Ah yes,the old sage advice of don’t pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side rings true. This particularly gifted magician excels in making your hard earned money vanish into thin air . To be specific my partner & I booked a Sunday session at the museum of magical arts and purchased the tickets online weeks before the scheduled date. Upon arrival to the museum we found the place was locked up & unattended. The magician responded to our phone call & promised to reimburse our costs although there was no genuine reason for us being stood up or any form of apology. Months went by and he did not honour his dues . Take heed of this review and don’t find yourself doomed by unlearned lessons of the past . 1 star is too generous . Avoid this place at all costs .

We went as a family of 4 (2 children, 4 and 7). It was rather underwhelming. We were on time but the place was locked and we had to wait 5 minutes before James came out. James showed us props of various magic tricks and explained the psychology behind magic. That was rather good. However his energy was rather low and we were interrupted several times by phone calls. It would have been more interesting if the tricks were demonstrated first before the tricks were revealed. So if you're going, would be good to watch some of these tricks online first (sawing a person in half, turning girl into tiger etc.). James only performed two tricks for us - a card trick and a ball/cup trick, so if you expect a show, you'll be sorely disappointed like I was. The tour was slightly less than an hour for us. Overall, it felt like perhaps James was distracted that day and didn't give his best. A tour that was full of potential but at the end felt like it had lost its magic.

Great night out! We learned quite a bit about the history of magic from a talented and fun host who is passionate about magic. The host was hilarious and a very chilled out guy. The atmosphere and food was an unexpected bonus and delight. A great and unique way to spend an evening and I'd highly recommend! We also got to hold a lovely dove who was adorable. Check out the dusk tours if you are looking for a fun date night!

DO NOT VISIT. I would leave a 0 if I could. Paid and booked tickets two months ago. I arrived on the day to the museum being closed - no notice at all. I called the owner, he said 'I didn't feel like coming in today'. I mentioned that I booked tickets via Tripadvisor, so he said 'well you have to deal with tripadvisor'. Most unprofessional museum i've ever visited.

I had booked & paid for 7 tickets for a show on 30th December 2020 and due to the Covid restrictions and hotspot announcements in the surrounds of Darlinghurst we choose to cancel the booking. However I was told that as refunds are not the norm in this industry a credit vouchers a credit voucher would be emailed to me. To date several calls and messages later I am still awaiting an email with a credit voucher. It is disappointing that each time I have had to make contact but have not received so much as even an update on the reasons for the delay. It is a pity to have to post this review which is contrary to the high rating enjoyed by the Museum of Magical Arts. It would be appreciated if action is necessary action is taken.

I only discovered this place in Darlinghurst after it closed, and there was no signage to explain what it was. Looks like they went out with a bang! The scene in the foyer was quite fascinating! Five stars for intrigue! Has it moved to Pyrmont? I'd like to check it out!

Arrived there but it was closed

This tour was very disappointing. It was supposed to be geared for kids but this was not the case. There was too much talking that was not at the level pitched for children. The kids became restless and agitated and the guide was rude and condescending when asked if it could be slightly tailored towards the younger part of the group ( which was most being school holidays). Many grandparents brought their grandchildren and this proved difficult for them. The lighting was too dim to see anything properly, there was sadly no rabbit, the more engaging bits were cut short and no model to demonstrate the tricks so it was too much dialogue for young kids to follow. Could have been much nicer if age appropriateness considered and guide a bit more considerate of the needs of the tour group.

It was a fairly disappointing experience for a range of reasons. The general up keep of the venue left a bit to be desired, the dust was pretty bad as was the and smell of animal waste in places. However the most cringe worthy was the host. The level of racist, sexist, ableist, ignorant and uninformed commentary was really disturbing, not to mention the factually inaccurate information given as part of the tour. I understand it was delivered by an entertainer and not someone trained in education or research or academics, but if you're selling the idea of the history of magicians you should really put in some effort to actually get it right. Incredibly disappointing. ***21/09/2019 - Today the owner has privately message me on facebook to threaten me with legal action and send me screen shots of my private page in order to threaten and intimidate me into deleting or changing the review of my experience.

Unique experience in Sydney. We enjoyed the Magician's Tour, good fun, humour and passion for the craft. Will make time to come back and enjoy a dinner show. I am sure anyone that likes magic will enjoy this tour.

It is not open though we went twice at different day different timing. According to google, it is open but apparently not...sad.

