You have the decorations. You have the drinks. Someone has already promised to arrive dressed as something that requires a lengthy explanation. What will your guests actually do once they’ve admired the plastic skeleton?
For Halloween party entertainment in Charlotte, a private magic performance gives the evening a shared mystery. Guests can gather for comedy magic, investigate a suspicious game of chance, or settle in for a theatrical séance. The skeleton can go back to holding the candy bowl. We have work to do.
I’m Timothy Starnes, a Charlotte magician and comedy conjurer. I’m most known for my comedy séance show, Timothy Starnes & His Many Night Visitors, which I tour along the East Coast. I’m also a trained comedy and bar magician, so the evening can be as haunted as your crowd wants it to be.
Choose the kind of trouble your guests will enjoy
A Halloween theme doesn’t automatically mean everyone wants a séance. Some guests want cards, props, quick wit, and the pleasure of watching their perfectly reasonable explanation collapse. Traditional comedy magic can deliver that without making the supernatural the centerpiece.
Con games, bar bets, and dice magic suit a gathering with a playful, competitive streak. Guests follow the action, make choices, and discover that confidence is a very unreliable witness.
For a group that wants to sit together and give the evening over to something stranger, the comedy séance combines spirit magic, haunted storytelling, dark humor, and audience involvement. Allow two hours for the séance. I suggest an intimate group of roughly 10–15, or as many as your dining table can comfortably accommodate.
The séance is theatrical entertainment. I don’t provide mediumship readings or promise contact with deceased loved ones. You’re booking a show, and we’ll discuss its tone before anyone takes a seat.
Give the magic a place in the party
I work from a dedicated performance station. Guests can approach, watch, and join the action on their own terms while the rest of the party continues around them. Put the station somewhere people can find it without blocking the kitchen, the entrance, or the bar.
A séance needs a different place in the schedule. Give it a clear beginning and a settled audience. It works better as the evening’s planned entertainment than as something squeezed between a costume contest and six competing conversations.
For other party formats, I usually spend one to two hours with the group. We can adjust the duration and mix of material around your plans. The show selection guide explains the choices in more detail.
Keep the room useful as well as creepy
I ask for three chairs and a table, or a coffee table with ample audience seating in front and to the sides. I don’t use a sound system, so choose a spot where people can hear me without competing with the loudest speaker in the house.
Dim lighting can suit the mood, but guests still need to see the action. Keep decorations off the working surface and leave a clear route to the seats. A room can look haunted without making everyone navigate it like a minor insurance claim.
Tell me about any outdoor plans so we can discuss shelter, lighting, and a suitable indoor alternative. We’ll also agree on arrival and setup before the event.
Book your Charlotte Halloween magician
My performances are for adults 18 and up. Tell me how dark your crowd likes its comedy and whether you want traditional magic, con games, a séance, or a mix.
My rate is $500 per hour, with a two-hour minimum for parties outside the Charlotte, NC area. A séance requires two hours wherever it takes place. We’ll confirm the booking total and any travel costs before you reserve the date.
Text Tim at 704-698-7286 with your date, venue, guest count, and the kind of evening you have in mind. You can also explore private party and close-up magic.
Invite the dead. At least they won’t ask whether they can bring a plus-one from work.