Magician for a Holiday Party at the Union League of Philadelphia
On Thursday, January 22, 2026, I performed strolling magic at Crumdale Specialty's holiday party at The Union League of Philadelphia, in the heart of Center City. Crumdale Specialty, a Paoli, Pennsylvania–based insurance firm, held the party in Lincoln Hall, one of the League House's private event rooms.
Event Details
- Host: Crumdale Specialty
- Event organizer: Crumdale Specialty's Director of Events and Experiences
- Occasion: Holiday party
- Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026
- Venue: The Union League of Philadelphia — the League House, 140 South Broad Street
- Event room: Lincoln Hall
- Floor: Second floor
- Region: Center City Philadelphia
- Attendees: 300 (the organizer's count when booking)
- Entertainment: Strolling close-up magic, performed for one small group at a time
- Attire: Business formal
- First segment: 6:05–7:00 p.m., during the cocktail hour
- Why 6:05 and not earlier: Arriving right at the start time, not before, prevents starting early and running out of attendees to entertain
- Second segment: 40–50 minutes after dinner
- Why after dinner: Strolling magic works when guests are approachable — between courses and speakers, not during them
Scouting the League House Before the Party
The Union League's clubhouse occupies a full city block on South Broad Street, is on the National Historic Register, and contains 14 private event rooms. When a building has 14 rooms where an event might be, I don't wait until the evening of the event to find the right one. I visited that morning, hours before the party, and confirmed with building security exactly where the event would be held — Lincoln Hall, on the second floor — and that the correct way in was the Sansom Street entrance.
That evening I arrived in business formal, left my winter coat in the coat room on the first floor, and went upstairs already knowing the route. In January in Philadelphia, the coat room matters more than you'd think.
Two Segments of Strolling Magic
The performance was structured in two segments. The first ran from 6:05 to 7:00 p.m. during the cocktail hour, moving group to group through Lincoln Hall. The start time was deliberate: beginning right when guests are settled in, rather than early, means never running out of people to entertain. The entertainment then paused for dinner and resumed for a second segment of 40–50 minutes, timed for the windows when attendees were approachable rather than seated and listening to a speaker.
The strolling magic landed strongly throughout the night — something I watched register in real time with the guests, with the organizer, and with Crumdale Specialty's owner and founder, who saw the reactions firsthand. At the end of the night, the organizer thanked me directly and told me I did a good job.
Jesse Dameron is a holiday party and event magician in Philadelphia performing throughout the city and its suburbs.