How many of you are working this market? What is the type of performance setting? Do you charge a much higher fee compared to a typical birthday? Do you love or hate this arena?

Just curious...

I've done a few. You want the show to be shorter and much more magically. You really want to be doing close-up magic on a bigger scale. Meaning more impressive tricks including metal bending and card tricks.
There isn't really a big market for it though. Most children of that age considered magic to be 'uncool' and so they don't book us, rather going for a DJ that is questionable since teenagers hate to dance in front of each other. The last few I did the kids were playing football in the garden and playing Call of Duty Tournaments as I arrived and throughout the night.
You can try to convince them otherwise, that magic is cool, but personally I don't consider it worth wasting my time marketing to this group, as I can get a normal birthday party show which is far easier and much more fun instead.

Another thing to consider is that there is almost no repeat or referral work from this market because the children are far too old to require it.

You would be much better marketing a 'magic show' for younger children. As I said, I have done a few of these shows, but only because the parents wanted me, not the children. The children liked me by the end of the show, but it was a fight getting them to stop playing football and turning off the computer, They already hate you before you even begin because you just being there has stopped them from playing games with their friends. Not the best way to start a show.

The most money I've ever seen spent on a private party not related to a business write off was a Bar Mitzvah. So if you have a community that has them they can be great as long as you can handle a pack of 13 year olds getting in your face and telling you 'das right, I'm a man!'. I love the Jewish community, too bad we don't have one here.

I strongly disagree with ku7uk3, These are great markets with great budgets and are treated as celebrations of a lifetime similar to weddings, graduations, etc. Many performers I know regularly earn 895.00-$1,500.00 per booking, plus these events are all about fun and entertainment and making sure the 13 year old has the celebration of their life so far. Another great feature of this market is the one-upsmanhip that occurs between families, neighbors, friends, etc. They all try to out do each other and one you are established in this market, you can be busier than you ever imagined. The budgets for these overall events rival other substantial events. Trust me, if you are good (you absolutely must be very good) you will keep plenty busy in this market making top dollar for a local or regional entertainer. I know many performers who specialize in just these events.

Also these are all about "a show", the want to be entertained and blown away, they do not want to see "tricks" as in closeup or strolling magic. Also as far as the DJ I'm not sure where you've been ku7uk3, but kids love to dance, even the boys which strongly differs from I was a kid.

Oh yeah they compete for the biggest bash (so do the Hispanics for their coming of age parties). If you can, as mindpro said, get into the scene they pay very well. I worked one that I did my regular fee but I knew the band and they didn't touch instruments for less than $6,000.00 at a party, in fact that was only one of two private parties I ever knew these guys to play. I figure that party cost about $25 to 30K over all....and the kid felt he was getting short changed!

Bat/Bar- Mitzvahs are big bucks that you get for a jumbo challenge. If you are familiar with the Seinfeld show you will remember what happened to Elaine when she went to a Bar Mitzvah.

LOL, that's very true Al.

As a communist I've never seen Seinfield, what happened with this Elaine?

Where do I start? I understand that not all of us are familiar with every Seinfeld episode, but it would take me too long to explaine. Why don't you just google "Elaine, and the Bar Mitzvah".

I found the script...

I'm proud of you.

I think all parties / clients are competing against the other parents. The reason most of us get hired is for the client to 'show us of' to the other parents. The fact that we can entertain the children is second for them.

I would assume they're a lot bigger business in the US as the Jewish community in the UK is very small. 5% of citizens of the US are Jewish, I think in the UK it's more like 0.5%. in Ireland there are about 5 Jews.

There's a fair sized Jewish community here. I've done a couple of performances at the Jewish Community Center, and I had a call from a Rabbi at the bigger synagogue here to do a show at the Arneson River Theater. It would have been a nice gig except that the audience is actually separated from the stage by the San Antonio River. So audience volunteers, a big part of my act, would be out of the question. Plus this was before I started working more like a stand-up act, so now I could adapt the act better to this situation, and I'd consider it. At the time I referred them to a very good juggler I know. I figured he was the better fit. This was one of the experiences that led me to changing the style of the act. In any case, whatever I've done thus far has not led to any Bar-Mitzvahs, but going by what I'm reading here, I think I'm ok with that.

George
In the eastern US jewish people are not a minority.

Bar/Bat Mitzvahs can be a very lucrative audience. Sometimes you're hired to perform just for the kids, sometimes for the adults and kids. The performances can be either walkaround at a reception, table magic during a luncheon or dinner, or platform, if the kids are in a separate room.

One bit of warning: these are 13-year-olds so you can't do your kids' show patter and expect it to work. Treat them as young adults and do magic that would entertain any adult audience (obviously no blue material) and the kids will appreciate the fact you are not playing down to them.

As for fees, the high side of your standard birthday fee, or maybe a bit extra since there is usually a larger crowd, is a good place to start. You might also try to get a feel for what the market bears.

Dave Shepard, a magician friend of mine in the Washington, DC area, has become sort of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah specialist. Like birthdays, they keep coming week in and week out.

p.s. Bar Mitzvah is for boys; Bat Mitzvah is for girls