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Magifest 2022

Name: Magifest magic convention
Start: 2021-09-16T09:30
End: 2021-09-18T23:59
Location: Renaissance, Columbus Downtown

January 20 - 22 2022

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Watch the Magifest 2020 highlights

Magifest 2022

We're delighted to be back January 20-22nd, at the Renaissance Hotel for the 90th Annual Magifest. You helped make our last convention what most considered to be the "best ever," and we have some ambitious plans for 2022. Space will again be limited to the first 500 registrants (we normally host 1000). 2022 is sure to sell out so be sure to register early. Your registration is fully refundable until December 1st.

Welcome to Magifest University

For starters, we're changing up the format. This year we'll welcome you to Magifest University. Our goal is for every attendee to leave performing something new. Rather than all of the events in one big ballroom, there will be shows and lectures for everyone, and there will also be several electives to choose from, to enhance and personalize your Fest experience. You'll be taking classes with your preferred instructors on a variety of subjects including: beginner and advanced card magic, the theory of magic, stagecraft, and creating gimmicks.

We're also thrilled to welcome a living legend as our Guest of Honor for the 90th Magifest: Darwin Ortiz. Universally-acclaimed for his virtuosic sleight-of-hand, Darwin forged a unique career as a performer and casino consultant. For magicians, Darwin's work on the theoretical side of magic will be studied for generations. Mr. Ortiz rarely appears at magic conventions, and we're thrilled to honor him on our stage.

We'll also be announcing a stellar array of stage and close-up performances, plus lectures, talks, sessions, and a stunning gala show to cap it all off. You will not want to miss the 90th Magifest Celebration.

Magifest COVID Safety Policy

All Magifest registrants 12 years of age and older will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the start of the convention. Your vaccination card or a photo of your vaccination card are both acceptable forms of proof and will be required to pick up your registration.

Performers & Speakers

Darwin Ortiz

Our guest of honor this year is one of the most revered thinkers and creators of our time. His seminal books on magic theory, Strong Magic and Designing Miracles, will be studied for generations, and represent perhaps the most forward-thinking theory on magic published in decades. His original sleight-of-hand creations are masterworks of structure and intelligent constructions. For the public, Darwin performed in prestigious gambling venues all over the world. He rarely appears at magic conventions, so we’re honored to welcome him as this year’s Guest of Honor.

Jason Ladanye

Bringing back Jason Ladanye felt particularly apt this year because we’re honoring his mentor, Darwin Ortiz. Ladanye has carved out his own niche in magic with two hit books, Game Changer and Confident Deceptions. His material is often difficult and highly impressive, and he will present an entirely new lecture and show.

Jason England

Widely regarded as one of our industry’s foremost exponents of sleight of hand, Jason England is a wunderkind of difficult card manipulations and an expert on the history of card cheating. What is less known is that Jason is also a formidable close-up magician. He will present material that will astound, as well as teach some of his most closely guarded secrets.

Niels Duinker

Straight on the heels of his long residency in Myrtle Beach, we welcome Guinness World Record holder Neils Duinker from his native Holland, who will share his full juggling show with us.

Ken Weber

Ken Weber’s seminal book Maximum Entertainment is consistently listed as one of the most important magic texts of our time. The same practical theoretical advice he espouses in his book will be on full display as Ken hosts his own Magifest University Class called, aptly, “Maximum Entertainment.” In his class you’ll learn how to improve the magic you already do, and to put your best self forward onstage.

Caleb Wiles

Caleb will conduct the Impromptu Card Magic class for Magifest University. Those who take his class will learn three fantastic card routines that you can do with a shuffled deck and a minimum of sleight-of-hand.

Denis Behr

Hailing from Germany, Denis Behr is a sleight-of-hand wizard, and his full evening close-up shows are a mainstay for the public in Germany. Denis brings to Magifest a particularly dry wit accompanied by world-class sleight of hand.

Mike Pisciotta

Five nights a week you can catch Mike Pisciotta's exceptional bar magic set at the Magic Castle. But for this weekend only, he will be bringing this fascinating, visual mix of card and coin magic to the lobby of the Magifest, where he will be performing this fantastic show on repeat late at night each evening. Not only that, he will present his all-new lecture onstage on his own powerful brand of magic.

Matt Holtzclaw

A staple in the New York magic scene, Holtzclaw is a regular headliner at Speak Easy Magic and the famed Slipper Room. He specializes in avant garde character studies in magic, and often performs under different personas. We are so pleased that Holtzclaw will make his convention debut here at the Magifest.

Stuart MacDonald

Stuart hails from Michigan but has performed on stages all over the world. He has won numerous magic competition awards including at IBM and SAM. And he recently was able to add a Fool Us Trophy to his long list of accolades, when he fooled Penn & Teller with his stage act. Stuart will give a talk on character development and perform in our Fool Us Gala.

Rachel Wax

A regular performer at the Slipper Room, Speak Easy Magic, and a Taste of Magic—all prestigious New York City shows—Rachel has carved out a niche for herself as an amazing yet sarcastic comedic performer. She brings her unique brand of comedy and magic to the Magifest for debut on our stage.

Paul Gertner

A FISM World champion and two-time Fooler, Paul Gertner is one of the most respected and lauded close-up performers working today. His innovative Cups & Balls routine is a modern classic, and he will perform and lecture for us at the Magifest…a convention he attended as a teenager.

