Victory for Edinburgh Magic Circle...

Inspired by Highland 2007, The Year of Highland Culture, the inaugural Loch Ness Magic Challenge honoured the contribution made by the Magic Arts to Scotland's cultural heritage by inviting members of some of Scotland's oldest Magical Societies to compete for the Challenge Trophy and cash prizes.

On Saturday 4th August 2007, magicians from all over Scotland converged on Fort Augustus at the southern tip of Loch Ness to compete for the Challenge Trophy and prize money totalling £3000.

Nineteen magicians from 5 societies took part in the first ever Loch Ness Magic Challenge, performing nonstop for nearly 4 hours around Fort Augustus. Aberdeen magical Society, Edinburgh Magic Circle, Glasgow Magic Circle, Perth Magic Circle and the Scottish Conjurers Association all sent teams.

The winners were decided by public vote, and all the teams were well supported, with over 1800 votes being cast. Despite a very windy outdoor environment a huge amount of excellent and entertaining magic made the day an outstanding success.

The result was victory for Edinburgh Magic Circle, who took first place and the Challenge Trophy, along with £1500 in prize money. Second and third, after a recount, were Perth Magic Circle and Glasgow Magic Circle, earning prize money of £1000 and £500 respectively.

The competition began with contestants gathering at The Lovat Arms Hotel for a look at the trophy and to draw lots for the starting positions. Each team drew a number associated with one of the 5 "pitches" and made their way to the relevant location to begin the first performances at 1 pm. Every 40 minutes, the teams would then move on to the next location until the circuit of the village was complete.

A huge range of audience-pulling and vote-gaining tactics were displayed and the whole event was a lesson in how to win and entertain an audience. Special mentions in the audience-pulling area should go to Paul McAtear of the Scottish Conjurers whose voice could be heard everywhere drumming up business, Norn Bichan of Aberdeen Magical Society whose balloons were to be found, it seemed, on the head of every man, woman and child in the village, and Congo (Max Marshall) of Edinburgh Magic Circle who at one point was directing the traffic on the main road to Inverness!

The weather was quite kind, but the strong wind did give the performers a good deal of trouble. In particular the Scottish Conjurers had to invent an anti-blowaway device for their cup and ball routine and for the Spike presentation, while Glasgow Magic Circle had their table blown over mid-performance.

The commitment of all the performers was evident in the tremendously hard work they put in, and they all delivered a very high standard of magical entertainment to the delight of hundreds of spectators. All are to be congratulated and commended for making the day one to remember and savour.

A review of NessFest as a whole by Highland Arts said:

"…a scene straight out of Harry Potter and as far as you can possibly imagine from the way most of us experience magic...the innovative, very colourful Magic Challenge. To see magic performed right under your eyes… takes the breath away..."

The full text of that review can be found HERE

For more information on the Loch Ness Magic Challenge, contact Jan Culshaw at Loch Ness Magic.

For more information about NessFest and Feis Gleann Albainn, click on the relevant logo.