The countdown is officially on for the Edinburgh International Magic Festival. The event will take place at venues around the Scotland capital on May 11-19, and there’s a little something for every flavor of magic fan. The gala performance shows, hosted by the science-inspired Kevin Quantum, will have acts including Magus Utopia of the Netherlands, James Freedman of the UK, and Card Ninja (better known as Javier Jarquin) of New Zealand.
The event will also feature some solo shows. Expect to see a high-octane act that may or may not include archery by Chris Cook or explore the unexpected combination of magic and poetry from Renz.
There’s even something for the Harry Potter crew. Wizard World Gathering will delight fans with a complete transformation of the venue, including the moving staircases, color-changing drinks, and lots of other fan service.
The Edinburgh International Magic Festival website has more information about all of the events, tickets, dates, and venues for the week-long extravaganza.
From February 16 to March 18, the Adelaide Fringe brought legions of performers to Australia to showcase their best work. Many magicians cast their spell over audience during the month-long arts showcase, the second largest in the world. and Kevin Quantum was dubbed the best of the bunch.
Kevin Quantum, better known in as Kevin McMahon, was named the Best Magic Award of the 2018 Adelaide Fringe. The Scottish performer didn’t always want to be a magician; in fact, his career was initially in physics. But an appearance on the reality television show Faking It introduced him to the world of magic, and he made the switch to full-time conjuror.
“I’m surprised and delighted to receive this award on the other side of the world at one of the largest and most prestigious festivals in the world,” he told The National after the win. “It’s a real honour to win Best Magic and see the art of magic given such prominence.”
Science is still a big part of his act. In fact, his award-winning Adelaide Fringe performance is called Anti-Gravity. Here is is performing in a lower-key setting with some mind reading.