David Gerard

Working in tech in Silicon Valley by day, by night David Gerard has emerged as one of the leading minds in mentalism today. He performs a regular, sold-out show in San Francisco, and when he’s not performing, he is helping some of today’s leading performers with their own work. David will present his full one-man show and also conduct a Magifest Unviersity Class.

Apollo Robbins

The most famous pickpocket working today, Apollo Robbins has made countless television appearances with his magic and pickpocketing routines. He has picked the pocket of a former president, and he just might steal something from you. Apollo will perform, lecture, and speak on his storied career in his Magifest debut.

Garrett Thomas

One of the most clever close-up magicians of his generation, Garrett Thomas’s magic is elegant and visually impossible. More importantly, he is consistently innovating in new ways, and we’re delighted that Garrett will share his latest and greatest miracles with us at Magifest.

Jeki Yoo

An outstanding new talent from Korea, Jeki now calls Las Vegas home. A specialist in hyper visual magic designed for the screen, the question everyone wants to know is whether he can do this stuff live. And he certainly can! We can’t wait to debut his brand new lecture, as well as newest routines.

Michael Kent

A regular to the Magifest stage, this year Michael will emcee an unusual show. Michael is a globetrotting perform who performs at colleges and comedy clubs across the country. He is a popular podcasting personality, and has appeared on Penn & Teller's Fool Us.

Amanda Nepo

Amanda Nepo is a teen magician who is known for her innovative and creative approach to magic. At age 16, Amanda impressed the world-famous duo, Penn & Teller, with her original routine on Penn & Teller Fool Us, making her one of the youngest foolers ever!

Bernardo Sedlacek

If you hung out in the lobby at Magifest 2021, you'd have met and been blown away by Brazil's Bernardo Sedlacek. This time he's taking the stage to teach us his incredible new magic.

Pete McCabe

Author of the best-selling Scripting Magic series, Pete McCabe will be working with you on your scripts during our Magifest University sessions.

Renaissance, Columbus Downtown

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

Be sure to ask for the Magifest rate when booking a room. It's currently $112 (plus taxes) per night.

How to book a room

Magifest 2022: Three Reasons to Join Us

1. The best magic shops: We invite the finest magic dealers from around the world, and take care that each one is offering unique, different merchandise.
2. Access to excellence: Our headliners don't just amaze onstage. You get to meet and hang with them, too.
3. Extra workshops: For an additional fee, registrants can opt into private workshops, limited in attendance, just after the convention. This is a chance to take lessons from some of the finest magicians on Earth. 4. Our youth program. If you're a young magician, we have special programming just for you.

Health and safety considerations

It's more important than ever to consider the safety of our guests, so here are the changes we are making in 2021:

More Space: There will be increased space between seats in the ballroom, less chairs around each “jamming” table in the lobby, and less dealers in more space for our Dealer’s Room. We recognize that seeing friends and swapping tricks is a treasured part of the Magifest, so we’ve increased the area for jam-sessions so that magicians can swap tricks while maintaining a safe distance.

Masks, Cleanings, and Sanitizer Stations: The Renaissance Hotel will provide sanitation stations and frequent cleanings to railings, chairs, doors, bathrooms, and public areas around the clock. Should the government still advise it, our staff and the performers will be wearing masks throughout the duration of the convention, except on stage, and we’ll encourage attendees to take similar precautions. We'll even have some comfortable, fashionable masks available for you to use.

Extra Accommodations for High-Risk Individuals: If you consider yourself “high risk” for the disease, our staff will work with you for seating arrangements and dealer room visits with a minimal of interactions.

• Youth scholarships
• Magifest schedule
• Get in touch

2021 Workshops

Continue your Magifest through Sunday to join us for workshops with Denis Behr and Bernardo Sedlacek. Register below:

Bernardo Sedlacek (10am - 1pm)

Bernardo Sedlacek attended the last Magifest, and he caused a late night sensation with his unique approach to card magic. We simply had to have him back this year to give one of his heralded workshops. FISM Grand Prix Champion Pierric called the workshop, "a unique approach to card magic," and the legend Gaeton Bloom says, "He blew me away, over and over and over."

This intensive three-hour workshop begins with a mini-show, and then an explanation of every aspect of the show. Then you'll dive into more theoretical aspects of magic with Bernardo, who builds on a foundation of the Spanish School of magic, mixed with many other elements. You've never seen a card magician quite like Bernardo Sedlacek. His magic feels real, yet playful and engaging and always astounding. This is your chance to take your card magic to the next level and see a star-in-the-making. This three-hour workshop will sell out, and it's his only scheduled American workshop date. Reserve your place before it sells out.

Denis Behr (2.30pm - 5.30pm)

One of our industry's most heralded technicians and performers, this is your opportunity to take a lesson that will raise your level with a pack of cards. Denis will teach some of his favorite effects, and he will also zoom in on some of the troublesome, basic sleights that give people headaches. This is your chance to perfect your double lift, hold smaller breaks, and make your magic smoother. You'll be able to ask Denis about the material and sleights YOU want to cover, and how Denis structures his formal close-up shows. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to sit with Denis, as he almost never makes US appearances.

This workshop lasts 3 hours and is $100.

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