How to Join a Magic Club or Society

‘No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.’ – John Donne

It’s time to join a magic club! The process of discovering magic, tends to follow the same pattern: You learn a magic trick, find out it’s great fun and begin learning another one. Pretty soon you’re completely obsessed. This usually takes you online to discover the new magic and socialize with other people just as mad about magic as you are. If you stop there, you are missing out on a really valuable and fun part of being a magician.Right now there are thousands of people learning and then performing their magic tricks to each other on YouTube, that’s all they ever do with their magic. That’s fun for them, but they are missing out on a huge opportunity that’s right on their doorsteps. Are you trying to learn magic on your own too?

Joining a local magic club will get you in touch with a whole community of people from all walks of life, that love magic just as much as you do. A good magic club will really help you develop as a magician, as you share ideas, learn new magic, and practice your skills in club competitions and workshops.

How often do magic clubs meet?

Most magic clubs meet a few times each month to discuss magic, watch lectures from guest magicians, swap ideas and run magic competitions etc. They often meet in local community centers or clubs during the evening. Most clubs have programs of activities that they run throughout the year. These include competition nights, themed evenings where members perform magic tricks around a chosen theme, magic lectures and workshop events.

How do I get in touch with a magic club?

The first step to joining a club is finding one within travelling distance to you, check out the directory of magic clubs and societies for a list of the best clubs in the UK. Once you find one, visit their website to see information on the club, its upcoming events and their joining criteria. Contact the magic club directly and the membership officer will give you all the details and will invite you to one of the meetings as a guest.

Will I feel welcome?

You will be surprised how friendly and welcoming magic clubs are. After all, they are a group of people as crazy about magic as you are. New members are the life blood of any club, and having new people join is very important to them. Most of the members become very good friends over the years and have all seen each others magic tricks many many times. Many of the members will be itching to show you their magic tricks and also talk about magic with you. The great thing about joining, is that you instantly have something in common with everyone there. If you feel nervous about going to a club for the first time, try to relax. You will be made to feel welcome and nobody will be testing you or assessing your magic skills. You already have something to talk about with everyone there, and will leave at the end of the evening, wondering why you were so nervous.

Does it matter that I’m only a beginner?

Not at all. Magic clubs are about learning magic much more than showing off how good you are. There are plenty of competitions you can enter to display your skills, but the focus is on learning new magic, talking about magic and helping each other to develop each others skills. As soon as you attend you will see that there is a huge range of ability throughout the club membership. Some members are passionate about magic, but not that hot at performing. Others are great at magic, but go to pieces when asked to show a trick. You will quickly find that you will fit in somewhere in the middle, so don’t think you are going to be the only beginner asked to perform magic in front of a crowd of professionals.

A magic club will expect you to have some knowledge of magic and a real interest in it, as they don’t want people attending just out of curiosity about how magic tricks are done. However, beginners are always very welcome.

The only exception to this, will be a few magic clubs for more experienced magicians, such as The Magic Circle. Those clubs will have a far stricter level of entry, so chat to the membership officer when you contact the club and they will be happy to give you details of the joining criteria. You can find out about the process to join The Magic Circle here.

Will I have to do an audition?

Many clubs will allow you to attend for a few meetings before formally joining. Some ask you to audition to become a member. This usually involves performing some magic in front of a few club members to show that you do know some magic and have a basic knowledge of presentation and performing skills. By the time you are asked to do an audition, you will have probably attended a few times, got to know the people there and will not feel so nervous about it.

DO THIS: Check out the Directory of good magic clubs in the UK (If you live outside the UK, just Google magic clubs in your country and a list relevant to you should be somewhere on the first page of search results. )

Don’t listen to any self doubts or nervousness you may have. Just call a local club and chat to the membership officer. They will give you all the details and set up a day for you to visit the club and check it out.

Directory of UK Magic Clubs and Societies

Magic Circle For Kids – Why Your Child Should Become a Member

by Merchant of Magic 1 Comment

Magic Circle is the worlds most prestigious magic club, but you have to be over 18 to join. If you child is mad about magic, and dreams of joining the Magic Circle, there is some good news.

In 1996 the Magic Circle established the Young Magicians Club for magicians aged 10 – 18. It’s an incredible opportunity for young magicians to develop their skills, socialize with other magicians and benefit from the huge resources that the Magic Circle has to offer as they learn their skills.

