News

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FEB 8 – TIM MASON SOON ON YTT!

Tim Mason, the winner of BOTH the Stage Magic and the Close Up Magic titles in the 2009 Australian Junior Championships of Magic, will soon be appearing on the new ‘Young Talent Time’. So keep your eyes tuned to Channel Ten on Sunday nights.

They usually give a preview of the next week’s contestants so make sure you don’t miss out and get ready to vote for young Mr Mason as he represents!
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FEB 6 – FIRST MMF 2012 PROMO APPEARS

It’s still five months away but websites are already starting to appear singing the praises of The Melbourne Magic Festival. Click here and you can see the website of the French hotel chain ‘Accor’ promoting our Festival and encouraging guests to come from far and wide just to see it.

Who are we to disagree? Come visit Melbourne and discover the impossible!

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AUG 11 – HUGE SUCCESS!

Here are the final statistics for the 2011 MELBOURNE MAGIC FESTIVAL!

23 out of the 130 shows were totally sold out!

Of the 12,952 tickets on sale over the 13 days of the Festival, 7,993 were sold! (And another 500 guests attended as “comps”)

Stay tuned for an even bigger MMF in 2012!

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JULY 11 – FIRST WEEK A HIT!

The woofle dust has settled on the first week of The Melbourne Magic Festival and here are some fascinating facts and figures:

16 out of the 71 shows were totally sold out!

Of the 7,078 tickets on sale last week, 4,445 were sold! (And another 280 guests attended as “comps”)

All this despite heavy construction going on next door, air conditioning being installed in the venue, a gas leak and evacuation, an earthquake, a challenging ticket system and the closure of High St and most access to the Town Hall.. not too shabby!

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JULY 10 – CONGRATULATIONS ENZO!

Australia’s first ever FISM Oceania Championship of Stage Magic was held last night and, in a unanimous decision by the judges, no First or Second prizes were awarded.

Instead, the top prize (Third) went to Enzo Ficco as Melbourne’s Magical Gangster Al Cappucino and the prize of a trip to Blackpool to represent Oceania at the World Championship of magic will be awarded at a later date.

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JULY 9 – CONGRATULATIONS SIMON & JOHN!

Australia’s first ever FISM Oceania Champion of Close Up Magic is SIMON CORONEL! Last night, in front of a sold out crowd, Simon demonstrated his skills in sleight of hand, showmanship, original thinking and presentation to take out the first prize. He’ll be flying off to FISM 2012 in the UK to represent us and try to bring home the Grand Prix!

Second place went to John Fung with a display of flawless sleight of hand and metal bending magic.

The Jury decided that, on this occasion, there would be no third prize awarded.

The contestants were scored according to FISM standards and were allocated points in the following categories:

• Technical Skill / Handling.
• Showmanship / Presentation
• Entertainment value
• Artistic Impression / Routining
• Originality
• Magic Atmosphere

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JULY 8 – FISM OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS START TONIGHT!

There are still a few tickets left for tonights FISM Oceania Close Up Magic Championship. Who will become Australia’s Champion and be sent to the UK to represent us in the World Championships next year??? Judges Sue-Anne Webster, Craig Mitchell and Boris Wild will decide. Be there!

Tomorrow night at St Martin’s Theatre, South Yarra, the FISM Oceania Stage Magic Championship takes place. Five top magicians battle it out, Harry Houdidn’t guest stars, Nicholas Johnson comperes and (for magicians) a certain Bill Malone is rumoured to be attending! Come along and join the party!

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JULY 8 – COSENTINO IN THE HERALD SUN!

Star of ‘Australia’s Got Talent’, Cosentino, is featured in today’s Herald Sun. Click here to read the article.

Cosentino will be making a special guest appearance on The AIM Close Up Gala Show on Monday night – so book fast – then on Tuesday night will introduce a brand new illusion of AGT. Tune in and vote.

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JULY 6 – MMF ON IT’S WAY TO SETTING A NEW RECORD!

The tally has been added up and already, on just the first two days of The Melbourne Magic Festival, almost 1,200 people have attended shows!

