Tourist season is coming up in my town and I want to work those crowds. But I don't really want to gather a large crowd. I do card magic, almost entirely slight of hand, index, and deck mem work. The Ideal crowd would probably be 4-7, any more and the effect would be diminished, almost second hand to those who are close enough. The thing I can't figure out is, what is a solid way to "pass the hat" when you're doing walk about performance (Since there is no open instrument case).

Hi dude I do small circle shows for any thing from 10-15 people at a time. I have a case on the floor with a sign saying magic and I have loses change in there as well. I also deliver a hat line at the end. See pictuer
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AxAU-1WFgDY/UO......G408.jpg

Also you could hat line at the end and show your empty hat fill with money.

Do NOT put loose change to salt the hat!! Put in bills! I use a $5 & two $1 bills to salt the hat. People put in what others have put in so I dump the change out as soon as I can. As for hat lines I drop 1 or 2 during the show and at the end I say "Thanks for watching, if I have entertained you today I've done my job and the only way I get paid is by your generosity so please drop in anything that folds."

Paddy spot on! The smallest note here is $5 NZD then I have 2 $2 coins. If I see 10c go in I am quick to get them out. Because once they appear they seem to attract more very quickly. So I sive them out. Big money dose attract big money but don't get to carried away by put 100 $50 bills in that hat.

Thanks, it's a big help.

AH, I didn't notice the NZ location. Here in the U.S. the smallest bill is $1 There is a $1 coin but no one uses that and is mistaken for 1 25 cent coin.

over the last couple years my tip bucket has attracted more and more of the $1 coins. still not as many as the paper dollars, but they're getting... maybe not common exactly but at least not rare anymore.

But Hobbit remember that you are on the left coast where liberalism is supreme

I dream of a world where all money is coins and I feel like Harry Potter, The gold ones are Galleons. Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough.

Bit of subject. But here in New Zealand you can also use Australian dollars as well. But the thing is there 2 dollars look simluar to our one dollar. The exchange rate is a little better as well.

Also with salting the hat also diffently tell them how much they should tip. comparing your show to a cost of a coffee is a good way to go.

Are you planning to busk the Fur Rondy Serrodash?

No, I live in SE alaska. Summertime Juneau is over flowing with tourists, lol. Do you work up north?

I still never put a tip receptacle out. I always finish my show and then pass the hat. I rarely get change. I think it is because I am walking up to the spectator with the hat and I see what they are putting in. People feel embarrassed to put change in if you see them do it. If you have a tip bucket they can throw whatever in and you don't know. I think this is more likely to get change than the hat.

I will agree though that when the first person drops a $5, $10, or $20 into the hat, the others tend to put bigger bills as well. I have even seen spectators look into the hat see bills and put the $1s or $5 they had in hand back in their wallet and get a $10. I have also found that asking for what you think your show is worth, $5's and $10's etc, will garner you more of those bills. Not mentioning an amount of money will get more $1's every time.

I know some of you like the bucket, I personally just like to hat. I often look at hats in the store and imagine them filled with money rather than how they look on my head. It's just part of what I love about busking. Taking my hat off and carrying it around like an offering plate. Maybe I am a little weird, who knows?

I don't think you're weird. I do think that passing a hat here in Rhode Island would be considered; "active solicitation" which is frowned upon and will get you moved on.

I've got a couple of thoughts here that have worked for me over the years...

When I have performed a set time show, lets say, 15 or 20 minuets, with decent crowd of 50 or more, I always mention amounts, like 5 or 10 and pass my "Hat" at the end making sure they know this is the way I support my family.

Sometimes, I do a close up show with cards or the chain game or anything that is kind of a 3 minute visual jabber that will people walk up enjoy a trick and then move on. It works if I just want to catch a fast wondering crowd and I don't want to build a pitch and work an edge. On that type of show, I have a basket on the front of the table with bills in it. Folks seem to stop, watch drop a coupe of bucks in the basket and move on then I continue to "play" the passers buy.

I guess it's sizing up you pitch and doing what you have to do to extract the cash from their pockets and make them happy to do so.

Best of luck and enjoy it!