21 - 23 January 2027 Columbus, Ohio

Magifest 2027

Three days of extraordinary magic, new ideas, and time with your magical heroes. Join magicians from around the world in Columbus, Ohio, and leave inspired to take your magic to the next level.

Meet the 2027 lineup. With more to be announced.

Guy Hollingworth
Colin McLeod
Brian Curry
Dana Pleasant
Siegfried Tieber
John Shryock
Kevin King
Lloyd Barnes
Margaret Steele
John Bannon
Mortenn Christiansen

Be inspired at Magifest

Seeing the best performers in the world will inspire you. Learning brand new tricks, moves, and methods will motivate you to try new things. And meeting your magical heroes is an experience you’ll never forget.

Three days of shows and lectures
World-class performers and speakers
A schedule without overlapping events
After-hours magic and jam sessions
The Magifest Dealers Room
All experience levels welcome

Spend three days with like-minded magicians, reconnect with old friends, and make new ones. This is why we run Magifest: to inspire and motivate us all. And this is why you need to come.

Get your ticket now

Your hosts, Andi Gladwin and Joshua Jay.

Performers & Speakers

Meet the performers and speakers joining us at Magifest 2027, with more of the lineup still to be announced.

Guy Hollingworth

Guy Hollingworth is one of the world’s most respected card magicians, known for his elegant, highly original sleight of hand and sophisticated approach to close-up magic. He is the author of Drawing Room Deceptions, a book that rocked the magic industry and influenced a generation of magicians. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Guy back to Magifest after eight years to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated sequel, More Drawing Room Deceptions. This is a rare chance to see Guy live, get your book signed, and learn from one of our industry’s most prolific creators.

Colin McLeod

Our Magifest Guest of Honor for 2027 is the one and only Colin McLeod! Originally from Scotland, Colin is a seasoned performer and known to be just about as close as you can get to a real-life Sherlock Holmes. While he is the only mentalist in history to perform shows on London’s West End, Broadway, and Las Vegas, he has experience in just about every area of magic and mentalism you can think of. From close-up to stage, from his own solo shows to his work with the Illusionists tour, he’s bringing his wealth of knowledge to Magifest this January.

Brian Curry

Brian Curry is a Washington, DC-based magician and mentalist best known for his acclaimed show The Good Liar. Brian's unique combination of mind reading, comedy, and tons of audience interaction has resulted in countless corporate shows, cruise ships, and live theater performances across all seven continents. At Magifest 2027, Brian will deliver his incredible show and then lecture on a topic he excels in: character development.

Dana Pleasant

After beginning her magical journey through classes at the Academy of Magical Arts, Dana has worked her way through the Magic Castle, becoming a magician member and regular performer in the Close-Up Gallery. At Magifest 2027, Dana will be our bar-magician-in-residence, amazing you in the after-hours jam sessions with her original brand of magic.

Siegfried Tieber

Born and raised in Ecuador before moving to LA, Siegfried is known for his fun, story-driven close-up magic and mentalism. He's appeared twice on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and in 2015, he headlined at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world. We're excited to see his full show and a lecture at Magifest 2027. Now if only someone could get him to write a book...

John Shryock

John Shryock is a veteran stage and close-up magician known for high-energy comedy and polished sleight of hand. He has appeared on Masters of Illusion, performed at venues like The Magic Castle and Caesars Palace, and recently published his first book, Maestro. At Magifest 2027, we'll have the pleasure of watching him perform AND having him lecture. We can't wait!

Kevin King

Kevin King is a comedy magician, memory expert, and motivational speaker from Tennessee. We've invited Kevin to deliver an important talk that will not only improve your magic, but also change the way you see Kevin forever.

Lloyd Barnes

Lloyd Barnes is a Welsh magician, creator, and YouTuber known for highly visual, modern magic that blends sleight of hand with clever gimmicks and technology. Even though his tricks like The Void have been massive successes, Lloyd hasn't lectured much in the US. But after his incredible lecture at The Session 2026, we knew we had to get him to come to Ohio for Magifest.

Margaret Steele

Margaret has been performing magic for over twenty years, and has worked everywhere from the Magic Castle to classrooms and communities across the globe. Outside of her work performing, she is a renowned magic historian and a widely sought-after lecturer and presenter. At Magifest 2027, she'll be presenting the results of her research into the Great Boomsky, America's first Black Superstar Magician.