Considering the fact that, in 2008, we saw only 3,200 people for the entire two weeks this is pretty amazing!

So don’t miss out, book online, call 9481 9500, or turn up early and book in person at the box office.

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JULY 5 – TIM CREDIBLE IN THE NORTHCOTE LEADER!

Tim Credible and his Magic School is featured in this week’s Northcote Leader and you can read all about it here. Also in the press edition, not online, is a huge story on Vyom Sharma and his show SE7EN STORIES.

Dom Chamber, last year’s winner of the Australian Junior Championships of Magic, is profiled in the Manningham Leader for his show The New Kid. You can read that story, complete with video, here.

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JULY 4 – 3D ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTIONS AT THE MMF!

Every night, after dark, the wall of the Northcote Town Hall crumbles, tumbles and transforms as if by magic! But it’s the magic of a team of students from Swimburne’s School of Design.

Come and watch this astonishing visual magic live until July 16 – it’s FREE – and you can get a sneak preview here.

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JULY 3 – TUNE IN TO LIGHT FM LIVE AT THE MMF!

Tomorrow is the first day of The Melbourne Magic Festival and to celebrate LIGHT FM will be broadcasting live from the Northcote Town Hall. Tune in to 89.9 FM or better still, pop in and be a part of the celebration of imagination!

Tickets are selling fast so be there early!

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JULY 2 – EXTRA SHOWS ADDED – ON SALE MONDAY!

Due to popular demand, Seven Stories, which has completely sold out all four of its performances, will be adding a FIFTH show on sale from MONDAY MORNING. This show will be Saturday July 9 at 7pm so get ready to book first thing Monday morning!

Also, due to a seating rearrangement, they will be releasing 6 extra tickets to the other four shows so if you missed out before, get online or call 9481 9500 first thing Monday morning.

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JULY 2 – THE MMF FEATURED IN THE HERALD SUN!

Enzo Ficco was one of seven magicians featured in a great two page spread on The Melbourne Magic Festival in this morning’s Herald Sun. You should grab yourself a copy to see pics on Enzo, Tim Ellis, Nicholas Johnson, Jason Varga, Anthony Demasi, Lee Cohen and Sue-Anne Webster – or you can read it online here

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JULY 1 – SUE-ANNE & LEE PERFORM MAGIC ON RADIO!

Last week Sue-Anne Webster and Lee Cohen appeared on ‘Melbourne’s Night Alive’ on LIGHT FM and performed some magic on air. Now you can see what they got up to with the vodcast posted on LIGHT FM’s site right here. Click here to see the magic.

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JULY 1 – LEE COHEN IN THE HERALD SUN!

Lee Cohen was pictured in this morning’s Herald Sun, photographed in the Magic Unlimited studio with her dove Bo. The story was not only promoting the Festival, but also plugging the feature in tomorrow’s Herald Sun starring Lee, Sue-Anne, Tim, Nicholas, Jason, Enzo and Anthony! Click here to read Lee’s article.

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JUNE 30 – NICHOLAS J JOHNSON IN SYN!

Australia’s Honest Conman paid a visit to SYN Radio’s ‘Get Cereal’ show this morning. He scammed and conned his way through the entire interview and even plugged The Magic Festival! You can listen to the interview here.

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JUNE 30 – MMF FEATURED IN MELBOURNE’S CHILD!

The number one parenting magazine in Australia, Melbourne’s Child, features a big spread highlighting some of the family-friendly magic shows at this year’s Festival. Plus they have some great pics of Kobi & Alice, Anthony Demasi, The Mamazing Flymo, and Lee Cohen. Click here to see the article.

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JUNE 29 – COSENTINO APPEARING AT MELBOURNE MAGIC FESTIVAL!

Star of ‘Australia’s Got Talent’, Cosentino, will be making a special guest appearance on The AIM Gala Close Up Magic Show on Monday July 11 at 7pm. This show is already 70% sold out so HURRY and book your tickets right now! We are thrilled to add Cosentino to our line up and we know it will be an absolutely amazing night of magic not to be missed!

