Blackpool: Everything You Missed

There's a good reason why magicians from all over the world have been flocking to Blackpool, England, every February for the last 72 years. They are all attendees of the world's biggest magic convention, and this year it was amazing!

With a superb line-up of lecturers, tens of close-up and stage performances throughout, over 160 dealers, and a whole host of new and exciting tricks to feast our eyes on, this indeed was a convention unlike any other.

But now, the Blackpool Magic Convention is officially done and dusted; every dealer has packed up shop, all the loose playing cards have been cleared away from the Winter Gardens floors, and Rick Thomas is flying home… literally.

So, whether you were lucky enough to attend the convention this year or you have been suffering from extreme FOMO for the last 5 days, we've got you covered.

One of the significant changes this year was to double up a few of the lecturers. Across the weekend, artists such as Marc Paul, Blake Vogt, Alyx Hilshey, and Jeki Yoo (to name but a few) did not one but two lectures.

Though some lectures still proved challenging to get into due to their demand (namely, Peter Turner's talk in the smaller Renaissance room), this was overall a great move and a massive upgrade from last year, when overcapacity was a big issue. 

One of the standout lecturers was Michael Ammar, who lectured on both Saturday and Sunday. Later this year, Michael will embark on a UK tour, where he will deliver lectures to magic clubs across the country.

Yev Moskalov enthusiastically delivered an impressive array of card tricks and mentalism. He also spoke about adapting one's act when faced with the unexpected.

Last year, before a crucial corporate gig, Yev broke his left arm, which remained bound in a cast, essentially leaving him one-handed. Instead of canceling the gig, he phoned the client, explained the situation, and proceeded to create impossible card magic material that could be done with only one hand.

During a one-handed production of the four aces, a move that stood out, in particular, was a single-handed way to control an ace from the bottom to the top. It was exciting to learn how adversity can inspire creativity.  

Tom Crosbie’s lecture included ways to use the Shortcuts app on an iPhone to enhance tricks, including the idea of dropping an invisible coin on the table and hearing it land. He actually gave the shortcut to this effect away for free, which was generous. But, then suddenly (and somewhat amusingly), you could hear almost all 500 iPhones in the lecture halls begin making sounds of coins landing, which petered out gradually but continued through to the end of the lecture.

Blake Vogt's lecture on Friday and Saturday received arguably the biggest gasp (in a good way) of the convention when he gave away nearly $500 worth of material for free to those who attended his lecture!

Elsewhere, Alyx Hilshey's lecture demonstrated a deep insight into the street magician turned corporate performer's use of sleight of hand and manipulation. Was it possible for everyone to walk away with sleight of hand as dexterous as Alyx? No chance! Did her dedication to the art inspire us? Absolutely!

Alyx recommended gradually performing these “tricky” moves at low-stakes events, slowly adding to your toolbox of sleights.

As for the shows, Friday night's Gala Show was truly amazing. With a great compere in the form of the ventriloquist extraordinaire Max Fulham, so many phenomenal acts, including Dom Chambers and Enzo Weyne, plus an exclusive, surprise performance from Cyril Takayama, it set the bar high for a weekend of top-tier magic.

The following evening was the return of The One competition. Renowned for granting the winner the biggest prize in magic, £30,000, this was the second The One after its debut in 2023. Although they missed a trick by not calling it The Two, it was a great evening and tough competition to call.

A shoutout has to go to Yanyan Man, a ballerina/card manipulator who made so many playing cards, giant flags, and all sorts appear from what literally seemed like thin air; the deserved winner was Robin Deville, who combined very inventive magic with an immense personality… or two.

The true highlight of the evening was the production of the evening's host, Eric Leclerc, and 21 other people from a box that surely couldn't fit that many people. It's one of the few moments from the weekend shared on the official BMC Facebook page, and it's not one to be missed!

The final gala show saw the return of Rick Thomas after nearly 20 years. Rick's grand illusion show can be summarised in one word: phenomenal. He is one of the very few performers who can establish a conversational rapport with the audience, making us appreciate the intricate thought and detail that goes into his truly ginormous and spectacular show. He also can get away with bordering on being cruel to his spectators thanks to his unique charm and sense of humor. One of the biggest miracles was how they managed to transport the show's massive illusions to the UK in the first place.

In addition to the three main gala shows, this year was not short of brilliant live magic, including family entertainment, close-up shows, stage acts, and raunchy late-night comedy.

Two shows that really got everyone talking were Britain's Got Talent runner-up and social media star Jack Rhodes on Saturday and Dom Chambers' hilarious and crude A Boy And His Deck on Sunday. Both received immediate standing ovations and rightfully so. They bring a much-needed freshness and ingenuity to the magic that brings it bang up to date.

Okay, it's time to talk about some of the best tricks that were on sale. There are hundreds of magicians each year who travel to Blackpool to purchase only a day pass, with no entry to the shows, to spend the day exploring the 160 dealers demonstrating their tricks in person.

Online, there are countless long-form videos exploring the dealer hall, amassing 10,000+ views collectively already.

The truth is, no individual trick stood out amongst the rest. Almost everybody we spoke to had a different "favorite trick." This led to you feeling like a pinball as you went back and forth through the dealers' hall to see the wide range of incredible magic.

A few tricks that went viral included Spinception from Hypothesis Magic, where a coin starts spinning by its own accord on your hand: an insane visual!

Similarly, a production company called MJ had the most unbelievable coin disappearance involving a magic wand and a bright flash of light.

There was a lot of buzz around Christian Grace's new release, Incredible, Craig Petty's Atomic Deck, and the latest card routine from Drop creator Thomas Badar, Lumino, which was out of this world… and can be seen in this dealer hall vlog.

A spectator's ring on glass called My Precious from Trust Magic Shop also got people talking, not least because of its visual appeal but also because of its examinability and fooling ability.

There was a lot of chatter about an Ouija board that was said to cost £40,000. Assumably, at that price, it can legitimately contact the dead, although not even the winner of The One can afford to buy it.

A stall that was almost impossible to watch anything at was Paul Richards because he always had a crowd around him, making him demonstrate magician fooler after magician fooler. Known for selling his wares exclusively at conventions, not even online, Paul Richard is definitely one to rush to if he returns next year.

Henry Harrius' stand was equally extremely popular. It featured a fantastic new release, a tennis ball, and an updated version of Tobias Dostal's famous Optix, seen demonstrated in the dealer hall in Lloyd Barnes' latest vlog.

If we absolutely had to crown a winner, the trick of the convention, in terms of how much attendees discussed it, was a new release from a French company called The Magic Equation.

Their latest trick, AluCINATION, involves rolling a sheet of aluminum foil into a ball and attaching it to the end of a safety pin. The foil ball is then set alight, and the magician can control the strength of the flame, altering it from large to small. Fireballs and magic? I mean, come on! Amazing.

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