Sesame Place – Costume Character/Hosts/DJ

Sea World LLC; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 23,419 - 24,796; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Free park admission

Discounts on park admission tickets

Discounts on food, merchandise

Scholarship opportunities

Exclusive employee events and gifts

Job summary

Sesame Place San Diego is seeking energetic Ambassadors for a seasonal position to perform as Costume Characters, Hosts, or DJs. You will engage guests through stage shows, parades, meet-and-greets, and interactive experiences, delivering memorable entertainment.

Represent the park with enthusiasm, participate in rehearsals, costume care, and safety procedures. This role requires a high-energy, personable individual with excellent guest service and adaptability to weather conditions.

Qualifications

• Must be available for 3 days of unrestricted availability, including at least one weekend day during non-peak seasons.
• Must be available for 4 days of unrestricted availability, including at least one weekend day during peak seasons.
• Must be available for opening, closing, evening, weekend, holiday, rehearsal, and special event shifts based on business needs.

Responsibilities

• Represent Sesame Place San Diego with a positive attitude, high energy, and commitment to quality.
• Perform as a Costume Character, Host, Character Escort, DJ, Dancer, or Puppeteer per assignment.
• Appear in stage shows, dance parties, meet‑and‑greets, parades, seasonal events, and special entertainment offerings.
• Lead games, activities, dance parties, and audience participation experiences.
• Serve as an expert performer for multiple assigned characters within your height range.
• Facilitate communication between characters and guests as a Character Escort, ensuring safety and engagement.
• Execute pre‑show and post‑show backstage duties; assist with rehearsals, character training, costume care, laundry, and maintenance projects.
• Follow all entertainment, safety, and operational procedures; accept performance feedback and adapt accordingly.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Guest service

Character performance

Dance/movement

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

SEASONAL POSITION

Join us at Sesame Place and help bring joy, excitement, and lasting memories to people from around the world. We’re seeking enthusiastic, dedicated, and hard‑working individuals to become our Ambassadors.

Roles

• Costume Characters – bring Sesame Street characters to life through movement and interaction.
• Hosts – engage guests with live entertainment, stage presentations, games, and interactive experiences.
• DJs – create an energetic atmosphere by providing music, leading dance parties, engaging guests on the microphone, and helping deliver unforgettable entertainment experiences.

What You’ll Get to Do

• Represent Sesame Place San Diego with a positive attitude, high energy, and commitment to quality.
• Perform as a Costume Character, Host, Character Escort, DJ, Dancer, or Puppeteer per assignment.
• Appears in stage shows, dance parties, meet‑and‑greets, parades, seasonal events, and special entertainment offerings.
• Lead games, activities, dance parties, and audience participation experiences.
• Serve as an expert performer for multiple assigned characters within your height range.
• Facilitate communication between characters and guests as a Character Escort, ensuring safety and engagement.
• Execute pre‑show and post‑show backstage duties; assist with rehearsals, character training, costume care, laundry, and maintenance projects.
• Follow all entertainment, safety, and operational procedures; accept performance feedback and adapt accordingly.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What It Takes to Succeed

• Personable, animated, and outgoing personality.
• Strong guest service and communication skills.
• Ability to accept performance feedback and incorporate it.
• Ability to work indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions while performing in costume.
• Demonstrated strong costume performance and character escorting skills.
• Ability to maintain character integrity while moving and dancing in costume.
• Willingness to participate in regular performance assessments.
• Previous costume character, dance, theater, hosting, DJ, or live entertainment experience preferred.
• Previous guest‑facing experience in a high‑volume environment preferred.
• Prior experience in dance, theater, athletics, communications, or other performance arts preferred.
• Ability to positively interact with guests and fellow ambassadors of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
• Strong verbal communication skills.
• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Minimum age 18 years.
• Audition requirements may include dance, movement, script memorization, role‑playing, comedic improvisation, miming, and audience interaction as necessary.

Costume Character Height Requirements

• ABBY CADABBY – 4'9" to 5'1"
• BIG BIRD – 5'10" to 6'2"
• BERT – 5'6" to 5'9"
• COOKIE MONSTER – 5'8" to 5'11"
• COUNT VON COUNT – 5'7" to 5'10"
• ELMO – 4'11" to 5'2"
• ERNIE – 5'4" to 5'6"
• GROVER – 5'5" to 5'9"
• JULIA – 5'0" to 5'2"
• OSCAR (Walkaround) – 5'1" to 5'3"
• OSCAR (Full Body) – 5'6" to 5'8"
• PRAIRIE DAWN – 5'0" to 5'2"
• ROSITA – 5'4" to 5'7"
• TELLY – 5'9" to 5'11"
• ZOE – 5'1" to 5'3"

Availability

• Must have 3 days of unrestricted availability, including at least one weekend day during non‑peak seasons.
• Must have 4 days of unrestricted availability, including at least one weekend day during peak seasons.
• Must be available for opening, closing, evening, weekend, holiday, rehearsal, and special event shifts based on business needs.

Other Important

Ability to lift, push, pull, and/or carry up to 50 pounds. Extensive walking and standing throughout the workday. Ability to kneel, squat, bend, reach overhead, climb when necessary, and perform repetitive physical movements. Ability to work indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions, including extreme heat. May be required to perform cleaning duties, including the use of cleaning chemicals. Flexible work locations based on business needs. Must be able to participate in an in‑person audition at a scheduled date and time.

Compensation

17.50 USD hourly. Starting base pay.

Benefits

• Free park admission
• Discounts on park admission tickets and passes for family and friends
• Discounts on food, merchandise, etc.
• Scholarship opportunities
• Exclusive employee events and giveaways

EEO Statement

SEAWORLD PARKS & ENTERTAINMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. ALL APPLICANTS WILL BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT REGARD TO AGE, RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, PREGNANCY, GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, DISABILITY OR COVERED VETERAN STATUS.