Best Magicians and Mentalists in Westchester County, NY (2026)
Updated September 2026. Reviewed quarterly.
Westchester is a particular kind of room. Country club galas in Rye, Scarsdale and Bronxville, corporate campuses in White Plains, Tarrytown, Armonk and Purchase, estate parties in Bedford, Chappaqua and Pound Ridge, and just over the state line, the Greenwich and Darien crowd that books the same performers, bar and bat mitzvahs that run like productions, and weddings at venues like Tappan Hill and the Glen Island Harbour Club. The guests have seen good entertainment before. They notice the difference between a performer who fills time and one who changes the energy of the whole evening.
This guide covers the best magicians and mentalists working in Westchester County right now, for corporate events, private parties, galas, mitzvahs and weddings. These are working professionals with real track records, not names pulled from a booking directory.
How This List Was Put Together
Every performer here was judged on the same four things: a documented track record with Westchester and New York audiences, verified client reviews, the ability to work both close-up and stage formats, and the professionalism (contracts, insurance, punctuality) that planners and hosts depend on. Ranking reflects fit for Westchester events specifically, not general fame. Each entry notes what that performer is best for.
The Best Magicians and Mentalists in Westchester County
1. Daniel Nicholas
Best for: corporate events and galas, private and estate parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings
Daniel Nicholas is a professional magician and mentalist based in New York City who performs throughout Westchester County, from Yonkers to Bedford, all year round. He combines sleight of hand and sleight of mind: close-up magic that works at a cocktail hour, and a stand-up mentalism show built for a room that has gathered to watch. He has performed 1,000+ events over 15+ years as a professional, for clients including the New York Yankees, Goldman Sachs, Google, Apple and Meta.
The reviews back it up. Daniel carries 100+ five-star Google reviews with a perfect 5.0 rating. Westchester clients describe the same pattern: skeptical executives leaning in by the third effect, a country club ballroom that stopped talking, a bar mitzvah where the adults were as stunned as the kids. He customizes routines around company messaging, the guest of honor, or the theme of the night, and he reads a room before the guests do.
Pricing for Daniel typically starts at $3,500.
Check Daniel’s availability for your event
2. Chris Dare
Best for: corporate events, VIP and private events
Chris Dare is a corporate magician and mentalist with a career spanning more than two decades, trusted by Fortune 500 companies, VIP clients and elite private events across New York. His Google rating stands at a perfect 5.0. Praise for his work comes from names like Jack Hollis, President of Toyota Motor North America, and New York Islanders star Mat Barzal. Chris also runs Magic with a Mission, a charitable effort he started at 18 that brings magic to people who need a lift. Polished, high-energy, and comfortable in a boardroom or a ballroom.
3. Larry & Raven
Best for: corporate stage shows and galas
Larry & Raven are a mentalist duo based in New York, named Mentalists of the Year by the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities in 2019, with more than 1,000 appearances across 40 states and over a dozen countries. Their two-person format is the differentiator: mind reading that plays out between them and the audience, which gives a large gala room a real focal point. A strong choice when you want a headline act rather than a strolling performer.
4. Matias Letelier
Best for: illusion and comedy stage shows
Matias Letelier is an award-winning Chilean-American illusionist and mentalist with more than 23 years of experience, a resident performer at Speakeasy Magick at the McKittrick Hotel, and the founder of Fun Corporate Magic. His corporate credits include Morgan Stanley, Amazon, JPMorgan, Sony and Deloitte. His one-man show mixes comedy magic, mind reading, stage illusion and a lot of audience participation, and he works Westchester corporate events throughout the year.
5. Fred Berthelot
Best for: pharmaceutical, healthcare and analytical audiences
Fred Berthelot, known as the Architect of the Mind, is a former New York architect turned award-winning mentalist and magician with 25+ years of professional experience. He has built a specialty in pharma and corporate audiences, with programs designed for team building, sales meetings and holiday parties. For Westchester’s healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, that background is a natural fit.
6. Jesse Dameron
Best for: full stage shows brought in from out of the area
Jesse Dameron is a magician and mentalist with more than 2,000 shows behind him and Fortune 500 clients including Johnson & Johnson and Merck. He has appeared on ABC, NBC and FOX. Based in Philadelphia, he travels into the New York area for conferences, galas and milestone celebrations. If you want a performer who arrives with a complete, tested show, he is a reliable pick.
