Are there any of you who are thinking, “I want to perform magic at a birthday celebration for someone special—like a friend, partner, or family member!”?
A magic performance can liven up a birthday party, and if you can pull off a surprising routine, you can amaze and delight the birthday person.
In this article, we’ll introduce a selection of magic tricks that are perfect for birthday parties.
We’ve chosen not only surprise tricks that let you present a gift or a message, but also classic coin and card magic, as well as tricks you can do using items commonly found at a dinner or drinking party.
Use this as a reference.
If you find a trick you want to try, practice it well and add it to your repertoire!
- Magic tricks to liven up a birthday party: Recommended illusions for entertainment and performances
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- [Childcare Magic] Easy! A special feature on magic tricks you’ll want to show kids
- With Explanations: Easy Magic Tricks for Lower-Grade Elementary School Children — How to Do Simple Tricks
- A roundup of magic tricks perfect for one-shot gags. Become the hero of the party!
- [Simple and Easy!] Birthday Surprise Ideas for Friends
- Magic tricks with a handkerchief: crowd-pleasing tricks for parties and performances
- Magic tricks with balls: recommended tricks for parties and performances
- Simple Magic! Fun Tricks Kids Can Do & Revealed Secrets!
- Birthday surprises you can do at school: A roundup of celebration ideas to wow your friends
- Surprise gifts to give on a birthday: touching birthday ideas
- [Surprising] A collection of body-based magic tricks [for parties and performances]
- Easy! Magic tricks that liven up a Christmas party. Simple tricks and their secrets revealed.
Magic tricks you can perform at a birthday party: surprise productions and classic crowd-pleasing tricks (1–10)
Lots of sweets appear from the drawing paper
A birthday party is a special day that comes only once a year, so you’d love to throw a surprise party for that special someone, right? Luxurious food and wonderful gifts are classics, but if you also perform a magic trick, it’s sure to make the party even more exciting.
The trick we’ll show this time makes lots of candy appear.
Everyone loves candy, from adults to kids.
Wouldn’t you be amazed if a huge amount of candy came pouring out of a bag? All you need is a large sheet of paper, a cup, and some candy.
It’s very easy to do, so give it a try and have fun with it.
A bottle appears from a paper bag
Let me introduce a magic trick where a bottle appears from a paper bag—perfect for casually performing when you give a present! It’s great for surprising someone special, so why not learn it? First, prepare the gift: a bottle of wine or cola, or a cylindrical snack, for example.
Next, tuck the gift at your waist and hide it with a jacket or similar clothing.
Then prepare an A4-size envelope with a slit cut in the center.
With the slit facing you, lift the hidden gift up through the slit—done! If you fumble, it’ll look suspicious, so practice taking it out smoothly to really amaze your recipient.
A magic trick where banknotes appear from the palm of the hand
It’s nice to have a surprise at a birthday party, isn’t it? Since a loved one’s birthday comes only once a year, hosting a party with close friends can make for a great memory.
Let’s liven things up by watching some magic while enjoying a lavish meal! This time, I’ll perform a trick where a banknote appears from the palm of my hand.
It may look difficult at first glance, but the trick is simply folding the bill up inside your hand.
Because it requires quick, nimble finger work, I recommend practicing several times so you don’t make mistakes.
Color change
You’d be astonished if the back color of playing cards changed right before your eyes, wouldn’t you? In fact, by taking advantage of human illusions and assumptions, it’s easy to pull off.
Place a single blue-backed card on top of a stack of red-backed cards that includes every value.
Make sure that one blue-backed card matches the number of the top red-backed card.
When you take this prepared stack out of a blue-backed card box, people will assume all the cards have blue backs.
After that, just handle the cards so the red backs aren’t visible.
With minimal setup, you can perform a color change that will make everyone gasp in surprise right in front of you.
Give a surprise present through card magic
If you’re planning a surprise gift for someone special’s birthday, why not combine it with a bit of card magic? With a presentation that’s different from the usual, you’re sure to amaze and move them! The idea is to make the card that corresponds to their birth date appear, and then reveal a message and the hidden location of the present written on the back of the card.
It’s a packed routine, but the key is to stack the cards in a specific order during preparation.
By being creative with how you arrange and display the cards, you can pull off the surprise without them catching on!
Presents and garlands appear from the paper bag.
Cast a spell on an empty paper bag and—abracadabra!—colorful gifts and garlands appear from inside.
It’s a classic magic trick, but it’s sure to liven up a birthday party.
Kids will love it, too, so why not learn it? The secret is to make a hole in the back of the paper bag.
Preload the gifts you want to produce, then flip only the bag so it looks empty and nothing falls out.
It takes a bit of practice, so give it a try.
If you’re producing a garland, pre-fold it in an accordion style to make it easier to pull out!
A card magic trick that lets you surprise someone with a ring as a gift
Let me introduce an astonishing magic trick where a real ring appears from a card that says “yubiwa” (ring)! If you’re planning to give a ring to your partner or significant other, perform this trick to delight them.
First, prepare two blank playing cards and write “yubiwa” on one of them.
Next, stack the cards on top of the deck in this order: place the card with “ゆびわ” written on it on top of the deck, then place the blank card on top of that.
Place a real ring on your palm, then set the deck on top of it.
First, show the audience the “Yubi-wa” card.
Then, pull out only the blank card together with the ring, and at that moment let the ring drop down—done! It’s a surprisingly simple setup, so with a bit of practice, anyone can pull it off successfully.