In some parts of the world, such as India, snake charming is a roadside show performed by a charmer. The charmer carries a basket containing a snake which he seemingly charms by playing tunes from his flute.

However, as the snake's sense of hearing is not very sensitive to the range of the charmer's music, so they may not be able to hear it at all. It was discovered that many of these snake charmers are good sleight-of-hand artists. The snake moves in a manner corresponding to the flute movement and the vibrations from the tapping of the charmer's foot, which goes unnoticed by the audience.

Snake charming as a profession is now dissuaded in India in a contribution to forest and snake conservation. In fact, some places in India ban snake charming by law.