Latest news from Magic Hatter HQ...

A brand new character for birthdays, events and shows...

2012-02-20T09:36:00.002-08:00

Thank you to everyone who came to Wizard Week 2012 at The National Railway Museum, it was great to see some familiar faces from our birthday parties, and meet lots of new people too! We hope you had a spellbinding time and got to see some amazing magic (and take home a balloon wizard wand, owl, dragon, sword or broomstick!) from The Magic Hatter aka The Wizard of Wonderland!

This brand new character is now available for wizarding birthday parties, family events, tourist attractions and more! Fully themed wizard magic shows, and/or 'walkaround' close-up magic and balloon modelling is available.

Perfect for fans of a certain boy wizard!

Come and meet The Wizard of Wonderland...

2012-01-05T04:27:00.002-08:00

Over February half-term (Feb 11-19th) The Magic Hatter will be appearing between 11am and 3pm as The Wizard of Wonderland during Wizard Week 2012 at The National Railway Museum. He’ll be dazzling the crowds with amazing wizard magic using wands, potions and mystical artefacts, as well as twisting balloons into enchanting designs...you’ll be spellbound!

Full details about the event below...

WIZARD WEEK 2012 AT THE NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM
Wannabe witches and wizards are encouraged to prep their broomsticks for the National Railway Museum’s February half term event this year which will welcome the return of the popular family event, Wizard Week.

An enchanting spell will be cast over the Museum from 11 - 19 February 2012 with witches and wizards flying in from miles around to enjoy the nine day Wizard Week celebrations. The main attraction of the event is set to be the steam star from the Harry Potter movies, Olton Hall, providing visitors with a rare opportunity to get up close to this rail celebrity.

For the very first time, event attendees will be in with a chance of winning a magical prize by donning wicked costumes and entering the ‘Best Dressed Wizard’ competition. Wannabe wizards and witches will be encouraged to get snap-happy at the event and upload pictures of themselves in magical costumes onto the Museum’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/nationalrailwaymuseum. The photos will be judged by a panel of National Railway Museum staff, plus a special guest judge from the world of magic, with the winner scooping a wizard-themed experience package, including a magic lesson with a real life wizard, The Magic Hatter, and an Owl Experience at Falconry UK Limited.

Rose Lindsay Smith, Public Programmes Coordinator at the National Railway Museum, said:

“Last year’s event was very popular attracting over 50,000 visitors to the nine day event. This year we’re conjuring up an even more magical event with broomstick flying through the trickery of green screen technology, owl displays, craft activities, and daily wizard performances. We’re looking forward to seeing our visitors get in the magical spirit by transforming themselves into witches and wizards and we’re sure the event will be a huge hit with magic folk of all ages”.

New to the February half term event is the chance for visitors to jump on a broomstick and see themselves flying through the magic of green screen technology. A cauldron load of other hocus-pocus is also being planned including daily wizard duels, beautiful owl displays, magic tricks and balloon modelling from The Magic Hatter, and a chance to meet Derek the talking dragon. Visitors can also take part in craft activities to reveal their inner wizard by making a wizard ID badge. The action-packed science shows will also be given a magical twist with the Museum’s resident witches and wizards demonstrating the ‘science of magic’.

Admission to the National Railway Museum is free. Wizard duels, owl displays and science shows are all free with a small charge for craft activities and broomstick flying. Further information about the event can be found at www.nrm.org.uk/wizardweek .

Christmas magic show tickets now on sale!

2011-07-26T10:47:00.001-07:00

Here at Magic Hatter HQ we're busily working on some magical routines for our festive family Christmas magic show...The Magic Hatter's Christmas Cracker!

If you're thinking of booking us for your child's party, this is the perfect opportunity to see The Magic Hatter in action, in a brand new seasonal show for 2011! Or if you son or daughter has seen us before, why not treat the family to some festive magic this December.

Performances are December 19th, 21st and 22nd at Upstage Centre Youth Theatre, 41 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB. Tickets can be booked online with a debit or credit card - or from a Paypal balance, via online banking and by cheque.

For full details, visit our Christmas page by clicking here

Ho-ho-hope to see you there!

Prepare to be a-mazed...

