Street magic can be intimidating to begin with, but if you’ve ever watched a David Blaine special than you’ll know that it can also be highly rewarding!
Some of the reactions you will get to your magic can only be found by taking it to the streets. Here are a few ground rules before you’re ready to take it away:
1: Stay safe
Don’t go purposefully into dangerous areas. Yes, David Blaine did tricks in a prison, but he had a full crew behind him to back him up. Stay away from prisons.
2: Prepare, prepare, prepare
I don’t mean you’re not allowed to do impromptu tricks, but make sure you know where your props are, you have your patter ready and know your opening lines. If you seem like you know what you are doing, more people will want to watch you.
3: Don’t get sidetracked
Chances are that at least once someone will ask you something along the lines of ‘can you do that trick where all the cards disappear?’ or ‘do you know the trick where you read my mind?’. Try to stick to only the tricks that you have planned and prepared for; you’re more likely to mess up if you do whatever the crowd wants.
4: Don’t get carried away
Once you have rifled out a couple of good tricks, the crowd is really getting eager for more. I generally try to only perform a maximum of 3 tricks for one audience, possibly 4 on special occasions. The reason for this is that the more magic of yours they watch, the more accustomed to it they will become. 3 tricks is a good number- not too much so they get bored, but more than enough to build a great crescendo and excitement for your final trick.
5: Have a good hook
You want a very flashy, visual trick as your first, in order to draw a bigger crowd. Hummer’s whirling card is a decent shout, or some version of the cups and balls.
Basically, go for something that doesn’t need an explanation or an vocal interaction with the audience. They should be able to be impressed just by watching it. This is your hook; what you catch the initial spectators with. Once you have them, you can start longer and more complex tricks.
6: End on a high
When your audience walks away after you have finished, they are most likely to remember the trick you opened with, and the trick you ended with. Try to save your best trick till last, and that is the trick they will think of when they look back on your performance. Tricks with a twist at the end (usually referred to as ‘kicker’ endings) work well for your final trick.
There really isn’t much more to it than that; it’s best to keep things simple and keep just these six steps in mind. You should develop your own style over time, so the best thing to do is to get out there and start performing street magic!
As usual, if you have any questions feel free to leave them below. I hope this article was useful in helping you learn how to do street magic!
The Magic Handbook To Unforgettable Street Magic
What you’ll learn:
- What is street magic?
- The different types of street magic (and which one best suits you)!
- The best types of magic tricks to perform on the street?
- Approaching strangers without being a creep!
- Unforgettable showmanship!
- Dealing with nerves and recovering from disasters…
- How to ask for money without sounding grabby!
Hey! I really loved reading your article. I’m not a magician in any way. I tried learning some magic when I was younger and visited California, but I wasn’t very good at it. But, I do love watching magic. I find it so interesting. I had no idea that street performances had so much planning and time put into them beforehand. Your site is awesome! I really love the layout too and your personality shines through in your content! I will definitely be visiting again, maybe I can finally learn some magic tricks.
Thanks so much for the feedback! Magic is such a great hobby because it isn’t equally as fun you to perform it as it is to watch it; everybody wins! Yeah sure if you ever want to learn any magic just leave me a message and I’ll br more than happy to help you out!
Cool tips and man what an awesome website you have here. Love it. I can learn a whole lot from this and I am sure it will be helpful for future magicians to come. Well put together website and great post here!
Thanks for the comment and I’m glad you enjoyed taking a look at my site. That’s the aim!