Magic Fest Listing 2023
Quantum tops bill at MagicFest’s 14th outing.
There is plenty of magic for all members of the family in this year’s MagicFest, which opens this week with Kevin Quantum’s Edinburgh Magic and continues into next with shows at the Storytelling Centre and Quantum’s big Christmas Special at the Church Hill Theatre.
MagicFest Full Listing
Church Hill Theatre
33 Morningside Road, EH10 4DR.
Kevin Quantum’s Christmas Special
Sun 24, Wed 27 – Sun 31 2023
Sun 24: 3pm; Wed – Sat: 2pm & 7pm; Sun 31: 2pm. (2 hours)
Straight from sell-out shows in Edinburgh and Australia, Kevin returns with a high-energy, wonder-packed family show at the Church Hill Theatre. Join the Edinburgh-based international star and special guest, the contemporary conjuror Oliver Tabor, for a magical night out, with big laughs, amazement and adventure. Book here.
Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High St, EH1 1SR. Phone booking: 0131 556 9579
Morning shows at the Storytelling Centre
Gary James: Wonderland
Wed 27 Dec 2023
Two shows: 10.45am & 12.15pm. (50 mins)
A fast-paced family-friendly show with jaw-dropping magic inspired by wide-eyed childhood memories and a career in entertainment. Gary captures the excitement and mystery from his childhood visits to the legendary Lothian Road store called Wonderland. Who’d have thought that family trips to this shop as a child would have inspired a life in entertainment? Book here.
Gary Dunn: Jokes & Tricks
Thurs 28 Dec 2023
Two shows: 10.45am & 12.15pm. (50 mins)
One of Scotland’s favourite family entertainers returns to MagicFest for another show filled with mad magic and silly jokes. Book here.
Tricky Ricky: Festive Funtime
Fri 29/Sat 30 Dec 2023
Two shows: 10.45am & 12.15pm. (50 mins)
After sell-out performances last year, the Trickster returns with more festive fun and lots of his puns in a show starring Jingles the Reindeer and his mischievous rabbit Sonny the Bunny. Prepare to be amused and amazed in this fast paced and chaotic magic show. It’s cabaret for kids and grown-ups. Book here.
Afternoon shows at the Storytelling Centre
Richard Wiseman: Mind Magic
Thurs 28 Dec 2023
Afternoon: 2pm (55 mins).
Enter the strange world of illusion, magic, and mystery. How do magicians produce objects from thin air and defy gravity? Does the paranormal exist? Join psychologist, best-selling author, and member of the Inner Magic Circle Professor Richard Wiseman as he explores the limits of the human mind. A fun hour for all the family. Book here.
Richard Wiseman: The World’s Greatest Card Trick and Other Mysteries
Thurs 28/Fri 29 Dec 2023
Thurs: 4pm; Fri: 1pm & 4pm (40 mins)
The world’s greatest card trick was invented in 1942. It has been performed by many famous magicians, amazed and astounded millions of people, and made Winston Churchill late for Parliament. In this intimate show, a small group of people join magician Professor Richard Wiseman as he reveals the unknown genius behind the trick, demonstrates other jaw dropping mysteries from the mind of this master magician, and celebrates the invention of the impossible. Book here.
Future Magicians
Fri 29/Sat 30 Dec 2023
Afternoons: 2pm (60m)
A welcome return for this very special MagicFest initiative where you get to see tomorrow’s magicians today. We take a group of would-be young magicians and pair them with professional tutors to prepare a special 15-minute magic act – which they then present on stage for you. Book here.
Vincent Gambini: This is not a magic show
Wed 27 – Sat 30 Dec 2023
Afternoons: 4pm (70m)
What makes magic magic? Is there really a Magic Circle Emergency Hotline for magicians in distress? A critically acclaimed performance of and about sleight-of-hand magic, its invisible mechanics, clichés, and what it tells us about live theatre and make-believe. Vincent Gambini presents astonishing close-up magic that invites us to question how enchantment and wonder are made within a theatrical situation. Book here.
Evening shows at the Storytelling Centre
Elliot Bibby: The Best of Bibby
Wed 27 – Sat 30 Dec 2023
Evenings: 6pm (55 mins)
After a complete sell out at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the Insane Magic boys, Elliot is back with a solo hour of magic. Bringing the best he has to offer from 10 years of professional shows in this comedy magic extravaganza. Book here.
Cameron Gibson and Friends:
Thurs 28 – Sat 30 Dec 2023
Evenings: 7.45pm (60 mins)
Edinburgh magician Cameron Gibson presents a fast-paced magic and variety show that will knock your proverbial socks off. From classic sleight of hand to mind-reading and comedy, it has something for everyone. Every show features special guests from the world of magic and variety – so you never quite know what wonders await… Book here.
Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, the Caledonian
Princes Street, EH1 2AB.
Edinburgh Magic
Sat 16 & Weds 20 Dec 2023
Saturday evenings: 6pm & 8.30pm (Versailles Suite)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Rosy
Kevin Quantum performs an hour of magic that’s fooled some of the most brilliant and creative people ever to have lived, often times with strong links to Edinburgh and Scotland. An elegant, intimate and quite astonishing evening of magic, mystery and wonder in one of Edinburgh’s most historic and enchanting hotels. Book here.
Wonder and Co.
14 Haymarket Terrace, EH12 5JZ
Vincent Gambini: Out of Thin Air
Thurs 28 – Sat 30 Dec 2023
12 noon (30 mins)
Stories about magicians at magic conventions, an attempt at presenting a show in which nothing happens, and magic poems about you, the spectator. Deft sleight of hand, strange poetry, and low-key spectacle. Book here.
The Joker & The Thief
71 Elm Row, EH7 4AQ
Close-Up Magic at The Joker & The Thief
Thurs 21 Dec 2023
One show: 8pm (2 hours)
Astonishing close-up magic at The Joker & The Thief pub with resident magician Tim Licata, one of Scotland’s most entertaining sleight-of-hand artists. Free, but donations welcome. Book here.
ENDS
