Between the colleges, the science parks and the country houses on the edge of town, there's a lot going on here. Tell us your date and venue and we'll send over available magicians and a quote.
College venues, formal dinners and May Balls
Plenty of Cambridge colleges hire out their rooms outside term, and some take weddings. Downing College, for example, uses its Howard Building for conferences, receptions and weddings, with a dedicated team to run them.
Formal dinners in old halls tend to follow a set rhythm: drinks, a long seated meal, speeches. Magic at the drinks gets people mixing. Then a few minutes at each table between courses keeps the room lively without breaking the sense of occasion.
May Ball committees and student societies usually book months ahead, and the best magicians go early. If you're on a committee, get in touch as soon as your date's fixed.
Tell us how long the event runs, how many guests you're expecting and where the magician will be based. We'll suggest a set-up that keeps queues moving and makes sure plenty of people see something.
Country houses on the edge of the city
Madingley Hall, a few miles west of the centre, is owned by the University and has gardens laid out by Capability Brown. It does everything from small weddings to corporate retreats. Anstey Hall in Trumpington, a Grade I listed house, is hired out exclusively for weddings, so you get the place to yourselves.
Exclusive-use venues like Anstey Hall work brilliantly with a roaming magician. Guests drift between rooms and the garden, and the magician goes with them.
Madingley's gardens are a big draw in summer, and it's worth asking the venue where guests will be during the drinks. If it's on the lawn, the magician can be out there with them from the first glass.
Cambridge magician for weddings in and around the city
Cambridge weddings often bring guests from all over the world, especially when one of the couple studied or works here. Close-up magic is visual, so it works across languages, and it's a great way to get guests from different sides mixing.
Garden parties at country houses are popular in summer. A roaming magician on the lawn during the drinks fits in nicely and doesn't need anything from the venue.
Science parks, start-ups and corporate events
Cambridge has a huge tech and life sciences scene, and those companies throw a lot of team events, client receptions and Christmas parties. The audiences are sharp and love a puzzle. Mind reading and clever card work go down a storm.
For something central and roomy, the Guildhall on Market Square has a Large Hall with a fixed stage, used for weddings, dinners and events. That stage comes in handy if you'd like a short after-dinner set.
Team events at the science parks are often on weekday evenings, straight after work. A magician at the drinks helps people switch off from the day and actually talk to colleagues they only see on video calls.
Parking, bikes and timings
Cambridge city centre isn't built for cars. Parking is scarce and a lot of streets are restricted, so we always check access with the venue. For college events, there's usually a porters' lodge procedure for getting in and out, and we sort that beforehand.
Out-of-town venues like Madingley Hall have their own parking, which makes life much simpler.
Watch out for bikes, too. Our magicians know to take it slowly around the centre.