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JUNE 29 – SIMON CORONEL NOMINATED FOR AWARDS!

Simon Coronel’s show Manipulations, currently playing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, has just been nominated for awards in two categories: ‘Cabaret/Variety’ and ‘International’.

You can catch his show LIVE at The Melbourne Magic Festival. But book now before it sells out!

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JUNE 29 – MMF LAUNCH PARTY TONIGHT!

Join us tonight – Wednesday June 29 – at The Alchemist in Brunswick St for a night of magic, cocktails and free beer (courtesy of White Rabbit Breweries!). Come and meet the producers, mingle with the magicians and find out what’s in store at this year’s Melbourne Magic Festival. Entertainment from Melbourne’s Magical Gangster Al Cappuccino and informal, spontaneous sorcery will be happening all night. Don’t miss out! Tickets are free but you must book! Click here for more details.

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JUNE 28 – MMF FEATURED IN RED!

Even house hunters need a little magic sometimes, so Hocking & Stuart have decided to feature The Melbourne Magic Festival in their next issue of RED Magazine. Known as ‘The House Hunter’s Bible’, RED is available at Hocking & Stuart Real Estate Agencies throughout Victoria. Grab a copy later this week and SEE YOU AT THE FESTIVAL!

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JUNE 23 – MMF IN THE MEDIA TOMORROW!

Keep your eye out in THE AGE tomorrow for a feature on The Melbourne Magic Festival in the Gig Guide. If you can’t wait… here’s a preview. Also tune in to LIGHT FM 89.9 on the dial in Melbourne from 7pm tomorrow night to hear Sue-Anne Webster and Lee Cohen interviewed and performing magic live on air!

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JUNE 20 – FISM OCEANIA CONTESTANTS ANNOUNCED!

The contestants for the first ever FISM Oceania Champonships have been announced: FISM OCEANIA STAGE MAGIC CHAMPIONSHIP - John Fung (VIC), James DeHombre (NSW), Joel Howlett (NSW), Adam Mada (NSW), Enzo Ficco (VIC), Ben Hutton (VIC) and FISM OCEANIA CLOSE UP MAGIC CHAMPIONSHIP - Isaac Honor (NSW), James DeHombre (NSW), John Fung (VIC), Simon Coronel (VIC), Ben Sheldon (VIC), Alex Moffat (NSW).

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JUNE 14 – FISM OCEANIA TROPHIES – CRYSTAL GRANDEUR!

As we get closer to the first ever FISM OCEANIA STAGE MAGIC CHAMPIONSHIP and FISM OCEANIA CLOSE UP MAGIC CHAMPIONSHIP we can now give you a sneak peek at the gorgeous trophies on offer for our first, second and third place winners. Click here to see them in detail, or better yet, buy a ticket and come see them presented to the winners live, in person!

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JUNE 12 – SIMON CORONEL COMING DIRECT FROM HOLLYWOOD!

One of our most popular performers at the Melbourne Magic Festival is Simon Coronel, and this year he’s coming to the Festival direct from Hollywood! Simon is currently performing at the world famous Hollywood Magic Castle and next week will be performing his show ‘Manipulations’ as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Of course, you don’t have to go overseas to see Simon, you can catch him LIVE at The Melbourne Magic Festival from July 12-15. (Plus, there are rumours that he’ll be appearing in the AIM Gala Stage Show on July 11, and the AIM Gala Close Up Show on July 18 too!)

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JUNE 11 – CORINELLA MMF CONTEST – WIN FREE TICKETS!

This morning’s Herald Sun features a great contest for kids in the Corinella section where you can win free tickets to several Melbourne Magic Festival shows! Simply colour in the drawing and send it in and you could win tickets to Once Upon A Time…, Kobi & Alice, Tim Credible’s Family Magic Show, or Magic School. Click here to see the article or you can click here to see MMF in the Media so far.

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JUNE 10 – FISM OCEANIA TROPHIES!