2011-07-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand, The Magic Hatter and Hattie will be returning to York Maze this summer on these selected dates - August 1st, 2nd, 6th, 9th, 13th, 20th, 23rd and 30th

Be a-mazed by close-up magic, pose for a photo and even take home a work of art twisted out of latex...just look for the big green top hat! And this year's corn maze design is equally magical - celebrating the final Harry Potter film with the world's largest 'spot the difference' featuring TWO giant Harry Potters!

And don't forget, we're still offering 10% off our Wizard parties in celebration of 'the boy who lived!' See the previous blog post for more information.

Hope to see you at the Maze, don't get lost!

A spellbinding special offer...

2011-07-11T00:42:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the release of the final Harry Potter film, we are offering a 10% discount on our Wizard themed birthday parties! This offer is available on our Jack Package (1 hour), Queen Package (1 hour 15 mins) or King Package (1 hour 30 mins) and the longer the party, the more you'll save!

Currently one of our most popular themes, with action-packed wizard games, a spellbinding magic show and a balloon model for every child - so if your child is a wizard wannabe just get in touch to check our availability...weekends are filling up especially fast! For a full description of our Wizard theme, please visit our Party Themes page.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Offer available when choosing the Wizard theme only, with a maximum of 30 party guests including the birthday child (more may be accommodated at an additional cost per head to cover extra prizes, balloon models and planning)
The party must be booked, and the deposit received, between Monday 11th July and Thursday 11th August
The party must take place before 31st December 2011 (all dates are subject to availability)
The 10% discount is available with The Jack Package, Queen Package or King Package only and does not apply to any optional extras (such as cupcakes or party bags)
If the party does not take place in York or Harrogate, an additional non-discountable travel fee may be incurred

Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river...

2011-06-01T04:31:00.000-07:00

We're pleased to announce that we'll be launching this year's Festival of The Rivers in York on Saturday 9th July with The Magic Hatter's Tea Party...

The Magic Hatter’s Tea Party

11am-4pm, Tower Gardens

Don’t be late, for this very important date! And who better to host a wondrous Tea Party than The Magic Hatter himself?! Come and meet the marvellous magician from Wonderland, and his assistant Hattie. Appearing between 11am and 4.00pm, you can see mesmerising close-up magic, pose for a photo and even take home a brilliant balloon model...you’ll be grinning like a Cheshire Cat! So come and say hello, just look for the big green hat!

To download the full Festival of Rivers Programme visit this page

Hope to see you there!

How it all began...

2011-05-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

I started doing magic aged 6, when my parents bought me a Paul Daniels Magic Set and Ali Bongo’s Book of Magic for Christmas. Little did they know that these two seemingly innocent gifts would be the beginning of a lifelong interest in all things magical...

Of course, some of the tricks were a little too advanced for my six-year-old hands but I was instantly taken by the idea of magic, of being able to do the impossible. I wanted to make things vanish or appear at my fingertips, to read minds or float objects in mid-air. Growing up in the 80’s and early 90’s, Paul Daniels was still a familiar face on television and I remember being blown away by David Copperfield’s TV specials. My parents would record these specials and I’d watched them over and over again until the tape (yes, VHS!) wore out, partly trying to work out the secrets but mainly just to watch the incredible magic performances. Walking through walls, getting sawn in half by a buzz-saw or escaping from a chained crate thrown into the Niagra Falls...he did it all, without ever messing up his man-perm. Now that's magic!

Magicians say that the second time you get into magic, you're hooked for life – and I’d agree. Later in my teens, with the internet making buying magic books and tricks much easier, I became interested in magic again, and in a much bigger way. I now had the commitment and patience to really work at magic, it wasn’t just a phase but now a possible career option. As a college student, I started making a bit of extra money doing children’s parties and local festivals. A few years later I went off to London to train in Drama and children’s theatre, but still found time to work for an agency doing events across the city. A particular highlight was playing a wizard for Books Etc, for the launch of one of the Harry Potter books.

Fast forward a few years and now magic is what I do for a living. Whether performing at birthday parties, tourist attractions or weddings, consulting on illusions for stage productions or teaching the next generation of young magicians at The Grand Opera House – I love every minute of it!

