Welcome to the website of the historic
Harrogate Society of Magicians!
Formed in 1947, The Harrogate Society of Magicians (HSM) has been meeting together for over 75 years and boasts a rich history of community magic shows and performances. We are proud to be a small friendly magic society that punches well above its weight and we are always on the look out for potential new members.
Regular Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of every month, from 7:30pm - 9:30pm, at the Pannal Village Hall
Who are the HSM?
We are a mixture of amateur, semi-pro and professional magicians, based in and around the Harrogate and Ripon area.
Whilst we do have a formal structure and committee (see below) our meetings are very informal and we encourage a relaxed and sociable atmosphere, even when we are rehearsing for our next show!
Want to know more about what we do?
Head over to our Membership FAQ’s page for more information:
What have we done in the past few years?
The Harrogate Society of magicians have been performing on stages large and small, in and around Harrogate, for many years, including the Frazer Theatre in Knaresborough in 2024, as part of the FEVA festival (a sample of which can be seen in this YouTube video) and, most recently, at the Pannal Village Hall. Look out for information about forthcoming performances in 2027!
Our most recent show…
On Saturday 12th September the HSM presented their latest show ‘The Full Box Set 2026’, where four of our members presented four very different acts to a full house, with close up sections being projected on a big screen using an overhead camera.
And the result was…
A fantastic evening and so much positive feedback from everyone that attended, including the one and only Zak Stone, who gave us a glowing review, which can be read in full below And not only that… we managed to raise over £400!
"We were promised an Evening of Magic, Mysteries and Mirth.
And boy! They didn’t disappoint!
A really good attendance and the atmosphere was fantastic even before the show started.
The first act to open the evening was Gary Craswell. A really entertaining and funny start to his set was followed by a book test. He really fooled us because everybody in the room thought they knew how it was done and then the rug was pulled from under us! He closed his act with an amazing piece of card magic; absolutely amazing!
Next to perform was Rob Hutchinson. He opened with an extremely funny routine using of all things a banana! This effect was Pam‘s favourite piece of the evening, and I have to agree it was extremely funny. It was followed by a routine using a spoon, and again a climax that nobody in the room expected as you could actually hear the gasps of amazement.
After a short break, the second half was opened by Jan Van Der Black. He certainly looked the part as he walked out looking quite Victorian with Top hat to Boot. We were then treated to 20 minutes or so of bizarre Magic. With tales of supernatural happenings and a story that had everyone in the room hanging on his every word. For me, this was my favourite part of the evening and I would love to see more of him performing.
To conclude the individual performances next up was Graham Dowling. He presented a series of impossible puzzles, each one more impossible and more magical than the last. I especially liked the puzzle pieces and the frame. It looked so impossible. I have absolutely no idea how he could have done it. He closed his act with a brilliant piece of Card Magic involving a connection between two spectators. The use of a plasma ball in his presentation was a stroke of genius!
To close the whole evening all four performers entered the stage and we were treated to one final piece of competition based magic. One lucky young man walked away extremely happy with the gift that he won!
To sum up, it was such a well thought out and designed show. Even down to such details as having the close-up magic projected onto a big screen, so even the people at the very back could see everything that was going on. A special mention too, to the people who controlled the camera and the background music, which played during the acts.
We are definitely looking forward to the next one. Thank you so much to all who were involved."
Zak Stone
Interested in joining?
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