The FISM Oceania Championship just got even more exciting with the release of the first images of the gorgeous crystal trophies the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will receive. Of course, the first place winner will also get a trip to the UK to represent us all at the FISM World Championships as well, but even the runners up will be thrilled with these amazing trophy cups. CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM

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JUNE 9 – A CURRENT AFFAIR TALKS ABOUT RAZORBLADE EATING!

Last night A CURRENT AFFAIR ran a story on the crazy stunts performed on AUSTRALIA’S GOT TALENT, including a razorblade eating stunt. Though they admonished Channel 7 for screening such a stunt during a family friendly show, they also pointed out that they (Nine) were first to do such a thing and screened a clip of TIM ELLIS eating razorblades back on The Midday Show in 1998.

If that’s your cup of tea, then you will LOVE ‘Something About Needles & Razorblades’ at The Melbourne Magic Festival. Book your tickets now! Four shows only.

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JUNE 8 – AIM GALA SHOWS: AMAZING LINE UP ANNOUNCED!

The line ups have just been announced for the AIM STAGE MAGIC GALA and the AIM CLOSE UP GALA shows and they are ASTONISHING! An extravagant collection of the very best magical talent Australia has to offer with special guests including France’s BORIS WILD and the hilarious HARRY HOUDIDN’T.

Both of these shows contain over two hours of world class entertainment for only $20 and they’re selling out fast!

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JUNE 5 – TICKETS SELLING FASTER THAN EVER!

Don’t miss out on the hottest shows at this year’s Melbourne Magic Festival. With just a month to go the AIM STAGE MAGIC GALA and the AIM CLOSE UP GALA shows are both already 30% sold out!

Other hot selling tickets include ONCE UPON A TIME and MAGIC TONY: AS SEEN ON TV. Make sure you book in asap to guarantee your seats to this once-a-year celebration of imagination!

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MAY 31 – MAGIC ON TV DURING THE MAGIC FESTIVAL!

Melbourne magician and comedian LAWRENCE LEUNG has a new TV series coming soon to ABCTV. The show, ‘Lauwrence Leung’s Unbelievable’, explores a different phenomenon each week, and at 9pm on Wednesday July 6 Lawrence tries his hand at magic. The episode features guest cameos by several magicians including Apollo Robbins, Lance Burton and Tim Ellis. You won’t believe the trick Lawrence pulls on Tim!

Tune in and enjoy the magic at home, or set your recorder, catch a Festival Show, and enjoy ‘Unbelievable’ again and again.

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MAY 18 – FISM OCEANIA STAGE COMP TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

The hottest ticket in Australian magic is now on sale as St Martin’s Ticket Box opens for THE FISM OCEANIA STAGE MAGIC CHAMPIONSHIPS. See Australia’s top Stage Magicians performing their most amazing illusions as the vie for the title FISM OCEANIA CHAMPION OF STAGE MAGIC plus a trip to the UK to represent us at the FISM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF MAGIC.

ONE SHOW ONLY! LIMITED SEATS! BOOK EARLY AND DON’T MISS OUT! Click here to book

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MAY 1 – MMF TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Tickets are finally on sale for The Melbourne Magic Festival! As usual, we expect a lot of shows to sell out so book fast! The top sellers are always The AIM Close Up Gala Show and The AIM Stage Gala Show as they offer almost a dozen magicians in a two hour show for only $20! Another event we expect to sell out is the MMF Launch Party – tickets are free and so is the beer! But space is limited so bookings are essential!

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APR 27 – MMF IN THE LEADER NEWSPAPERS

Tim Ellis, Sue-Anne Webster and Enzo Ficco appeared in the April 23 edition of the Leader Newspapers to promote the upcoming FISM Oceania Championships, which are being held in conjunction with the Melbourne Magic Festival. You can CLICK HERE to see the full article.

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APR 21 – SOMETHING ABOUT NEEDLES & RAZORBLADES TO PREMIERE IN LAS VEGAS!

Tim Ellis and his “live horror show” are heading to Vegas next month where ‘SOMETHING ABOUT NEEDLES & RAZORBLADES’ will make it’s American debut.

