Welcome to my Tips Page

The following are tips only, remember children's parties generally go very well without any of them being followed.

Try and avoid giving food or drink to the children before or during the first part of the magic show. Firstly because some children react badly to sugar, secondly if eating whilst watching, then their attention is divided. A sugar-free drink before the show will be fine.

Try to avoid giving out balloons, poppers and so forth before or during the magic show. This is because they divert the children's attention away from the entertainer. Once the show itself is over though, it is fine

Whenever possible its a good idea to wait until all the children arrive before starting the show, even if some are late, this is because we want to reduce the distraction of children bearing gifts arriving and wishing the birthday child happy returns during the show.

Typically, if you put the party start time fifteen minutes before the show actually starts, this usually takes care of the late arrivals.

Wilkinsons, Morrisons and the pound shops usually have ranges of reasonably priced party ware.

If you are planning on having the magic show outdoors please ensure there is an indoor venue available in case of inclement weather.

Bring a camera or camcorder. When Marvo the Magician calls your child up to perform magic you will have some good photo opportunities!

If you are having the show in a house, keep the number of children commensurate with the size of the room you are having the show in. For a small living room I would advise fifteen children at the most. A large room can of course go right up to twenty children or even more.

Don't pay too much for a venue. There seems to be quite a variation in price from nothing right up to £25 or more. Some sports and social clubs will allow you to use their facilities for the price of a years membership. There are usually two kinds of membership, full membership and social membership. If for example you wish to join a boat club, you can usually join as a social member just by filling in a short form and paying a small fee, you do not need a boat! Club membership is a particularly good deal if you have more than one child and intend having a second party later on in the year. Pubs will often allow children's parties depending on their licence. Church halls are usually reasonably priced. County Council facilities such as leisure centres are usually first class but tend to be a little expensive. Some schools will allow you to use their hall after school finishes at a competitive price. For a list of possible venues, click on "venues" on the above menu.

When booking a hall remember to find out whether or not you need a token for the meter or if electricity is included in the price. If they are using electric heating make sure to take sufficient tokens.

Try placing two or three balloons at the bottom of your drive or outside the venue so people will know which house or farm to go to. If the venue is really difficult to find, such as a remote farm, try putting the postcode on the invitations, and have it ready to give Marvo the Magician when you book. The postcode can then be entered on the Sat Navs, enabling your guests to find it easily.

It is also a good idea to put "RSVP ASAP to Confirm Attendance" on the invitations together of course with your landline and mobile number and of course your e-mail address. 

Consider collecting contact information from your guests in the event of having to change the arrangements at last minute. This occasionally happens if the birthday child is unwell on the day of the party. 

The items people most commonly forget are a cake knife and matches to light the candles. People often burn their fingers when lighting candles because by the time they light the last one, all the rest are already lit! The best idea I find is to use one long candle to light the others. Alternatively, those long gas lighters you can buy for about a pound that are used for lighting gas stoves are hard to beat.

If you are going to prepare your own food, you may consider putting the food on plates and covering them with clingfilm or transparent self-sealing bags.  This does not only keep the food moist and protect it from contamination, but you can also put the food out on the tables before the party starts and simply remove the film when the children are ready to eat, with no risk of them starting to eat it ahead of time.

If you are too busy to prepare your own food you may consider ordering in McDonalds happy meals for them.  The children will be pleased, but remember it is important to order well ahead.  This has been a bit of a problem in the past whereby food is ordered only once all the children have arrived.  It has been difficult to get the food by the time the show has finished.  Marvo can help by making balloons during this period but it is not ideal as the children get excited and hungry.  They are also all worked up when they sit down.

Another quick option are hot dogs and oven chips.  Seems to work well.

Remember to bring coffee, tea, sugar and milk for the adult guests who remain with the children.  They will be sitting for an hour and a half and will greatly appreciate a cuppa.

Do let Marvo know if any children have disabilities which are not obvious and may affect the way he performs.  For example:  if a child has difficulty walking he will bring a suitable illusion out for him rather than call him out on stage.  If a child is deaf he will make more effort with gestures and so forth.  Dont make the mistake of inviting a wheelchair user to an upstairs event without a lift! 

If you are also having a bouncy castle indoors remember to check the ceiling height taking into account any hanging lights. If you are having one of these it is important to have a responsible adult watching at all times. At the moment inflatable slides are all the rage.  The castle will need to be turned off during the show itself due to the distraction and noise.

Please let Marvo know in advance if you expect substantially more children to attend than originally booked. It makes it easier for him because there is a lot of preparation done in advance, for example, extra balloons will need to be blown up.

If you are putting up decorations, consider taking some Blue Tac with you as some venues will not allow you to use drawing pins.

Marvo would be grateful if you would reserve a parking spot for him somewhere close to the entrance as he has a lot to load and unload.

Above all, don't worry about all these tips, they are not that important!

To check availability or book, telephone:

07877293844

Thank You