You don’t have to be based in London to be a member. Parents from all over the country make trips to London with their child to take part in club activities throughout the year. It also doesn’t matter what skill level your child has. The Young Magicians Club caters for total beginners to experienced performing magicians. There are events, workshops and lectures that every child who loves magic will enjoy and learn something from. The club

One of the greatest benefits of membership, is access to the facilities provided by the Magic Circle. Your child will be given entry to the Magic Circle Headquarters in London, where they can access the incredible library of magic books (Over 6000 magic books), watch magic in the purpose built magic theatre and learn about the history of magic in the Magic Circles world famous magic museum.

Once your child reaches 18 years of age, they get a reduced entrance fee for becoming a member of the Magic Circle, so they really will find a lifelong resource for their magic development.

Other benefits of membership include:

A membership pack with a membership card, badge, membership certificate and a magic trick to start learning.
A regular high quality magic magazine stuffed full of advice, tips and articles on learning magic.
Help on hand from the YMC Advisory Team of magicians which can advise your child on any areas of magic.
Access to the best magic competitions.
Entrance to events throughout the year specifically for magicians.

You can find out more about the Young Magicians Club on their website

‘I became a member of the YMC from the age of 13 and it was probably the best thing I did. So thank you to the YMC for all the hard work you do, for facilitating a place of learning and helping the magicians of tomorrow flourish.’ – Troy

Magic Circle – How to Join the Magic Circle

by Merchant of Magic 10 Comments

How do I become a member of the Magic Circle?

We get asked this question almost on a weekly basis. There really isn’t any secret to it, but it will take some commitment from you. Becoming a member of The Magic Circle gives the public a guarantee of excellence in magic. It’s because of this seal of quality that The Merchant of Magic insists that all its magic sales staff are Magic Circle members themselves.

Let’s look at the joining criteria in detail.

1) You must be over 18 years of age.
If you are younger than 18, we recommend that you join the young magicians club instead. It’s an amazing magic club and a great stepping stone into the Magic Circle when you are older.

2) You need to be proposed and seconded by magicians who are already members of the Magic Circle.
Those magicians must have known you for at least a year. This is the most common barrier to entry, but even though you may not know any magicians who are members and can propose you, that can be easily fixed. Magicians are a very sociable lot. After all, it’s the sharing of ideas and tricks, that keeps magic developing. All over the country you will find smaller magic clubs. There’s probably one in the nearest large town or city to you.

The first part of how to join the magic circle is to join a local club. Some magic clubs call themselves by the town name and then magic circle, for example ‘The Hogsmeade Magic Circle’. Don’t confuse these clubs with the ‘real’ Magic Circle. They are great clubs and many of them are very old and established, but being a member of these and claiming that you are a member of the Magic Circle is rather misleading to the public.

We recommend joining a local club and becoming an active member. You will improve your magic skills and meet a community of magicians as mad about magic as you are. Many magic clubs hold audition nights for membership of the real Magic Circle, and will have members that will get to know you and can propose you when you are ready.

3) You must have an interview with a senior member of the Magic Circle to test that you have the skills and magical knowledge that is required to join.
The Magic Circle seeks members that have studied magic rather than the merely curious. You don’t need to be a professional performer, but you will be expected to show a good knowledge of magic, its performance and theory. The Examinations Secretary will chat with you and talk about your interest in magic, what skills you have developed, your plans for the future and how you will be able to contribute to the club. This takes place at the Magic Circle headquarters in Central London. Whilst you are being interviewed, it’s a great opportunity to look around the headquarters and visit the Magic Circle museum.

4) You must pass the audition.
Applicants will often be asked to perform a small magic act in front of an audience of existing members. It’s this part of how to join the magic circle that terrifies most magicians wanting to join. In reality, it’s nothing to worry about. You are not expected to be one of the UK’s top magicians. Just show that you are actually able to perform at a standard that the Magic Circle requires of its members. After all, being permitted to join, in the public’s mind, is a guarantee of excellence in magic.

The audition aims to judge your technique and performance skills. If you don’t perform, but have a passion for the theoretical or historical branches of magic, you can request to submit a thesis on an area of magic instead.

Worried about that will be required of you in the audition? Download a guide to the examination for free.

5) The Ballot.
Finally, once you pass the audition, the Magic Circle will propose your membership to the ruling council to finalize your membership by ballot.

Once this process has been completed, you will hear back from the Magic Circle with the results of your request for membership. The whole process does take some time to complete, but it’s a very good system for membership as it creates a bar, that ensures each member is permitted based on their actual abilities. The process has resulted in membership of the Magic Circle being something to be very proud of by its members and a good benchmark of quality for the public looking to hire a magician.

You can find out more about how to join the Magic Circle and download a membership application form by visiting the official Magic Circle Website.

Do you have any tips or questions about how to join the magic circle? Please leave a comment below: