AJ was great! He came to our block party and did exactly what we would've wanted: He was early;…read moreself-motivated (he set up his own equipment and took care of his own business, which helped b/c it was kind of chaotic); and even helped run an impromptu round of musical chairs. Then there was the performance -- it was perfect for the kids and adults. He engaged the kids and kept their attention, but also did some tricks that absolutely confounded the adults. (Still no idea how he did the trick with the cards and phone calculator.) Lastly, his delivery was really enjoyable -- it was self-deprecating and a little "meta," as he explained his tricks as he went along (but still performed them perfectly). There was one trick that seemed to go a little sideways, but he played it off so well that I'm still not sure whether he intended to do it that way or not. Overall, it added to the enjoyment of the day. All in all: would totally recommend for your next get-together, block party, etc.

We hired AJ for our 5 yr old's bday party. We had around 20 kids and 30 adults and he was awesome…read morethe entire 45 mins. He kept everyone engaged and laughing, and he is extremely talented. He was on time and came prepared. Highly recommend him.

I had the pleasure of having Mr Bob at my kids event on July 16th, 2017. Let me tell you, Mr Bob…read moredoes not disappoint! he was able to do entertain the kids very much, he always had a smile on his face and he was patient with the kids and made sure most of the kids(we had a big group) interacted. Best of all, He is Professional and prompt. I got many compliments, so I have to pass them along to you Mr Bob. Thank you very much for making my kids event a Successful one. To Mr Bob : My kids are still talking about your show, the other day they were having a discussion on how Mr Bob was so nice in letting them help you with a Magic trick. Thanks again Mr, Bob, hope to work with you again in the future!

After searching and searching I found Mr. Bob to entertain my son's 2nd birthday. He called me to…read moretalk about the day about two weeks before, then a day before, and showed up on time with all of his tricks the day of. He kept all of the kids entertained for about 45-50 mins with all of his magic and comedy. I had boys and girls that spanned 1 1/2 yrs to 11 and everyone over the age of four told me how awesome the magic show was and it was the best birthday party ever. His website states that his show is better received by kids ages 3 and up, and although that did prove to be true, the four 2 year olds I had there were still mesmerized by him for a good 15-20 mins. The adults also enjoyed the show. I highly recommend Mr. Bob for any birthday party entertainment. He was personable, prompt, incredibly nice and worth every penny.

Scott is the best! He is engaging, flexible, thoughtful and 100% focussed on ensuring the…read moreexperience is memorable. I spent 9 months in the Middle East as a member of the Army Reserve and wanted to do something special to surprise my 6 year old triplets at their elementary school. Scott immediately "got it" and planned the perfect surprise that built up to an incredible moment. He was also an excellent ambassador to the school to ensure every aspect of the surprise was expertly synchronized. Scott, thank you!!!!

We called Scott for our daughter's 6th birthday tea party. He responded promptly, was friendly and…read morefunny, yet professional. He arrived on time and ,even though he was greeted by 12 super excited (and slightly impatient) little girls, he quickly engaged the crowd, and had both children and adults oohing and aahing and giggling in no time. I have heard back from several parents that their kids are still proclaiming that to be the best party ever. Most importantly, our daughter was THRILLED. So, mission accomplished, and 5 stars from us. Thanks, Scott!

James provided entertainment for our 28 guests at Pomeroy Winnetka after dinner. He has a unique…read moregift of not just being an incredible magician but also has a great personality. He interacted up close and personal with our guests, got them laughing, and amazed. I am sure they are still telling there friends about that evening! I will also add that he worked extremely hard to keep everyone's attention focused on him and not the distractions of the restaurant. In the end I can firmly say HE WON!!

We hired James for a company conference and he was great to work with! He quickly responded to our…read moreinquiry and was very prompt and communicative throughout the planning process. He put on a great show for our employees and everyone enjoyed it. Lots of laughs, surprises, and audience participation. Would definitely recommend!