I still look back very fondly at Ali Bongo’s Book of Magic in particular, it was my first magic book and incredibly inspiring to a young magician. One of the make-it-yourself tricks in it is now being sold by an online magic shop for £82.50! Sadly no longer with us, as well as a great magician himself Ali Bongo was also an illusion consultant for Paul Daniels and said to be the inspiration for the character of Jonathan Creek. I had the pleasure of interviewing him at The Magic Circle for a project I was working on, and he couldn't have been more helpful - sharing his own ideas and vast knowledge of magical concepts. He was well respected by many magicians, and in fact became president of The Magic Circle for a number of years.

Ali Bongo (1929-2009)

I regretted letting his book go to a car boot sale, but my wife recently found me a copy on eBay. It brought back many happy memories of performing magic shows in my back garden in a cardboard top hat and my Dad’s ill-fitting suit. I’d design my own posters with felt-tipped pens and charge friends and family 10p to come and watch...a young entrepreneur!

I still often flick through the book, and I recommend it to the children I teach - it's full of good advice, fascinating artwork and great routines. Magic has changed a lot over the years, with the likes of David Blaine and Derren Brown, but the principles have basically stayed the same. Now magic tricks are often sold individually on DVDs or in kits, but old books are jammed full of tips, tricks and ideas. It's exciting to be able to teach the next generation of magicians at The Magic Hatter's School of Wizardry and to regularly perform for audiences who, often, still believe in magic and the 'impossible'!

A right royal wedding...

2011-04-05T00:25:00.000-07:00

(Royal fanfare) One is pleased to announce that The Magic Hatter and his assistant Hattie have been hired to provide entertainment for the Royal Wedding!

...okay, not at the actual wedding at Westminster Abbey - apparently my green doc martens and teapot cuff-links don't fit with the dress code - but it'll still be a busy few days for us. On the Thursday that week, we'll be doing three magic shows at Tang Hall Primary School in York, as the pupils celebrate the upcoming event.

And on the day of the wedding we're providing magical entertainment and balloon modelling for a street party in Harrogate. Who knows, we might even twist Kate a beautiful bouquet of balloon flowers (although getting them to her in one piece might be a problem, especially if her grandmother-in-law-to-be's corgis get near them!)

In true magician-style I have some new tricks 'up my sleeve' to fit the theme, including linking love hearts and a mixed-up Union Jack flag routine! Getting all patriotic just thinking about it...

Booking open for The Magic Hatter's School of Wizardry - Term 2

2011-03-07T01:51:00.000-08:00

Click to englarge

School of Wizardry set to return!

2011-02-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

The Magic Hatter's School of Wizardry is returning to The Grand Opera House in York for a second term of magical teaching. With ten weekly classes starting Wednesday 27th April, next term's theme is stage magic, comedy magic and illusions - just the thing for budding young wizards aged 7 to 10! Full information can be found on the Opera House website at the link below...

http://www.grandoperahouseyork.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=2009&VenueID=94

Christmas in February?

2011-02-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

The trees and decorations have come down, and Santa's hung his hat up for another year. But although Christmas 2010 has passed us by, I can't help working on some brand new festive routines and ideas for Christmas 2011! We had a lot of fun through November and December with The Magic Hatter's Christmas Cracker, and some of the places we performed the show included The Grand Opera House, Tang Hall Primary School, Doncaster Children's Hospital, Scunthorpe General Hospital, Straylands Day Nursery and Poppleton Road Playgroup

For 2011, the show is expanding...it's going to be bigger and better! So, even though it's only February we're now accepting bookings in advance for our Christmas shows - in fact we've just had an enquiry for Christmas Day (that's forward planning!)

Feedback from 2010

“...the children all had a fantastic time, they were truly spellbound throughout. The tricks were all performed beautifully, with plenty of help from the audience, and the Magic Hatter himself had a lovely rapport with the kids and even kept the adults entertained with his jokes! It was a great way to get us all in the festive spirit! Merry Christmas!” Kate Smithson, Marketing Manager, Grand Opera House York

“We would like to express our appreciation and thank you for coming to our Christmas party, you made little Emily's day - it was the first time she has laughed and giggled all week and her dad was truly grateful.” Jill Edwards, Play and Activity Leader, Doncaster Children’s Hospital

“Just want to say thank you so much for the Christmas entertainment, the parents and kids loved it!” Michelle Murray, Tang Hall Primary School, York

“Thank-You for entertaining our children and the staff aswell. We all absolutely enjoyed your show, we have never seen the children laugh as much as they did during your show, it was very mesmerising for them, even some of the magic baffled me and my staff. I could go on and on writing an essay about how good we think you are at your job but I won’t bore you, so once again a MASSIVE thank-you from Poppleton Road Playgroup children and staff.” Diane Whitworth, Playgroup Supervisor, Poppleton Road Playgroup, York

In the news...

