Magic festival promises fun for all the family

Darren Bonas will perform at the Family Magic Extravaganza.

The South Tyneside International Magic Festival is returning to the borough.

Part of the line-up of events at the Customs House, South Shields, is a Family Magic Extravaganza.

Graeme Shaw will perform at the Family Magic Extravaganza.

The show, on Wednesday, March 9, will be a night of tricks, jokes and entertainment for all ages.

It will see magicians Tony Junior, Darren Bonas, Magic Mick and Graeme Shaw take to the stage at the Mill Dam venue.

Compere Tony Junior, said: “This will be my fifth consecutive year on stage at the South Tyneside International Magic Festival.

“As compere I allow the performers to be the stars and use my own zany, light-hearted style to help fill in the gaps and ensure everything runs smoothly.”

Magic Mick will perform at the Family Magic Extravaganza.

Darren, better known as Mr Twister, said: “This year I’ll hopefully be bringing something completely new to the show, as well as the cheeky chappie comedy and balloons I’m known for.”

Darren, who performed for Queen Elizabeth at the official opening of the Siemens factory in North Tyneside in 1997, added: “I was the first children’s entertainer to have their performance streamed live on the internet during a royal visit.

“That was one of my greatest achievements before I became a dad and now that I’m a parent every day is even more magic.”

Mick, who first stepped into the spotlight at a school talent competition when he was 10, has enjoyed an unusual career balancing magic and firefighting.

Tony Junior will perform at the Family Magic Extravaganza.

He said: “I had a fantastic career in the fire service and served 32 years before retiring 10 years ago.

“At the same time I have been lucky enough to perform in some very high-profile venues and been booked by families from across the North East, many of whom have been repeat customers over the past 12 years.”

Graeme Shaw , director of sponsors MagicBox, will also be taking to the stage for the event.

He said: “The South Tyneside International Magic Festival is an amazing event for the North East and the international magic community as a whole.”

Tickets for the Family Magic Extravaganza, which starts at 6.30pm, cost £7.

To book, go to www.customshouse.co.uk or call 0191 454 1234.