FAQs

A professional magician typically costs between $500 and $3,000 or more, depending on the event type, length, audience size, and location. Michael's bookings fall in that range for corporate events, weddings, and private parties across Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and the rest of North Carolina. Pricing depends heavily on the magician's experience and the scope of the offering. A polished professional handling corporate galas, wedding receptions, and upscale gatherings is different from someone doing card tricks at a bar. For an accurate quote tailored to your event, fill out the contact form and Michael will reach out to talk through what's being planned.

To book Michael Bloemeke for a magic show, fill out the contact form on this site. Michael gets the message right away and reaches out quickly. The next step is a short consultation call where he walks through the event, recommends the format that fits (mingling magic, stage show, or formal close-up show), and answers any questions. From there, Michael sends the booking documents to lock in the date for your event in Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, or anywhere in North Carolina (and beyond).

Most magic shows book about two to three months ahead, though Michael's calendar handles everything from short-notice corporate gigs to weddings locked in many months out. The best advice is to reach out as soon as you're considering a magician for your event in Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, or anywhere in North Carolina, even if the planning is still in early stages. Magician calendars fill up quickly during corporate holiday season and wedding season, so there's no harm in starting the conversation early.

Michael offers three core magic show formats, each suited to different events. Mingling magic (also called strolling close-up) works at events where people are milling around: cocktail hours, banquets, wedding receptions. Michael walks from group to group performing interactive sleight of hand for small groups at a time. A formal close-up show is a structured set for a smaller seated audience, usually up to 20-25 people. It suits private parties, intimate team events, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and small private dining rooms. A stage show is a theatrical magic and mentalism performance for larger audiences, with effects designed to play visually at a distance. Best for corporate galas, holiday parties, fundraisers, and large gatherings. The best way to lock in the right format for a Raleigh, Durham, or Charlotte event is to talk it through on a booking call.

The difference between close-up magic and stage magic is scale and scope. Close-up magic is performed up close for small groups, usually with cards, coins, and objects guests can see in detail. Stage magic is performed for larger audiences, with effects designed to play visually from a distance. The material is chosen to fit the format: some tricks only work when guests are inches away, and some only land when they play to a room of hundreds. Close-up magic itself comes in two flavors: mingling magic (Michael moves from group to group conversationally) and a formal close-up show (a prepared set list performed for a small seated group at a table). Both formats are popular at corporate events, weddings, and private parties across Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and the rest of North Carolina.

Mentalism is a category of magic that revolves around mind-reading, predictions, and mental influence. Where classic magic might be about an object disappearing or transforming, mentalism is about the mind: reading what someone is thinking, predicting what they'll choose, or seemingly influencing their decisions. Michael's stage show blends classic magic and mentalism, so the audience gets both. As a FISM 2025 Most Original Act winner and IBM Close-Up Champion, Michael's work has been recognized at the highest level in both disciplines.

European-style close-up magic is an intimate 15-minute formal show performed at a dedicated table for rotating groups of ten to fifteen guests. Michael performs this format inspired by The Magician's Table, a London-originated magic-theater show Michael has been part of. Guests come to the table off to the side of the main event, watch the show, and then return to the rest of the event. The next group rotates in.

This way every guest at a corporate event, wedding, or private party in Raleigh, Durham, or Charlotte gets a high-quality, focused magic performance without the rest of the event being interrupted. European-style close-up works especially well for cocktail hours, receptions, and circulating events where the host wants to add something elevated without disrupting the flow.

Most magic shows last between 50 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the format. Michael's standard stage show runs 50-60 minutes. The standard formal close-up show runs about 60 minutes, with an optional bonus 30-minute segment for a total of 60-90 minutes. Mingling magic most often runs 90-120 minutes, though it's flexible from around 45 minutes up to several hours depending on the event.

Show length can be customized. Michael has performed short 15-30 minute stage sets for corporate kickoffs and extended several-hour mingling sessions for wedding receptions across Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte, so the timing flexes around what the event needs.

