Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians

07/06/2026

✨🎩 Last week the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians were at The Orange Pip Market! 🎩✨



We had an amazing time entertaining everyone who stopped by our stand throughout the day. It was fantastic meeting so many people, sharing a little magic, chatting with visitors, and showing everyone what our club is all about.

As always, the atmosphere at The Orange Pip was incredible, and after a day of performing, it was great to relax, celebrate, and party with everyone too!

A huge thank you to everyone who came over to say hello, watched some magic, and helped make it such a memorable day.

We had a brilliant time and can’t wait to do it all again.

See you next time! ✨

26/05/2026

🏆✨ Congratulations to our winner Mark Warman last night for taking home the annual Dr. Hebblethwaite Trophy for Close-Up Magic ✨🏆

The standard throughout the night was fantastic, with all of the performers delivering brilliant close-up magic and making it a very difficult competition to judge.

But in the end, there could only be one winner… and this year the trophy goes to Mark Warman 👏🎩

A huge well done to everyone who took part and helped make it another great evening at the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians.

21/04/2026

Due to Thursday being completely SOLD OUT, we’ve added an extra date for SPOOKED 👻

Join us on Friday 15th May at the Dorman Museum for another night of immersive, spine-tingling magic. Step inside and explore a series of eerie themed rooms, each filled with strange happenings, mind-reading, illusions, and things that don’t quite make sense…

You’ll experience close-up magic, psychological illusions, and interactive moments throughout the night. Nothing is on a stage, everything happens around you.

If you missed out on Thursday, this is your chance to experience SPOOKED.

🎟 Limited tickets available
⏰ Timed entry slots throughout the evening

Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

01/04/2026

🎩✨ Bill Ripley Best Trick Night ✨🎩

On Monday we held our twice-yearly Bill Ripley Best Trick Night — one of our favourite events in the calendar.

The rules are simple… one trick, one chance to impress. With 13 competitors taking part, the standard was incredibly high, making it a tough night to judge for our members.

Voted for by the members, the winner takes home the trophy and £25 — and this time it was Matt Cooper with his brilliant (and slightly nerve-wracking!) staple gun roulette routine.

A huge well done to everyone who took part, and congratulations to Matt for taking home the trophy 👏

As always, it was also a pleasure to welcome Bill’s daughters along for the evening — a lovely reminder of the history and tradition behind the night.

17/03/2026

Today marks ten years since we lost one of Teesside's most famous sons.

Paul Daniels was born Newton Edward Daniels in South Bank on April 6, 1938 and died on March 17, 2016 aged 77.

And while his magic skills took him onto the national stage with his incredibly popular The Paul Daniels Magic Show which was enjoyed by millions from 1979 to 1994, he retained his links with Teesside.

Having joined the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians in the early 1960s he remained a member until his death having variously served as its president and honorary vice-president and made many appearances at the group's events over the years.

13/03/2026

🎃✨ Spooked returns to the Dorman Museum! ✨🎃

After last year’s sell-out event, we’re excited to announce that Spooked is coming back to the Dorman Museum… and this time it’s bigger, darker, and completely refreshed.

Join us on Thursday 14th May for an evening of eerie magic as you explore the museum and experience four immersive performances created by members of the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians. Each room holds a different mystery, with magical moments you won’t see anywhere else.

🎩 Four unique immersive performances
👁️ Including 2 NEW performances

If you enjoyed it last year, you won’t want to miss what we’ve created this time… and if you missed out before, now’s your chance to see what everyone was talking about.

🎟️ Tickets are just £10 and available now.

These sold out last year, so make sure you grab yours early.

03/03/2026

✨🎩 John Hotowka returns to Middlesbrough! 🎩✨

Last night we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming John Hotowka back to the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians — almost 40 years since his last lecture with us!

And it was well worth the wait.

John shared some brilliant, real-world “worker” routines that he’s used professionally for years, along with invaluable insights into performing at wedding fairs and trade shows. Honest advice, practical thinking, and plenty of laughs along the way.

It was a packed house and a fantastic atmosphere. Lectures like this are so valuable, especially for our newer members, giving them practical material and real industry advice they can take straight into the real world.

A huge thank you to John for making the trip and sharing his experience so generously with us. We really appreciate it.

Let’s not leave it another 40 years before the next one! 👏✨

25/02/2026

📅 Monday 2nd March 2026

John Hotowka is a Yorkshire-based professional magician with over 30 years’ experience, performing for blue-chip companies across the UK at corporate events, trade shows and conferences. He’s a working pro in the truest sense, and the author of
📘 Everything You Wanted To Know About Table Hopping But Were Afraid To Ask.

His lecture, “Close-Up That Paid Off My Mortgage”, is John giving back to the magic community. You’ll see and learn routines he still uses today, refined over three decades of real-world performing. Expect practical close-up magic, theory, audience management, performing under fire, and the little wrinkles that only come from experience.

This lecture really does have something for everyone, performances, explanations, and stories from a career built on magic that works.

🗣️ “It is rare to see a lecturer who can engage and entertain an audience from start to finish.”
🗣️ “The advice and tips on getting work are pure gold for the professional.”
🗣️ “A true professional at work… This is a lecture not to be missed.”

💷 £10 for visiting magicians from other societies

If you’re serious about close-up magic, or just want an inspiring and highly entertaining evening, this one is not to be missed.

📍 Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians
📅 2nd March 2026

24/02/2026

🎩✨ Blackpool Magic Convention… done for another year (and yes, we’re already emotionally preparing for the countdown). ✨🎩

Our annual pilgrimage to the legendary Blackpool Magic Convention delivered once again — a fantastic bunch of magicians and friends, ridiculous amounts of magic, and enough late-night sessions to completely forget what sleep is.

With the extra Thursday added this year, that just meant one thing… even MORE magic, more coffee, more Beer, “just one more trick,” and more wandering the dealers hall convincing ourselves we definitely needed that new prop.

The shows were outstanding, the lectures were inspiring, and the dealers seemed to multiply when we weren’t looking.

We even managed to bump into a couple of names you might recognise — David Blaine and Steven Frayne — which gave everyone a good excuse to pretend we were playing it cool (we weren’t).

Honestly, it’s one of the highlights of our year — laughs, ideas, great company, and a reminder of why we love this weird and wonderful world of magic so much.

Same time next year? Absolutely. 🪄

08/02/2026

Our very own Chris Cowl - Magician 🪄

Ingleby Barwick dad Chris Cowl's performances have amazed thousands including a host of celebrities such as Mike Tyson and Arnold Schwarzenegger