Through drinks and dinner
The usual shape for a private celebration: arriving with the guests, performing in bursts through the evening, and staging one moment for whoever the night is for.
From $2,500
A private event magician performs at close range for a small, seated or standing group — a milestone birthday, an anniversary, a dinner at home or at a villa. The intimacy that makes these evenings difficult to entertain is exactly what close-up magic is built for.
Why small rooms are harder, not easier
At a wedding of two hundred, a performer can be very good for part of the room and the evening still works. At a dinner for eighteen there is no part of the room. Everyone sees everything, from three feet away, with the lights on, and there is no crowd noise to hide inside.
That is the argument for booking close-up specifically at private events rather than a scaled-down version of a stage act. Close-up is the only format that gets better as the audience gets smaller — more time per guest, more use of borrowed objects, more of the evening's own context worked into the material.
The other difference is the host. At a corporate event the host wants the evening to succeed; at a private celebration the host is emotionally exposed, because these are their friends and their family and it was their idea. A large part of the job is making sure the host gets to enjoy their own party rather than managing it.
Practically, these bookings tend to be in homes, villas and private rooms rather than venues — which means no production team, no timeline document and nobody whose job it is to run the evening. Matteo works to that: arriving early, finding out who the evening is actually for, and choosing moments rather than following a schedule that does not exist.
How private bookings are shaped
Seated mentalism piece
Twenty to thirty minutes for the whole table at once — the shared moment, for evenings that want one. Works from about twenty guests upwards.
From $3,000
A moment for the host
A single piece built around the person the evening is for — the anniversary, the birthday, the announcement. Prepared in advance with whoever is organising it.
Included
What this looks like in practice
Discretion is part of the booking. Private celebrations frequently include guests who would rather not be photographed or singled out, and knowing which guest that is before the evening starts is not an optional courtesy.
No equipment arrives. Nothing to set up in someone's home, nothing to store, no cables, no cases in the hallway. Matteo arrives dressed for the evening and looks like a guest until he is not.
Multilingual, which at a private international gathering is often the difference between a table that is included and a table that is watching.
Matteo Cammisa is a member of The Magic Circle in London, of FISM — the international federation of magic societies — and of the Society of American Magicians. Twenty years of performing, more than 500 events, over 30 countries.
Watch — Matteo Cammisa X Million — live at a private celebrity event
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Frequently asked
How much is a magician for a private event?
Bookings start from $2,500, quoted per event rather than per hour. For a private celebration — a milestone birthday, an anniversary, a dinner at home — the figure moves with the length of the evening and the location more than with the guest count. Guest numbers matter less than format at this scale: an evening for twenty and an evening for sixty are closer in price than most people expect.
Is a magician worth it for a small group?
Small groups are where close-up magic is strongest, not weakest. With eighteen guests there is time to perform for everyone properly, to use their own objects, and to build the evening's own details into the material. The format that struggles at small scale is the stage act, which is why it is not the one to book.
Can the performance be built around the person the evening is for?
Yes, and it usually is. A date, a name, a shared story or a running joke can be worked into a single piece staged for the host — arranged in advance with whoever is organising the evening rather than with the person it is for. It is the part of a private booking that people remember longest, and it takes one conversation to set up.
Does this work at a private home or villa?
It is the most common setting for these bookings. Nothing needs to be set up, nothing is stored, no equipment arrives and no space is taken over. Ordinary lighting is fine. A home is in fact an easier room than a venue, because the guests are already comfortable.
How much does it cost to book Matteo Cammisa?
Bookings start from $2,500. The figure moves with the format, the length of the evening, the number of guests and where in the world the event is. Fees are quoted per event rather than per hour, because what you are booking is presence across a window of the evening, not a block of stage time. Tell Matteo the date, the city and roughly how many guests, and you will have a firm figure within 24 hours.
Is Matteo available for events worldwide?
Yes — Matteo Cammisa performs worldwide, year-round, and has done so at more than 500 events across over 30 countries. Wherever the event is, send the date, the city and roughly how many guests, and you will have availability and a firm figure within 24 hours. Where travel applies, it is quoted separately and transparently.
Check your date
Send the date, the city and roughly how many guests. You will have availability and a firm figure within 24 hours.
Prefer to message directly? WhatsApp · management@matteocammisa.com