2026 IS A HUGE YEAR FOR MAGIC!
On 17 February 1910, in front of an estimated 20,000 onlookers, a chained, handcuffed and padlocked Houdini leapt from Queen’s Bridge into the Yarra River. Melbourne was THE destination for world’s greatest magicians, and they didn’t get any greater than Harry Houdini.
In February 2025, at Arts Centre Melbourne, Las Vegas superstars Penn & Teller performed five sold out shows in Hamer Hall to celebrate their 50th anniversary together. In 2025, they don’t get any greater than Penn & Teller.
Melbourne has long been the Southern hemisphere’s “mecca of magic”, to quote Teller; not only a destination for magic’s legends to aspire to perform in, but a hotbed of creativity where future legends are born.
You can learn all about Melbourne’s rich magic history as we have the largest conjuring book collection in the world in The State Library Victoria. The WG Alma Conjuring Collection, containing around 2000 books on magic, 60 magazine titles, 1500 photographs, 300 posters, and over 400 detailed research files.
Arts Centre Melbourne also has a world renowned Magic Collection in their Australian Museum of Performing Arts.
But as Magic continues to grow in Melbourne, and spread throughout the country, it’s the future of magic that is truly jaw-dropping. Let’s take a peek behind the velvet curtain.
BIGGER THAN VEGAS??
With more than a dozen regular magic events catering to a population of just 5 million people, Melbourne now has the most magic per person of any city in the world! (With the possible exception of Las Vegas, but what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!)
TOP HAT MONDAYS is Melbourne’s original monthly magic show, with a long tradition dating back to 2012. It now brings its ever-changing line-up of stage magic to The Flemington and Kensington Bowls Club on the first Monday of every month.
IMPOSSIBLE OCCURENCES Luke Hocking has been performing this show for eleven years every Friday night in the Marriott Melbourne Hotel. It’s been seen by 65,000 people and is still ranked ranked #1 on TripAdvisor in Melbourne show & concerts. (Luke was one of the ‘Gentlemen of Deceit’ in the grand final of the 2016 Australia’s Got Talent)
HOUSE OF GAMES. This is the 2026 signature show at The Laneway Theatre, a custom-built venue, hidden inside a magician’s home which has been described as Australia’s answer to Hollywood’s famous Magic Castle. Owner Tim Ellis performs a full 90-minute show every Saturday night, and every year it’s a completely new show.
Other regular shows at The Laneway Theatre include: FOR MY NEXT TRICK, a monthly line-up show with four different close-up magicians, MAGICSPORTS: WHOSE TRICK IS IT ANYWAY, an improvised Theatresports style magic show with a rotating cast, THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE TRICKS, a school holiday family-friendly show, THE MAGIC EXPERIMENTS, a regular season where every show is different as magicians develop brand new and innovative effects.
MAGIC NIGHTS is a monthly show of parlour magic (a hybrid between close-up and stage magic) with a variety of different performers in Melbourne’s only magic shop of The Magic School of Confidence. Owner, Anthony DeMasi, also runs regular magic classes for both adults and children.
MAGICIANS AT WORK every month members of The Australian Institute of Magic gather to brainstorm and invent brand new illusions, and every other month they perform their creations on stage at Arts Centre Melbourne. Thanks to the support of ACM, they also run AIM Juniors to train the next generation of magicians and prepare them for the Australian Junior Championships of Magic.
THEATRE OF MAGIC is a monthly show in the Victoria Hotel and is the newest addition to the Melbourne Magic scene. Host Nick Kay introduces a different guest magician every month.
THE MAHO MAGIC BAR is back in Melbourne until February at the Golden Square Carpark in the CBD. This Japanese themed attraction mixes magicians with creative cocktails. The Maho Magic Bar tours constantly throughout Australia and is a big favourite at festivals.
PIPER’S PLAYHOUSE is an immersive “Parisian Cabaret” in the heart of Crown Casino, running until March and featuring magicians Mr Marmalade and Becky Bubble.
You can also catch magicians performing regularly at STORYVILLE, SPEAKEASY THEATRE and various HOLEY MOLEY venues all over Melbourne.
THE SECRET ROOM is a new CBD based magic venue scheduled to open in early 2026.
THE MAGIC TABLE. An interactive, immersive, projection mapping fine dining experience created by stars of ‘The Illusionists’, Thommy Ten and Amelie Van Tass. This show runs twice nightly at the Intercontinental Hotel, as well as venues in Sydney and Brisbane.
