New York City

The insider's guide to magic in New York City

New York is full of working magicians, but unlike Las Vegas, almost none of them are on a marquee. The best magic here hides in hotel salons, back rooms, and shops. This is a plain spoken guide to what is actually running, who is actually good, and how to choose between them. We simply live here and pay attention.

John Stessel performing close-up magic at Moxy Chelsea

Independent guide

Where the magic is

Inside John Stessel Live at Moxy Chelsea

Twelve rooms currently running

Magic After Hours at Tannen's Magic Shop
Admit one

Magic After Hours

Tannen's Magic Shop

Noah Levine

An intimate show staged inside the legendary magic shop itself.

Our take: about 20 seats inside a working magic shop is a setting no theater can fake.

John Stessel Live at Moxy Chelsea
Admit one

John Stessel Live

Moxy Chelsea

John Stessel

An exclusive evening of modern close-up magic and mentalism hidden inside Moxy Chelsea, performed inches away in an intimate room.

Our take: the closest you will get to the celebrity table side experience without being famous yourself.

69 Atlantic at Behind the Art of Play shop, Brooklyn Heights
Admit one

69 Atlantic

Behind the Art of Play shop, Brooklyn Heights

Rotating artist in residence

A hidden room behind a shop, with a residency that changes who you see.

Our take: the most serious magic room in the city right now, and the reason to cross the bridge.

Booking for a company event?

Booking a magician for a client dinner, a holiday party, or a sales conference is a different problem from buying a theater ticket. The names most people recognize are often the least available, and the field below them is uneven.

Our corporate guide profiles ten of the most in demand names, listed alphabetically, and says plainly who is realistically bookable.

Read the corporate guide