The hit show, a severed tongue-in-cheek parody of the SAW movies, will be performed in front of hundreds of fellow magicians as part of the ‘International Magic Experience’.

Other guest performers and lecturers at the IMX include Sue-Anne Webster and Simon Coronel.

Lee Cohen, Mat Unwin and Anthony DeMasi will also be there to represent The Melbourne Magic Festival and The Australian Institute of Magic..

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APR 4 – INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL GUEST BORIS WILD COMING TO MELBOURNE!

The Melbourne Magic Festival is going global with our very special international guest artist BORIS WILD. Boris is one of the world’s greatest close up magicians, FISM winner, inventor and creator of top-selling magic effects, and a celebrity in his home town of Paris.

You can catch Boris performing his sensational one-man show from July 5-8 at The Northcote Town Hall or marvel at his lecture on Sunday July 10.

With his charm, creativity and fresh approach, Boris Wild will change the way you look at magic forever.
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MAR 25 – GET A MAGIC FESTIVAL PREVIEW AT THE COMEDY FESTIVAL!

If you can’t wait any longer and you just have to get your Magic Festival fix now, you can through April at The Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Simon Coronel will be previewing his Magic Festival show ‘Manipulations 2o11′ at The Comedy Festival at Tony Starr’s Kitten Club – Click here for full details – while Vyom Sharma (Seven Stories), Luke Hocking (The Comedy Magic Show) and Alex de la Rambelje (Where’s My Wand?) will combine their talents to present ‘A Modern Deception’ (pictured left) at The Bull & Bear Tavern – Click here for full details.

Take a look at them in action but make sure you book early to see them live at The Melbourne Magic Festival in July! Group Bookings NOW OPEN – call 0459 487 381!
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MAR 17 – MMF 2011 GROUP BOOKINGS OPEN NEXT WEEK!

The Melbourne Magic Festival is back for 2011 with over 135 performances of 36 shows, competitions, workshops, classes, lectures and events.

The highlight of 2011 will undoubtedly be the FISM Oceania Championships of Magic. Who will win and travel to the UK to represent us at the World Championships in 2012?

Tickets for all events go on sale May 1, but Group Bookings, for ten or more, open next week. Book early and save!

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SEP 8 – MMF FEATURED IN MAGIC MAGAZINE

The Melbourne Magic Festival had a full page feature in the top selling American magazine MAGIC this month.

The article featured pictures of Anthony DeMasi, Joel Howlett, John Fung, Mat Unwin and Lee Cohen.

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JULY 10 – OFFICIAL WRAP

The Melbourne Magic Festival is over for another year and we’re already in full swing planning for 2011. Here are some amazing statistics about this year’s event:

Of the 101 performances 53 were completely SOLD OUT while another 15 were 85-95% capacity.

Approximately 7,500 people attended shows at this year’s Festival (substantially higher than last year with around 4,000).

All we can say is, next year’s MMF will be bigger and better than ever, BOOK EARLY!

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JULY 10 – CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW CHAMPION!

The Australian Magic Championships are over for another year, and big congratulations go out to our new Champion – in both the Close Up AND the Stage Magic categories – Dom Chambers.

Dom performed a signed card to block of ice for Close Up, and an entertaining thumb tie for Stage. The competition standard was very high this year, and we look forward to what exciting new magic our juniors will come up with next year.

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JULY 6 – CATCH THE MMF ON HEY HEY IT’S SATURDAY

Yesterday Russell Gilbert paid a visit to The Melbourne Magic Festival and brought his Hey Hey film crew along with him. What mischief did he get up to? You’ll be able to see tomorrow night on Hey Hey It’s Saturday! Tune in to Channel Nine on Wednesday night and see Russell with Tim Ellis, Sue-Anne Webster, Lee Cohen, Simon Coronel, Anthony DeMasi, Joel Howlett and Nicholas J Johnson.

