform hundreds of magic shows a year, and that’s exactly how I’ve managed to learn so much about it! The nice thing about hiring from the most experienced Toronto magicians is that they will always be able to put on a show that the kids will enjoy, and this will help make the party a huge success. However, as many magicians will tell you, there are often things happening outside of their control that serve as an occasional distraction to the children.
Some of these things are unavoidable, or happen by choice, and that’s perfectly okay! That said, usually these kind of things happen because it simply didn’t occur to the party planners that these things could prove distracting to the kids. When reading this page, remember that you’re the party planner and whatever you choose to do will be perfectly fine with the magician, and that a truly entertaining show will keep the kids laughing and cheering throughout any distraction. If you want to help give the kids the most enjoyment from the show though, give some consideration to the following.
Of course, you can also ask Phil Pivnick, WonderPhil The Magic Guy, questions about any of the following and more! He’s entertained thousands of children at countless parties, and will happily discuss these and other tips.
Magic shows are at their best when the audience gets to participate, and the magic itself is more powerful and amazing when the children — and even adults — catch every moment of it. While musical entertainment can often be passively enjoyed, a great magic show should hold a group’s attention throughout each wonderful effect. But what kind of things can distract people from the act? Well, with kids, it’s a lot of the little things!
Serve food before or after the show
Serving up snacks during a magic show seems like an obvious idea to most people because we are all so used to eating popcorn, chips and other things while watching other entertainment. Remember though, with a group of children, attention is very easily stolen away. What exactly makes food so distracting?
Some kids may end up fighting over the chip bowl! Things inevitably spill. Actually serving snacks while the show is in progress typically results in views being blocked, and kids looking away awaiting their snack to come. Having snacks laid out off to the side means some children will be getting up and walking in front of others throughout the show.
In my own experience, in almost all circumstances where food the problems have been minimal. My show is fast paced, interactive and full of energy, and this keeps the kids’ interest throughout. Still, when you hire magicians, chances are you’d like to get the most value out of their show as possible, so it’s good to keep this in mind when planning the party.
Watch Out for Noise!
Great kids magicians will keep the group entertained from the start of the show until the end, but sometimes it’s easy to see that noise from another room is making it hard for the children to focus. What noise? The other parents! It’s a good idea to remind the other adults present that even a little chatter from an adjoining room, or from a few adults standing behind the audience, can create a lot of background noise that result in the kids missing out.
There’s good news though! With me, Toronto’s Magic Guy, you can honestly tell the other adults that they will have a great time if they sit back and watch the show as well. As you can see from a lot of feedback from my past magic shows, people are often raving about how they enjoyed the show as much as the children.
Chairs or Floor?
At a kids’ party, should the audience be on chairs, or on the floor? This is something I’m asked quite a lot, and my answer is almost always to have the kids on the floor. There are a few reasons for this, and they all have to do with helping the children enjoy the show. So, if you would like the children’s magic show to include chairs for the audience, it won’t affect the show itself in any way. To be sure the kids get the most out of the show though, you may want to consider a couple of things:
Whether it’s the couch or laid out fold up chairs, children will often fight over the “perfect seat”. Hopefully this won’t be actual fighting, of course. (I haven’t seen a chair-brawl yet!) The issue is usually that they will argue a little at the start of the show, and take over each other’s spots as one gets up to volunteer or for any other reason.
Everyone at the party will want to volunteer to be in the magic show, but when there are rows of chairs it’s hard to call on the kids in the middle. This isn’t a problem though when there is just one row of chairs, or if the kids are on the couch. There’s a flip side to this. With chairs the children get to have a feeling of being more grown up while they enjoy what is often one of their first proper live performances.
Also, remember that this piece of advice is geared towards small “living room” shows. When there are a hundred kids for the event, the thinking may change! As always, feel free to contact the Magic Guy at any time by email or telephone should you have questions.