I'm sure I've hit a world record for character rentals. I know lots of options when it comes to…read morefind Spiderman, Elsa and other princesses. However, this year my kids challenged me with wanting the following characters at their bday parties: one of the My Little Ponies, Pikachu (Pokemon) and Elmo. While I had to go elsewhere to find the pony (probably the most challenging of the requests), Blazing Birthdays was one of the few character rental companies that had both Pikachu and Elmo. I was most impressed with their communication. Their managing director, Scarlett, was super helpful on the phone and followed up with a very detailed email after our initial phone call. After hearing a bit about my parties we decided on 1 1/2 hours for Pikachu (30 min of Pikachu followed by an hour of balloon twisting) for 25ish five year olds. And then 1 hour of Elmo (30 min of Elmo followed by 30 min of balloon twisting) for 25ish two year olds. I received a call from the characters the night before both parties, which is a first in my many years of character rentals. I could tell by their voicemails alone that they were going to great...and I was right. Colman was Pikachu and ran around our party screeching "pika pika"- the kids absolutely loved playing with him. After 30 min of playing pikachu disappeared and Colman appeared ready to twist a lot of balloons, mostly swords for this crowd of 4 and 5 year old boys. He was also really great w/ the kids and had no problem getting their attention. Catherine was Elmo. She ran into some traffic issues so was a few min late to the party, but texted to let me know and was very apologetic so it was no big deal. I was a little afraid of how such little ones (one and two year olds) would react to Elmo, but she was super sweet with them and they loved her. She (or he) gave a bunch of hugs, posed for pictures and even danced around for them while they ate. And then after Elmo helped my son blow out the candles she reappeared for some balloon twisting. Half the crowd disappeared at this point to make it home for nap time, but the ones who stuck around really enjoyed the balloons...especially my 7 yr old who took advantage and probably had 5 balloons made for just herself. There are a lot of options when it comes to character rentals, but Blazing Birthdays is the first one I would call next time. Professional, reliable and priced fairly as well. Thank you Pikachu and Elmo for making my boys birthdays extra special!

We rented out the Elmo Character for my daughters first Birthday. Prices are not listed on the…read morewebsite but if you call the number (I believe her name is Lynn) is almost always available to answer questions and give information. She's very friendly and nice. The open communication is great. They offer a wide variety of services from characters to magicians, clowns, face paint and balloon artists. Elmo was wonderful. He was on time and not in a rush to leave when his hour was up. He was really great with the kids. We played games like limbo and sang interactive songs. Elmo read books to the kids and posed for pictures. The energy level was great and all the guests left happy.

We had Michael at my son's 7th birthday party and it was a HUGE hit. He was able to make multiple…read moreballoon pieces for each of the kids and also did some magic which was a great surprise. Arrived right on time, no real set up time, had his own music and was great with the kids. Would highly recommend!

They did a great job of entertaining the children at our event. Between the face painting, balloon…read moretwister, and magic show kids left with smiles on their faces

The Magic of Mark Presley , is nothing but magical. Los Niños de Estrellas in Home Daycare located…read morein Antioch Illinois was offering affordable childcare on the weekend. To children ages: birth to twelve years old. Part of our childcare we like to offer is field trips in the daycare and outside the daycare. It was a storming Saturday . Roads were shut down. Honestly I was starting to lose hope it was even safe to travel. As a family childcare provider a smooth transition in scheduling is important. Mark Presley reassures me that he will be there! He had ever right to cancel , but he didn't. He was even 30 minutes early! That day children shared smiles, laughter and memories. Mark Presley played a role in providing an environment where exactly that happened! I can't thank Mark Presley enough for putting on a show doing magic trick that told a story from the beginning to the end. If you want someone who is family, friendly, fun, and safe he's the one you want to call!

Mark did a magic performance for us at work and the individuals loved it!! He was interactive with…read morethe individuals and was a great experience for all! Thank you Mark!!