Hi guys, just came across this article on the internet and just wanted to share with all :lol: hope it comes useful!


7 Necessary Steps You Should Take When Performing Magic In Streets & Bars
by Gary McCaffrey

If you want to start performing magic tricks to strangers in streets bars and clubs, follow these tips and get the most out of every magic performance.

1. Dress Casually

A lot of people will tell you that to come across as a serious magician, you have to dress well. While that is true for restaraunt work, when performing in streets and bars, you want to appear casual. Just a pair of jeans and a shirt or T-shirt is perfect. This way you blend in, looking like the average person will make people expect little from you, which elevates the surprise factor when you do something amazing.

2. Choose Your Spectators

When you start performing regularly in the 'real world', you will face a lot of rejection, by rejection I mean people who have no interest in seeing what you do. However, there are measures you can take to decrease this 'rejection'. Never approach people who look busy, if someone is marching through the street, or in a bar in a deep conversation with their partner, its unlikely they want to be interupted. The next thing my experience has taught me, avoid older people and groups of males, don't ask me why but old people seem to not want to see magic tricks, and groups of males almost always feel challenged by the fact you know something they don't, and are prime cadidates for trying to ruin your magic.

3. Play Yourself Down

When I first approach spectators, I always like to act real casual, take everything slow and smoothe. This will make you appear as though your not even trying, which will amaze your spectators even more, that way, they will think, "what could he do if he actually tried".

4. Learn Your Tricks

This one is pretty obvious but do not perform any trick until you have practiced it well. Although performing is the best practice you will get, make sure you have the mechanics down before you start, there is nothing more embarassing than forgetting what to do next in the middle of a routine.

5. Structure Your Performance

Make sure your routine is well structured, this means that each trick builds on the last, has an extra surprise factor or is just simply more amazing. You don't want to start your routine with your strongest trick because the rest of your magic will just seem mediocre, build as you go and leave the best to last!

6. No means NO!

If you approach someone and they say they don't want to see any magic, do not continue to insist, you don't want to harrass people. Just politely say 'Ok, thats fine' and move along, they could be having a bad day and if someone is cheeky to you or insults you it may dent your confidence for the rest of your performance.

7. Get A Tip

The easiest way I find to get a tip is to finish with a trick using money. Borrow some cash from a spectator and use it in your final trick. Often, if you where entertaining, people will tell you to keep the money, or usually, you can just put it in your pocket and say nothing, they usually just let you have it. This is the most hassle free way of getting a tip, because usually, I don't like to ask for it.

Keep in mind, that there is a lot more to performing in the street than what I have outlined above. But if you follow this advice, you will be sure to make a success out of most of your street magic performances.

Hah....Ning shouldn't have trouble with the "groups of male" problem. :D

A mixed group is also potientially problematic, esp if the guys feel you are impressing the girls too much (from a guy performer's perspective). It is most condusive if you get the guys on your side 1st i think. To buddy buddy with them before even addressing the ladies in the group (opposite true for Ning :D ).
End of the day, girls still makes the best specs....hahaha....
sigh...and i have been accused of being a flirt for understanding that..... :rolleyes:

LOL.... gee.... thanks Morphine! :rolleyes:

I always act as I am new to the trick hahaha.. I love to act blur lah shuffle cards cards drop all over the floor.. then pick up make it sloppy. Then when the trick is done my spec really get a reaction lol. Thats my style lol. Act blur :blink:

"Think smart, Act BLUR!" :lol: hahahaha

Lol Thats a good one lol :lol:

If I'm not wrong, that's a line from Mr. Kiasu (kekekeke...) Ripped it off from the comic book.

:huh: not sure about it lol but you can see me act really blur and funny.. My spec always will have a good laugh and I am just having fun lol... Like I did some tricks in my school library today.. Sunddenly there was a crowd surrounding me me then I add blur liao say I just learn this trick and drops the cards when I shuffle them lol. Then Did ACR and wow the whole place is fill with laugher and amusement lol.. Kinda shock :o

That's nice... we all have our own styles. I think it's important that we don't just emulate our fave idol magi... just simply be yourself and your personality will show. that would produce the best magic performance :)

Yep true I love to watch other people perfromances and learn from there and do it my style that makes your perfromance special and intereseting lol.. If you copy people style eg David Blaine style most people have seen it in his TV special so when you use his style of presenting a trick its no new to people anymore. Try to use creative and input into your routines lol... Crap by a greenhorn :P

Some of David Blaine's lines are pretty good tho... you could get away with it, esp with his openings (er, just dont copy his stoned voice and creepy eyes- might not work for everyone)... his patter's pretty good. Just use it and apply it to specifically suit yourself ;)

Yep agree... Some how people always like to link street magician to David Blaine haiz ... today even someone in the library ask me can I levitate like david Blaine.. WTF.... <_<

i dont really like performing acr... everytime i perform ACR, my spectators would get puzzled rather then amaze(WOW).

Hmmm.. But I get different reaction lol....hmm but they do snatch my cards to see if its gimmick lol... <_<

i think it lies with the way u present it.
normally the 1st few times the audience will be quite puzzled. then u can make some patters to entertain them. like the classic ambitious i saw in Michael ammar's etmcm, he made it in a way that it's a mystery that even he dun phantom, but it's just interesting to see it happening. the best thing is the twist at the end of the routine.
my recent presentation always include the card to mouth routine (i seldom had 2 routines that are exactly the same). this never fails to make them laugh.

sometimes it's a good idea to give them an answer for the puzzle for whichever trick u r doing. n of coz, the whole answer is just some rubbish. but at least they can laugh at the answer u give or even take the answer as it is...

Yrp is the presentation and showmanship which make them go wow.. I got people ask me to teach them tricks that will make people go wow... But there is no such tricks lol... All the trick we perfrom that makes people go wow is our showmanship and presentation which makes them enjoy our show and go wow.. But normally I do magic and enjoy it together with the spec.. Make them laugh and have fun at the same time lol... *Crap from a greenhorn like me* :P

something i've learnt from the professor's "the trick that cant be explained".
the magic is not the trick itself, but the way u bring out the effect.
in case of ACR, just showing the card going to the top over n over again only fustrates the audiences. add some spice to it helps a lot.

I totally agree with you. add some spic to any rountine you do and the spec will be amaze lol But most important thing is you are having fun at the same time :D