The annual South Tyneside International Magic Festival, which is now in its sixth year, will run from Monday March 9 to Sunday March 15, taking in venues across the borough. South Tyneside Council, The Customs House and Martin Duffy, past President of the Newcastle Magic Circle, have conjured up a line-up of top class magicians for this year’s week-long event, sponsored by Magicbox.

The 2009 festival will climax with an in-depth three day Magic Convention, running at the Customs House from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 March and featuring a mix of lectures and close-up sessions.

We talk with Martin Duffy, the talent booker for the event, about who’s appearing, how the convention started, and why he thinks the convention is different to others.

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You can follow all the South Tyneside International Magic Festival news here on our site, and as well as our own listing, full details on the entire festival can be found on the official site here with the convention specific and booking form here. We will have a Guide and Room Booking section up soon.