About the Society

Founded in 1948 as “The London Magic Guild”, the South London Magic Society is known as one of the friendliest magic societies in the country.

Our members come from all walks of life, and all levels of magical interest. You don’t need to be an accomplished performer to join and we welcome beginners. Our membership fee is just £30 a year and that gets you free entry to all our meetings and every issue of our full colour monthly newsletter.

We organise regular sessions for our members to demonstrate magic they are working on, learn new effects and methods, and exchange tips. We have also had very successful auctions of unwanted materials and props.

We have two annual competitions, with three trophies between them.

Close-up Competition

Our Close-Up competition has been running for quite some time now, and has two prizes, for best act and for best newcomer. It is possible to win both, and it has happened some years. And it happened this year, too!

This year’s winner was Liam Ball, who also won the newcomer’s cup.
Best trick was Alex Kirk.

Congratulations to both of them and thanks to all who entered and entertained us royally this evening.

Competition rules

  1. Routine must be between 8 and 12 Minutes. There is a traffic light system with Green at 8 minutes, Orange at 10 & Red at 12 (also accompanied by a small bell). There will also be a iPad with a timer at the front for competitors to keep an eye on.
  2. Three Judges – two lay judges & a magical judge
  3. Each judge will be awarding 100 marks for three categories
    • Presentation
    • Magical Content
    • Entertainment
  4. Winner must use a new routine in future competitions

Magicians who are entering this particular competition for the first time may be awarded the Newcomers Cup.

Stage Competition

Our Stage Magician of the Year competition was started in 2013 and the winners of the 2018 event were ….

1st place – Liam Ball
2nd place and best newcomer – James Buchanan Cowan
3rd place – Chris Benkin

The best way to find out more is to come to one of our meetings.
We meet on the first Tuesday of the month, every month, near Clock House station in Beckenham.
Check the Contact page for a map and directions
Keep an eye on our What’s On page for details of what’s happening.

Want to know more?

For more info about membership, or questions about lectures or other meetings, please click on the button.
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