Australian Museum of Magical Arts I booked a tour with my two young daughters (8 and 12) on a recent trip to Sydney. I loved it! James (the guide) was fantastic. He has a great personal history with magic and shares his love for this art and the history behind it. What I didn't realize is how much I personally would love it since I haven't been very excited about magic since I was my kids' age. But I loved hearing the secrets behind some of the most iconic acts performed... seeing the props and how they work... touching the props... standing on stage, etc. At the end of our tour, James showed my daughters how to do a great card trick. His stories were fascinating and funny. Here's what could have been a little bit better: - Even though the minimum amount of lighting properly set the mood, it did make some of the tour hard to fully appreciate. And my daughters kept looking at me as if to say "Is this OK or is my anxiety justified?". There's nothing scary about James or the setting... but they're young girls in a new place, with low lighting, and someone they just met. - My daughters had not previously seen a stage show. If I'd known what kind of magic tricks were going to be revealed I would have made sure to show them a YouTube clip or two of stage magic such as a woman getting sawed in half or an assistant transforming into a tiger and then reappearing in the audience. But without that context, their young minds weren't as "blown" as mine was. They still enjoyed it... but if you see the secret before you've seen the trick, you don't have the same WOW moment. - I found the location a bit hard to find, even with Google maps, but maybe that's because I'm new to Sydney. But even with those slight negatives... I give this five starts. If you were ever fascinated by magic (even as a child) or if you would like to see behind the scenes and know how some of the magic is really done then you'll love this tour.

Don't bother trying to find it, it's closed and no one in the area will know what you're talking about xD

You Can easily see James has passion for magic

Very interesting! Well worth the visit

Went to that lovely place yesterday, a nice place, want to have more chance to see more magical tricks and clues in the future. Definitely worth it.

Absolutely magical - Super fun tour and brilliant host! Would defo recommend :D

Absolutely nice place, good food, beautiful show, nice atmosphere.. definitely will go again!

Fantastic show. Really really recommending

Really interesting tour that takes you behind the scenes of a magic show. We learnt so much about the history and secrets of magic!

Great place worth a tour, lots of history and magic.

Unique and fascinating tour

Great tour. Highly recommended! James is a true gentleman. He took us back to our childhood... Wonderful experience.

We very much enjoyed the tour. Our host was very entertaining.

Unique museum.

The tour was great fun and very interesting to see behind the scenes. Hopefully we can get to a show next time we are in town.

Special experience, learned a lot and it was really fun!

Made a midweek visit to this museum searching for an insight into stage magic. I expected a solo adventure, viewing antique cabinets with a “read-placard-info-at-own-pace” type of experience, however; I was met with an immersive hands-on tour of all the classic illusions that come to mind when one thinks of “magic”. The owners name is James and he’s a conversationalist at heart. His positive outlook and pleasant mindfulness housed discussions outside the realm of just the performing arts. He can tell you about the dedicated routines and persistence it takes to be successful in this field that also resonates with all other aspects life. There is also a night show, which will be a "must do" next time I’m in Sydney. Cheers!

Heaps fun and great tour! ☆☆☆☆☆

Excellent! Interactive, funny, interesting, historical, informative, and hands-on! And it’s reasonably priced. The host was charming, witty, and even a little cheeky, but always remained respectful of guests. Highly recommend! Take a group of mates and have an awesome time.

Our visit exceeded all of our expectations. Simone & James are such wonderful hosts and we look forward to going to the cabaret. I intend to take my 6 y/o grandson during the next school holiday, as he is very interested in magic. Who isn't?!

I took my 5 and 8 year old grandchildren to the Museum of Magical Arts they were fascinated and completely engaged in our tour. They took their 'oath' very seriously and were thrilled at learning some secrets and seeing some magic - putting the colours into the picture book, the card tricks, oh yes, and the white rabbit and dove. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience and been practising magic ever since.. Thank you James Karp, magician.

Very entertaining, very funny. Learned a lot about the history of magic and enjoyed a nice relaxed and chill chat with our our host. Bibi the dove was adorable

Ripoff of a museum

Perfect alternative day out with the family

Great museum to be with family such a great environment

wooow so cool, recomended

great

Museum and magic?.... Always a winning couple

It's amazing

Just a great place!

Awesome place...!!!!

James was an excellent guide, his way of storytelling is very engaging. He was very funny and the time flew by, if only we could have watched him when he was performing as Harry Houdidn't.

Great!

Great character and entertainer. Our family really enjoyed learning about the history of magic and behind the scenes trickery. Thank you to James.

This place was magical, haha. Kidding aside it was so fun to visit.

Blew my mind - just awesome. A must see! He is a great person, please ignore any negative comments :)

We followed the directions on our ticket and traveled through the city to arrive at the destination for the venue. No one was available to greet us, so we waited as other families and children arrived for their holiday outing. The time for our tour came and went with no appearance from the tour guides, and unfortunately our only experience was one of frustration and seeing the disappointment of the other kids around us.

Fascinating and Entertaining. Went with my children and their grandmother. Every had a wonderful experience and the tour of magic secrets is suited for all ages. well done

Went to the secrets of magic tour. Amazing experience. The magician James shows you the mindset of being a magician. and how the magic happens. Highlight the sawing woman in half. Very entertaining as well and nice guy. Stayed back an extra to take photos for my child.