Magic festival to conjure up weekend of tricks in South Shields

Scores of sponge balls, dozens of decks of cards and metres of invisible thread will magically appear at The Customs House next month for a four-day festival and convention.

With just a few weeks to go until the 14th South Tyneside International Magic Festival, acts are dusting off their tricks and gadgets as they prepare to conjure up a weekend of entertainment.

The event, which features three public shows as well as a convention for professionals and ardent magic fans, will take place from March 16 to 19 and is set to attract performers and acts from Unite States, Canada, Asia and across the UK.

But magician Steve Gore, who has been responsible for booking this year’s acts and will also appear on stage himself, says if audiences expect to see rabbits being pulled from hats and magic wands in abundance, they should think again.

“People seem to forget that times change and we have moved on a bit so we can’t promise many wands, rabbits or hats will be in attendance during the weekend,” he said.

“Instead, our audiences should expect the unexpected, presented by the new, modern faces of magic.”

“Obviously, there is a lot that I can’t talk about, but that’s the nature of magic. This is a big, professional convention and we have some of the world’s biggest magic stars here so naturally we have to keep some mystery.”

The annual festival is run by South Tyneside Council, sponsored by Magicbox and supported by BBC Radio Newcastle and The Customs House, with tickets still available for the public shows.

Tickets are available to buy from The Customs House box office.