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JULY 5 – EXTRA TICKETS ADDED FOR ILLUSIONARIUM 2010

Due to overwhelming demand and a week of SOLD OUT shows – 15 extra tickets have just been added to every remaining performance of Illusionarium 2010 starring Ellis & Webster. Don’t miss out, click here to go direct to the online booking form or call the box office on 9481 9500.

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JULY 5 – OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS OF MAGIC – 2011

Coming next year as part of The Melbourne Magic Festival 2011 is the first ever FISM OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS OF MAGIC. Open to all magicians, amateur and professional, in the Oceania region, the competition will seek out the best Close Up Magician and the best Stage Magician and send them to the FISM World Championships of Magic in Blackpool, England, in 2012. This will be an astonishing competition of magic not to be missed. Entries will be accepted from January 1, 2011, and tickets will go on sale in May 2011. DO NOT MISS OUT!!!

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JULY 4 – MMF MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE

Everyone’s been asking about the MMF Windcheaters the staff are wearing this year. Well you can get your own, plus mugs, T-Shirts, even the official MMF Flip Camera, at The Melbourne Magic Festival Merchandise store. Click here to take a look at our range and order online.

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JULY 2 – EXTRA TICKETS RELEASED FOR CLOSE UP GALA!

Due to overwhelming demand we have ADDED 20 TICKETS to the AIM Close Up Magic Gala Show on Tuesday night. The extra tickets go on sale Friday – first com, first served! Here is the direct link to buy yours.

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JULY 2 – WEEKEND SUNRISE LIVE FROM MMF

Weekend Sunrise will be broadcasting LIVE from The Melbourne Magic Festival from 7am on Sunday Morning. Be there to join in all the fun (and maybe get on TV) or stay at home in your warm pjs and watch us live on Seven. Don’t forget, we have a BIG line up of shows on Sunday starting with The Massive Little Magic Show at 11am and ending with Mada vs Vegas at 9pm.

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JULY 1 – TWITTER LIVE FROM MMF

You can keep up with the goings on behind the scenes at The Melbourne Magic Festival by following the tweets from Simon Coronel at Twitter #MMF2010 – sign up now and join in the conversation. You can also keep up with us on Facebook here and don’t forget you can WIN a GOLDEN PASS to see EVERY SHOW at next year’s Festival FREE. Click here for full details!

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JUNE 30 – LUIGI ZUCCHINI SOLD OUT!

Anthony DeMasi, one of the stars of last night’s sold out AIM STAGE GALA SHOW, has also sold out both sessions of his hilarious show Luigi Zucchini: Spaghetti Spaghetti. Fans of Anthony who missed out are advised to book now for his other show Magic Tony Cartoon Hero, or the duo show he’s performing with Sydney magician Joel Howlett I Want To Be A Magician. Anyone having trouble with the online booking system is advised to call the box office directly on (03) 9481 9500. Don’t miss out!!!

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JUNE 26 – BOOK NOW OR MISS OUT

With The Melbourne Magic Festival starting on Monday, ticket sales have been unprecedented with many shows already being SOLD OUT! The AIM Stage Magic Gala sold out last week – if you missed that we can recommend Section 9 on Monday night, or The AIM Close Up Magic Gala Tuesday week. But book now, because they are both over 60% full. Several sessions of Illusionarium 2010 are already sold out, it’s a great family show starring Ellis & Webster and very popular so again we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment. Illusion & Delusion starring Christopher Bisset has also sold out on Friday July 9, but there are tickets remaining for his other sessions so get in fast. To keep up to date with ticket sales, click on the DAILY SCHEDULE button on the top right.

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JUNE 22 – MAGIC CLASSES FOR KIDS

Over 150 kids have already signed up for Magic Classes these school holidays – interest in learning magic has never been so huge! If your kids haven’t done so already, get your tickets now for either Dazzling Dan’s Magic Workshop on Saturday July 3, or The Trick or Treat Magic School Monday to Friday June 28 to July 9. Don’t feel left out if you’re older though, there’s still plenty of opportunities to learn some great magic! Try Simon Coronel’s Adult Close Up Magic Class for Beginners or Learn Sleight of Hand the John Fung way. We even have something for experienced magicians with an advanced Lecture from Shoot Ogawa direct from Hollywood’s Magic Castle!