BRISBANE
THEATRE OF MAGIC began as a weekly show at Rydges Hotel, Fortitude Valley, but now also hosts regular shows at its Toowomba location as well.
ILLUSIONS is a large-scale magic show right in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Located in Cavill Lane the show is hosted by Matt Hollywood.
ADELAIDE
ADELAIDE MAGIC THEATRE is run by award-winning Sam King and Baenedict Thiveanathan, located on the top floor of the CBD games shop, The Lost Dice.
WONDER EMPORIUM is the creation of internationally renowned ‘Unusualist’ Raymond Crowe. This mini theatre, seating just 20 per show, is gorgeously decorated and runs short seasons throughout the year.
SYDNEY
THE GENTLEMAN MAGICIANS MAGICAL SOIREE is a weekly magic show in Sydney at The Castlereigh Boutique Hotel. Bruce Glenn presents an evening of magic and storytelling for adults.
CLASSIC CONJURING is a monthly show in the same venue. Dr Taliesin Coward presents an afternoon show of close-up magic.
THE WIZARD’S HIDEOUT is a monthly pop-up magic show in a Redfern warehouse presented by members of the Black Ties magic company.
THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE has been a fervent supporter of the magical arts since it produced the first incarnation of the global success story ‘The Illusionists’ back in 2012. In 2025 they presented international magicians including SCOTT SILVEN, MARIO THE MAKER MAGICIAN local Social Media magic star JACKSON ACES, and Sydney’s own ADAM MADA.
NOW YOU SEE ME LIVE caps off 2025 at The Sydney Opera House with a massive, large scale magic show, and Broadway sleight of hand sensation ASI WIND makes his Australian debut in February.
TOURING MAGIC SHOWS
COSENTINO: THE GRAND ILLUSIONIST became a household name as runner up of Australia’s Got Talent, and winner of Dancing with the Stars, and his subsequent TV specials both her and in Asia. Cosentino is constantly touring throughout Australia and his newest show TRICKED will be touring Australia all throughout 2026.
ANTHONY STREET, while not as well known as Cosentino, toured his grand illusion show SPELLBOUND to over one hundred venues in 2025, and THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS SHOW played to 26,000 people in December.
MICHAEL BOYD is our third Melbourne-based touring grand illusionist. In December he produced THE CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR and also produces a host a large scale shows including MYSTIQUE and CIRCUS OF ILLUSION.
SHOWMEN PRODUCTIONS are Sam Hume and Justin Williams. Sam and Justin met when Sam won The Australian Junior Championships of Magic in 2012 and since then have created a magical empire. They produce five different touring shows including THE GREATEST MAGIC SHOW, KABOOM, and THE ADULTS ONLY MAGIC SHOW, and tour them, often simultaneously, at Festivals all over Australia and throughout the world.
FESTIVALS
From FRINGEWORLD in Perth, to ADELAIDE FRINGE, and THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL, magic shows have become some of the most popular attractions. In fact Melbourne Magician (and past Australian Junior Champion of Magic) Dom Chambers was the top rated show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2024 and 2025.
But it’s not just magic ‘shows’. In 2022 award-winning actress Maria Angelico was nominated for the Golden Gibbo with her autobiographical play about magic THE DISAPPEARING ACT. Next year expect to see the debut of MASTER & MARGAUX, a new play about magic by Maroussia Vladi.
A lot of this popularity has stemmed from THE MELBOURNE MAGIC FESTIVAL, now in its 19th year. This two-week celebration of imagination started life at The Northcote Town Hall, moved briefly to Circus Oz and the Melba Speigeltent, and now is home in the CBD at the Arrow Events Centre in Swanston St. The Festival, founded to mentor emerging artists and showcase local professionals, attracts 17,000 every year to over 200 shows, workshops and events.
MAGICIANS EVERYWHERE!
But with over 400 performing magicians in Australia… where are the rest?
They are flat out performing at corporate events, trade shows, in restaurants and on cruise ships. Plus, the demand for magicians at private parties has never been higher.
You may have seen the article published in Cosmopolitan about the TikTok trend of having a magician at your party.
The Australian Institute of Magic is getting several calls a day from excited thirty-somethings desperate to have a wonder worker perform for them on their special day. “Why should the kids have all the fun?” ask these magic-loving millennials, as they giggle and gasp as an engagement ring vanishes right under the nose and reappears attached to the magician’s car keys.