John Bannon

A Chicago attorney and prolific magic author, John Bannon is known for practical, deceptive card magic and his acclaimed books, including Very Hush-Hush, Decked Out, and Destination Zero. Bannon has a unique ability to create magic that hits hard while staying accessible to magicians of all skill levels. We can't wait for him to lecture on semi-automatic card magic and jam in the lobby at Magifest 2027.

Mortenn Christiansen

Mortenn Christiansen is a Danish comedy magician whose offbeat, highly original style has earned him major international recognition. He won First Prize in Comedy Magic at FISM 2022 and First Prize in Parlor Magic at FISM 2025, making him one of today’s standout comedy magic performers. At Magifest 2027, we’ve gotten him to do a show AND a lecture, so come ready to laugh and learn!

Choose your Magifest ticket

Both tickets include the complete three-day convention. VIP costs $200 more and adds two Sunday workshops worth $200, plus priority seating and registration.

Standard

The full convention

$400

Three days of performances and lectures
After-hours magic and jam sessions
Access to the Magifest Dealers Room

VIP

More learning, less waiting

$600

Everything included with a Standard ticket
Two Sunday workshops worth $200
Priority seating and priority registration

Choose your ticket

The convention runs Thursday–Saturday. VIP workshops take place on Sunday, January 24.

The convention hotel

Renaissance, Columbus Downtown

50 N 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215, USA

Stay where the magic happens. The Renaissance is Magifest’s convention hotel, putting you close to the shows, lectures, and late-night sessions in the lobby.

We also have an official room block at The Westin Great Southern Columbus. See our hotel page for both booking options and the Magifest group rates.

View hotels and booking details

What Happens?

In short, performances and lectures from the best magicians in the world combined with amazing informal jam sessions in the lobby and bar area. And not much sleep!

Magifest is different from other conventions. We don't schedule events to overlap, so you will be able to see every single session.

We put in breaks, so you can grab food, hang with your friends (and make new ones), and simply decompress a little to take in all the amazing magic you've just learned.

And because we limit attendance, it's not so busy that you have to fight to get a seat at shows, or the bar is 20 people deep, or you can never get a seat in the lobby.

You'll get to eat, sleep and breathe magic for three wonderful days. Surrounded by like-minded magicians. You'll reconnect with old friends, and make new friends that will last a lifetime.

Magifest also boasts the largest Dealers Room of any magic convention in America. You'll be able to see - and get your hands on—many brand new, unreleased books, tricks, and more. This means you'll be ahead of the pack, and have the latest and greatest before anyone else!

Who Should Attend?

Everyone who shares our passion for magic! We have some of the best professional magicians in the world who come as attendees because they love the convention. Equally, beginners and less experienced magicians come too, because they want to learn from, and be inspired by, the magicians who they get to see—and meet—at the convention.

It doesn't matter if you've been into magic for your entire life or just a few months. Magifest is an inclusive convention and everyone is made to feel incredibly welcome.

If you've never been to Magifest, or any convention before, we're organizing some new events this year to make sure you feel welcome, can make new friends, and most importantly become a better magician.

How Much Is It?

This is the good bit. It's just $400 and that gives you three days full of incredible magic. You're going to see, and learn, so much new magic that compared with anything else, Magifest is the best value in magic.

• Youth scholarships
• Magifest schedule
• Get in touch

2027 VIP Tickets

We're offering you the chance to get VIP treatment. By grabbing a VIP ticket (or upgrading your current ticket to VIP), you can experience Magifest like never before with these amazing perks:

Workshop Tickets Included
You'll be coming to our two additional workshops on Sunday, January 24, after the convention. This alone has a value of $200 and is included in your VIP ticket.

Priority Seating
VIPs don't have to worry about wasting time standing around in lines. Events will open early for VIPs allowing you a chance to get the best seats in the house before the room is opened up to all other guests.

Priority Registration
VIPs will have a separate line for registration, allowing you to save time and get on with enjoying the convention.

If you want to make the most of your time at Magifest and experience the convention in the best way possible, you need to become a Magifest VIP. VIP tickets are $600 or you can upgrade an existing ticket for $200.

Choose your VIP ticket

Stream Magifest

Experience Magifest from wherever you are. Join us online for live shows and lectures, with a front-row view of the magic.

Unable to join us in Ohio? You can now experience every moment from anywhere in the world in pristine quality. The virtual experience provides an immersive front‐row view of the performances and lectures.