Michael can perform for any audience size, from intimate private groups of 10 to corporate galas of 1,000 or more. The guest count is what determines which show style fits: small groups call for a formal close-up show, medium rooms call for mingling magic, and large audiences call for a stage show built to play at scale. Michael has performed for everything from leadership dinners of 8 in Raleigh restaurants to fundraiser galas of 1,000+ across North Carolina.

Michael performs a mix of magic, mentalism, and comedy. Close-up work is heavy on sleight of hand: cards, coins, sponge balls, Rubik's cubes, even routines that happen with the guest's own phone. Stage work blends magic and mind-reading with comedy throughout. Every show combines multiple effect types (classic magic, mentalism, prediction, sleight of hand, audience-involvement pieces) so the experience stays varied. As a FISM 2025 Most Original Act winner and IBM Close-Up Champion, Michael's repertoire has been recognized at the highest levels of professional magic competition.

Yes. Michael customizes magic shows for the specific event. He can incorporate special messages, themes, products, or running inside jokes into the routines. If a company has a product or theme, it often works its way into the magic performance. Michael can also feature specific guests (the CEO, the birthday person, a notorious skeptic, anyone) and make them the star of a routine. Time-frame and venue accommodations are part of the conversation as well. For any specific custom request, talk it over on the booking call and Michael will work it into the show.

Michael performs at corporate events of all kinds (holiday parties, sales kickoffs, client appreciation events, team-building afternoons, milestone celebrations, fundraisers, trade-show entertainment), weddings and receptions, bachelor and bachelorette parties, adult birthday parties, family events, charity galas, church events, fairs, festivals, private trade shows, and ticketed public shows. Most events are in Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and across North Carolina, with travel to events nationally and internationally. Michael has also performed at The Magician's Table, a magic-theater show.

Yes. Corporate magic shows are a major part of Michael's calendar: holiday parties, sales kickoffs, client appreciation events, team-building afternoons, managers' retreats, milestone celebrations, fundraisers, and trade-show entertainment across Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and the rest of North Carolina. Audience sizes range from intimate leadership dinners for eight to corporate galas of hundreds of attendees. Hire a corporate magician who has performed at the highest level (FISM 2025 Most Original Act, IBM Close-Up Champion) and who keeps the show clean and HR-safe.

Yes. Wedding magicians are most often booked for the cocktail hour, and Michael's standard wedding format is mingling magic during cocktail hour, often followed by a short private close-up show for the bride and groom or the wedding party. Some weddings call for a formal stage show when the event's structure lends itself to one. Michael has performed at weddings across the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill), Charlotte, and the rest of North Carolina, and at bachelor and bachelorette parties leading up to the day.

Yes, completely. Michael's magic shows are clean and family-friendly: no vulgar humor, no spiritual or supernatural themes. (As a practicing Catholic, Michael keeps the show free of any of that.) Shows are appropriate for corporate events, churches, family events, and audiences of any age across North Carolina. The material is built primarily for adults, so the comedy lands well at adult corporate events and wedding receptions. At family events with a mix of adults and kids, there's plenty in the show that kids enjoy too. Nobody feels left out.

Yes. Michael's home base is Raleigh, North Carolina, and he travels for events anywhere in the country and internationally. He has performed across the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Apex, Holly Springs, RTP), Charlotte, all over North Carolina, across the United States, and internationally, including Italy (FISM World Championship of Magic, 2025) and Shanghai, China (magic festival). For events outside the immediate area, travel folds into the conversation on the booking call.^*

^* Travel requirements may affect booking rates.

Venue requirements depend on the magic show format, and the specifics are best discussed on the booking call. In general, mingling magic and formal close-up shows need very little, usually just space to perform. Stage shows may need a sound system, microphone, and sometimes video projection. Many venues in Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte already have what's needed; in some cases Michael can bring his own sound system depending on the event. After booking, Michael provides a rider that spells out the exact requirements for the specific event.

Michael's magic shows are usually solo. The performance is built around one professional magician interacting directly with the room. For some events Michael brings a videographer to capture footage for promotional use, or an assistant to help with setup. Michael has also done collaborative work with other magicians: joint shows, walk-around partnerships, and large theater experiences like The Magician's Table.