Pete James Magic

I'm Pete James, a professional close-up magician based in Orpington, performing at weddings, corporate events and private parties across London, Kent, Surrey and the UK.

My work is close-up magic in the truest sense. No stage, no big props, no awkward "everyone gather round" moment. I move through your guests during drinks receptions, between courses or across the evening reception, performing impossible card magic and fast, in-the-moment mind reading that happens right in their hands. It breaks the ice between people who have never met, fills the gaps while you're off having photographs taken, and gives your guests something to talk about for weeks afterwards.

Why book me? Fifteen years and over 500 events means I know how to read a room. A lively wedding drinks reception needs a different energy to an intimate boardroom dinner or a client hospitality evening, and I adapt in real time rather than running a rehearsed script at people. Every performance is shaped around the guests in front of me.

I'm a Member of The Magic Circle and an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle (AIMC), which isn't something you can simply pay for. Membership requires passing a formal examination in front of a panel of existing members, and AIMC is a further distinction awarded beyond that. I'm also fully insured with public liability cover, so your venue and event planner have everything they need on file.

Practically, I make life easy. I reply to enquiries within 24 hours with availability and a quote, I turn up early, I dress for your event, and I liaise with your venue or coordinator directly if that helps. Most bookings run one to two hours of mix-and-mingle magic, though packages range from a short 45 minute slot up to a full day.

I perform regularly across Greater London, Bromley, Croydon, Sevenoaks, Canary Wharf, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and I'm available UK-wide and internationally.

Tell me about your event and I'll tell you exactly how magic can fit into the day.

What drew me to this was never the secret behind a trick. It was watching what a good one does to a room. People who have not spoken all evening start talking to each other. Someone who was quietly checking their phone becomes the centre of attention and loves it. That reaction is the actual product, and the sleight of hand is just how you get there.

I became a Member of The Magic Circle in 2016, which meant sitting a formal examination in front of a panel of existing members, and I was promoted to Associate of the Inner Magic Circle in 2021. Neither is something you can buy your way into. I mention them because in a field with no regulation, they are one of the few honest signals a client has to go on.

Fifteen years and more than 500 events later, what still keeps me interested is that no two rooms are the same. I do not perform a fixed set. I read the atmosphere and build around the people actually in front of me, which is why after all this time I have never got bored of it.

Over fifteen years as a professional close-up magician, with more than 500 events performed across weddings, corporate functions and private parties.

I work regularly throughout Greater London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and travel UK-wide and internationally for the right event. Venues have ranged from barn and country house weddings and Thames boat parties through to golf clubs, City boardrooms and Canary Wharf offices.

I am five-star rated on Google, with a 100 per cent five-star feedback record from the couples, hosts and event organisers I have worked with.

My work splits fairly evenly across three types of client.

Couples getting married make up the bulk of it. Most book me for the drinks reception while they are away having photographs taken, or for table-hopping between courses at the wedding breakfast. I work regularly at barn and country house weddings across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, hotel weddings in central London, and boat weddings on the Thames. Guest numbers usually run between 40 and 150.

Companies and event agencies are the second group. Summer parties, Christmas parties, awards evenings, client hospitality, trade stands, product launches and staff away days. I have worked with teams in Canary Wharf and the City as well as offices across Kent and Surrey. Corporate clients tend to book me because they want something interactive that gets people talking, rather than an act everyone stands around and watches. I am comfortable working to a brief, handling PO numbers and invoicing, and sending my public liability certificate straight to a venue or a health and safety team.

Private hosts are the third. Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, retirement and engagement parties, and dinner parties at home. These are usually smaller, 20 to 60 guests, and often in someone's house, a private dining room, a restaurant or a golf club.

What most of my clients have in common is a gap in the day they are worried about, or a room of people who do not all know each other. That is exactly what close-up magic is for. My material is clean and works for a mixed-age audience, so it plays as well to a table of grandparents as it does to a group of colleagues.

I am not a children's entertainer and I do not perform stage illusion shows. If you need a specialist children's party act, I am happy to point you towards someone better suited.

Member of The Magic Circle since 2016. Admission is by formal examination in front of a panel of existing members, or by submitting a thesis, so it is not a membership that can simply be paid for.

Associate of the Inner Magic Circle (AIMC) since 2021, a further distinction awarded by the Society beyond standard membership.

Member of Equity, the UK trade union for professional performers.

Fully insured with public liability cover. Certificate available on request for your venue, event coordinator or health and safety team.