7. Magical Dave
Best for: kids’ entertainment at family days and mitzvahs
Magical Dave has spent more than 30 years performing for children across Westchester and New York City. He carries 475+ five-star Google reviews, has been featured in The New York Times, was named NYC’s best kids’ magician by New York Magazine, and performs 200+ shows a year. He belongs on this list for one specific job: a corporate family day, a company picnic, or the kids’ side of a mitzvah. For that job, he is the standard.
8. Brian McGovern
Best for: walk-around magic at cocktail hours and receptions
Brian McGovern is a New York City magician and mentalist who specializes in walk-around magic for corporate events, weddings and private parties, with more than 350 five-star reviews. His work reads as personable and funny, and he performs regularly in Westchester. A good fit for a reception where the entertainment needs to move through the room rather than stop it.
9. Gary Ferrar
Best for: private events that mix magic and mentalism
Gary Ferrar is a New York City magician and mentalist who serves Manhattan, the outer boroughs, Long Island and Westchester. His performances blend sleight of hand with mentalism and are built around connecting guests through shared moments, which works well for private celebrations and smaller corporate gatherings.
How to Choose the Right Performer for a Westchester Event
Start with the shape of the event, not the name of the performer.
A cocktail hour, a networking reception, or a mingling estate party calls for close-up magic. It needs no stage, no sound system and no schedule. The performer moves through the room in small groups and the energy builds table by table. A dinner, a gala, or a milestone celebration with a natural moment where everyone gathers calls for a stand-up show, usually 30 to 45 minutes, with a focal point and a room that can face one direction. Mentalism tends to land hardest with analytical and executive crowds, because it feels less like a trick and more like something happening to them.
Many Westchester events want both: strolling during cocktails, a show after dinner. Ask whether the performer does both formats well, because plenty do only one.
Budget follows format and experience. Established professionals in this market generally start in the low thousands for a strolling set and go up from there for stage shows, custom material and multi-hour bookings. Peak season runs from late October through December, and the strongest performers book out weeks in advance.
Finally, ask for a real conversation before you book. A performer who wants to understand your guests, your venue and your goal is a performer who will show up prepared.
What Makes Westchester Different
Westchester audiences, and the Greenwich, Riverside and New Canaan families who share their country clubs and schools, are a mix of New York City sophistication and a tighter, more personal community. The same people see each other at the club, at school events and at the office holiday party. That raises the bar: entertainment gets talked about afterward, for better or worse.
The performers on this list have all earned that room. They communicate professionally, they arrive early, they adapt when the schedule slips, and they understand that the event is about the guests and the host, not about the performer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a magician or mentalist cost in Westchester County?
Rates depend on experience, format and length. Strolling close-up magic from an established professional generally starts in the low thousands, and full stage shows run higher, especially with custom material. Pricing for Daniel Nicholas typically starts at $3,500. Ask any performer for a clear quote that names the format, the length and what is included.
How far in advance should I book?
For holiday parties and fall galas, two to three months ahead is smart. Top performers fill November and December quickly. For spring and summer events, four to six weeks is usually workable, but earlier is always safer once your date is fixed. Bar and bat mitzvahs and weddings should be booked as soon as the date and venue are set.
Is a magician or a mentalist better for a Westchester event?
It depends on the crowd. Close-up magic is ideal for cocktail hours and mingling. Mentalism plays especially well with executive, analytical and skeptical audiences, because the experience feels psychological rather than theatrical. Several performers on this list, including Daniel Nicholas, blend both in a single booking.
Do these performers travel within Westchester and beyond?
Yes. Every performer here works throughout Westchester, from Yonkers to Bedford, and most also cover New York City, Rockland, Fairfield County in Connecticut and the Hudson Valley. Travel is normally included or quoted up front.
Can the show be customized for our company, family or theme?
The best performers expect to. Company names, product messaging, the guest of honor’s story and the theme of the night can all be built into the material. Ask about it when you inquire, and ask how far in advance the performer needs your details.
What should I look for to know a performer is actually good?
Volume and consistency of reviews, not just a star rating. A performer with 100-plus five-star reviews across many event types has earned them over time. Watch full performance video rather than highlight reels, and ask for references from events like yours. A confident professional will provide them without hesitation.
Where Else
Daniel Works
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