2011-01-07T03:49:00.000-08:00

Some recent features in the local press about The Magic Hatter's School of Wizardry, and the illusion in Cinderella at The Grand Opera House...

York Press, Friday 7th January - http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/theatre/8777674.The_Magic_Hatter___s_School_of_Wizardry_at_the_Grand_Opera_House__York/

The Northern Echo, Tuesday 4th January - http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/columnists/latest/8768529.Wands_on_magic/

York Press, Saturday 18th December - http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8746633.School_of_Magic_comes_to_York_s_Grand_Opera_House/

Calling all budding young wizards...

2010-12-19T02:39:00.000-08:00

THE MAGIC HATTER'S SCHOOL OF WIZARDRY!

A spellbinding new Magic School is coming to The Grand Opera House York in January 2011! Working with professional writer, director and magician The Magic Hatter (aka Dan Wood) this brand new School of Wizardry will teach children amazing tricks to dazzle friends and family! The school will culminate in a magic performance, and each young sorcerer will also receive their own mini magic set to practice with during lessons and at home, as well as graduating with a special certificate.

The first 10-week term starts on Wednesday 26th January 2011 at 4pm, and costs £90 per child (the price includes the magic set that they get to keep) Lessons are suitable for complete beginners, and aimed at children aged 7 to 10. Please note, the school is strictly limited to 15 children per term, and places are allocated on a first come first served basis.

To find out more, just visit the Box Office, call 01904 678 701 or email LizzieRichards@theambassadors.com

You shall go to the ball...

2010-11-28T03:41:00.000-08:00

As well as providing magical Christmas Parties through December and a magic school in January, The Magic Hatter will be working as Illusion Consultant for The Grand Opera House in York - providing and teaching an illusion for this year's family pantomime, Cinderella (starring Syd Little, Lisa Riley, Stuart Wade and Jen Pringle!)

Hot off the press...

2010-11-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

The Magic Hatter's Christmas Parties are featured in York Press today, in an interview about who we are and what we do! Missed it? Don't worry, the article can also be read online by clicking on the link below...

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/theatre/8684627.Magic_Hatter_Christmas_Parties__Grand_Opera_House__York/

It's the most wonderful time of the year...!

2010-11-09T05:14:00.000-08:00

As well as our open shows at The Grand Opera House you can also book a Christmas Magic Show for your school, nursery, children's centre, hospital, library, cub or brownie group or any festive event! Seasonal close-up magic and festive balloon modelling is also available, perfect for keeping queues of parents and children entertained whilst waiting to meet Santa in his grotto, or for mingling amongst guests at a Christmas Fair!

December dates are filling up fast but we still have some availability on certain days, just email info@magichatterbirthdays.co.uk for details.

The Magic Hatter's Christmas Parties at The Grand Opera House!

2010-11-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

THE MAGIC HATTER'S CHRISTMAS PARTIES!

Do you have children aged 5-9 years old? Why not let them come and enjoy some festive fun at the Grand Opera House, as you catch up on your Christmas shopping in peace!

A brand new Christmas Magic Show performed by The Magic Hatter with great games (with prizes), lots of laughs and plenty of participation. With the wave of a wand, presents appear in an empty stocking, water instantly freezes into snow, decorations pour out of a top hat and much more...plus every child will receive a FREE seasonal balloon model to take home. The perfect pre-Christmas treat, bursting with more magic than Santa’s sleigh!

Parties will take place at the Grand Opera House York, 5.30-6.30pm on Thursdays (late-night shopping nights!) from November 18th to December 16th. Please note: Parties are limited to 20 people per date, so early booking is strongly recommended. Tickets cost just £7.50 per person. To book a place please call one of the busy little elves at the theatre on 01904 678 700, visit the Box Office or email LizzieRichards@theambassadors.com

Magic Hatter Blog

2010-11-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

We've just set up a new blog so you can keep up-to-date with the latest news and events from Magic Hatter Birthdays! We'll be publishing details of some exciting projects soon including The Magic Hatter's School of Wizardry at The Grand Opera House in York...watch this space!