Most people go big or go bigger with New Year’s Eve parties. Here, we get a video tour of how Dubai celebrated as seen through the eyes of magician Nabeel Bera. There’s fireworks, sparkly balloons, and lots of party people. He works the international (and largely intoxicated) crowds with a whole variety of roaming magic tricks, riffing on the cup and balls, crafty number play, and cards.

If you enjoyed Bera’s videos of his work across Bahrain in 2017, he’s got good news. The magician is promising a video a week this year on his One With Magic channel, plus he announced a move to Dubai. Cheers to seeing more of his unique behind the scenes takes from the UAE in 2018!

Halloween may be over, but watching spooky magic is a fun year-round activity. Besides, Nabeel Bera had to compile and edit footage from six different performances taken over three days during Halloween weekend (Halloweekend?) in Bahrain, and that takes time. Not only do you get to watch a bunch of cool magic, you’ll also get to watch Santa and his reindeer lay the smackdown on Doctor Strange. This 16 minute video starts weird and stays weird, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

When you think of “magicians,” what comes to mind? Names like Copperfield, Penn & Teller, Blaine, doing TV specials or playing to sold out crowds in Las Vegas, maybe. A handful of magicians achieve that kind of status, but most have days like the one Nabeel Bera shared in a recent vlog about a typical day for him in the suburb of Juffair. He starts the day entertaining folks at a barbecue and waffle restaurant (there’s also grog…it’s an odd place), then moves onto a kids’ party in the evening. 

Glamorous it is not, as Bera competes to be heard over rowdy patrons and overpowering music at the restaurant, then has to think fast when he realizes the performance he planned for the party won’t work. It’s easy to forget the magicians out there performing every day, far away from big stages and bright lights. Videos like this illustrate that while magic is definitely a job, it is also clearly a calling. A sometimes NSFW calling.