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JUNE 19 – NEW VIDEO ONLINE

‘Mada vs Vegas: The Dueling Magicians’ has a great new teaser video online. Click here to go check it out. You may have seen Adam Mada on ‘Today Tonight’ on Monday as he spoke about The Masked Magician, and you’ll also get to see him on Channel 9 very soon in the upcoming TV series ‘The Real Hustle’. But nothing beats catching Adam and Richard battling it out live in ‘The Dueling Magicians’ – a show like no other! Book your tickets now – TWO SHOWS ONLY!!!

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JUNE 14 – THE MASKED MAGICIAN AT THE FESTIVAL?

The man everyone loves to hate, The Masked Magician, is rumoured to be planning an appearance at one of the AIM Magic Gala Shows. It seems everyone who’s anyone in magic (and even this guy who’s no-one) will be at The Melbourne Magic Festival. So far his theories as to how magic tricks are done have been way off the mark, so what will he attempt to expose live at the Festival???? Book your tickets now before they’re all sold out! (Just a hint, I heard he’ll be doing stage magic).

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JUNE 9 – LOTS OF MAGIC IN THE MEDIA

Everyone is talking about The Melbourne Magic Festival. In Saturday’s Herald-Sun Corinella is running a coloring competition with 50 family passes to Magic Festival shows up for grabs. On Sunday Nicholas Johnson will appear on Weekend Sunrise at 9am on Channel 7. On Monday, ‘Today Tonight’ are running a story promoting their ‘Masked Magician’ series which will also feature The Melbourne Magic Festival. On Wednesday tune in to 774 ABC FM from 11-12pm and hear Nicholas Johnson talking magic with Jon Faine. Nicholas will also be appearing on JJJ Radio next week, and Ellis & Webster are being plugged everywhere on 89.9 LIGHTFM.

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JUNE 6 – MADISON MAGAZINE

The Melbourne Magic Festival is included in the Calendar listing in this month’s Madison Magazine. The listing features a picture of magician Lee Cohen who will be appearing in several shows during the Festival including: Section 9, The AIM Close Up Gala, The AIM Stage Gala, The Massive Little Magic Show and Kobi’s Magical Menagerie.

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JUNE 2 – MELBOURNE’S CHILD

The June issue of the popular parenting magazine has a feature listing in it’s calendar profiling some of the many family-friendly shows at this year’s Melbourne Magic Festival. Families are expected to flock to this year’s event so we encourage you to book early – each show only seats 80 to 100 people so they are starting to fill up already! If you can book a group of ten or more, not only will you get amazingly discounted tickets, you’ll also get priority seating being ushered into the theatre before the general admission ticket holders.

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MAY 28 – SHOOT OGAWA LECTURE ANNOUNCED

Multi-award winning American magician and special guest of The Melbourne Magic Festival, Shoot Ogawa has agreed to present his exciting new lecture as part of the Festival. From 4-6pm on Sunday July 4, Shoot will explain and teach his devastating close up and stage magic techniques. The lecture is only $20 and spaces are limited so we recommend you book now by clicking here. This event is geared towards those who wish to perform magic themselves. If you’d like to watch Shoot perform, we suggest booking now for his show by clicking here. Shoot will also be giving a private, intensive workshop while he is in Melbourne. To be a part of this call Simon on 0411 3011105 .

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MAY 22 – JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS SELLING FAST

The interest in the Australian Junior Championships of Magic is growing every day. Ticket sales have taken off with the Close Up Championship now 50% full and the Stage Championship 40% full. If you’re interested in seeing Australia’s next generation of magicians competing during the Festival, we recommend you book early! Spaces still remain in the competition so if you, or someone you know, would like to compete, call Lee Cohen now on 0411 644 931.

