Some of the best magic anywhere is featured at magic conventions. Why? Magicians pull out all the stops to do the best to fool and entertain their fellow performers. The Pacific Coast Association of Magicians (PCAM) holds their annual convention in a different city each year. I attended my first PCAM convention in 1997 and have been at nearly every one since, traveling from Page, Arizona to Calgary, Alberta, and many places in-between.
Pacific Coast Association of Magicians convention in Chilliwack, British Columbia
What do magicians do at a magic convention? We magish! There’s contests, shows, lectures, workshops, late-night-to-early-morning jam sessions, dealers selling the latest and greatest gimmicks, and of course hanging out with friends.
The neat thing about being a magician is that you learn lots of secrets. The bad thing about being a magician is that you learn lots of secrets. This means it’s pretty rare for me to be fooled. But at magic conventions, I’m frequently fooled. And I love it!
Being part of these conventions is always inspiring. Some performers dedicate years – even most of their lives – to learning a particular style of performing, a routine, or even a single sleight. It is awesome seeing them sharing what they are so passionate about and have mastered. As I write this, I’m anxious to get to work putting some of the ideas to work that I learned from the lectures and workshops.
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- Four of Canada’s busiest full-time pros hanging out
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- Chilliwack, B. C. is a picturesque city ringed by mountains
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- Kidshow entertainer The Great Zucchini from Washington D. C.
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- Florida’s Chad Long is a master of close-up magic
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- Mike Norden and Gord Boyes
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- Eric Bedard wows guests in the lobby of the Coast Hotel
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- International Brotherhood of Magicians President Shawn Farquhar with Jeff Evans
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- Next year’s PCAM president, Raul Fernandez, will host the convention in the Los Angeles area
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- PCAM President Gord Boyes kicks off the Gala Show
A special highlight for me this year was receiving my Order of Merlin certificate for twenty five years of magic as part of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Next year: PCAM heads south to the Los Angeles area August 4-7, 2016!
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