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MAY 18 – INTERNATIONAL GUEST – SHOOT OGAWA

For the first time in the history of The Melbourne Magic Festival were are joined by an international guest artist – not just any magician, but multi-award winning close up magician Shoot Ogawa. Shoot was awarded ‘Close Up Magician of the Year’ by Hollywood’s legendary Magic Castle in 2002 and has won ‘Parlour Magician of the Year’ in 2008 and 2009! Shoot will be presenting FOUR SHOWS ONLY at the Festival so book now by clicking here and DON’T MISS OUT!

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MAY 15 – INTITIAL SALES GOING WELL!

Tickets have only been on sale for two weeks and already TWO performances of ‘Illusionarium 2010′ have completely SOLD OUT! Other shows selling well include ‘Simon Coronel: Manipulations’ and ‘The AIM Stage Gala Show’ which is already 20% full. ‘The AIM Close Up Gala Show’ is selling quickly too, and judging from last year, these Galas both sell out very quickly so don’t delay and miss out – book in now!

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MAY 13 – NEW VIDEO FOR SLEIGHT OF HAND WORKSHOP

John Fung has a great new video demonstrating some of the astonishing techniques you can learn at his magic workshop ‘Sleight of hand: Learn it the John Fung way’. Take a look at the video here and sign up so you too can master the art of manipulation.

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MAY 7 – NEW POSTER FOR ROCKSTAR MAGIC

John Fung has a new updated poster for his show ROCKSTAR MAGIC. You can view this dynamic poster at the Rockstar Magic page here. Many of the great posters for this year’s magic shows will be on sale at the Festival. Plus, don’t forget you can buy MMF 10 Merchandise here too!

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MAY 6 – NORTHCOTE LEADER FRONT PAGE

Anthony DeMasi was featured on the front page of the May 5 issue of the ‘Northcote Leader’. You can read the full article by clicking here. (And no, the Festival does not run from June 28 to May 10. It’s only two weeks long, not 11 months! I think that was a typo.)

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MAY 6 – MAGIC TONY VIDEOS ADDED

Anthony DeMasi (aka ‘Magic Tony’ from the popular Channel Nine TV show ‘WB Kids’) has added new video clips to his show page ‘Magic Tony: Cartoon Hero’. Take a look at the clips here and enjoy a sample of Tony’s crazy magic. It’s even better live so book your tickets now!

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APRIL 8 – SCAMTASTIC NAME CHANGE

Australia’s Honest Con Man, Nicholas J Johnson has changed the name of his new show from SCAMTASTIC 2 to SCAMAPALOOZA. He’ll be demonstrating many of his astonishing cons and scams (as seen on Channel Nine’s upcoming TV series ‘The Real Hustle’ so book your tickets fast because, no matter what he calls the show, you can be guaranteed that just like last time, his show will sell out fast! .

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MARCH 28 – AIM GALA SHOW LINE-UPS ANNOUNCED

Always a sell out at The Melbourne Magic Festival are the two AIM Gala Shows. The line-ups for The AIM Stage Gala and The AIM Close Up Gala have been announced. They both look like incredible shows – and there’s even more acts yet to be added! Tickets go on sale on May 1 so mark that date in your diary and get ready to book because both shows have only 100 seats available.

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MAR 16 – SAVE $$$ ON GROUP BOOKINGS

Group bookings are now open for most Magic Festival shows so take advantage and book early. Those who book a group of ten or more now will not only get priority seating, but they’ll also save up to 50% off regular ticket prices! That means even if you can only get 6 people together, and buy ten ticket, you’ll still save money and you’ll have four extra tickets to sell or giveaway later! Group booking information is available on each shows webpage.

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FEB 14 – ELLIS & WEBSTER ESCAPE FROM REALITY

Posters are appearing all over Hong Kong for the ‘Wow Magic On Earth II’ show which will feature the debut Ellis & Webster’s new show Escape From Reality on March 20 & 21. You can see it on July 7, 8, 9 and 10 at The Melbourne Magic Festival.

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FEB 13 – MADA vs VEGAS

Adam Mada is interviewed HERE by the Sydney magazine Central and talks about his new show Mada vs Vegas: Duelling Magicians. You can see it on July 4 & 5 at The Melbourne Magic Festival.