Editor’s note on his own post: David Garza is not a pedophile, which is a fact that his court records back up. The previous post looks much different now than when you may have read it a couple days ago upon first publication and we would appreciate it if you reread it. (It’s pretty short now.) He was libeled by the local news as a sensationalization tactic. We are extremely sorry to him, especially because the offenses he is actually guilty of are things he has never done again in the past 25 years, and they are mistakes terrible choices that he has done his best to learn from and seek therapy for over those 25 years, most of which were spent imprisoned. (Garza himself requested that we change the word “mistakes” to “terrible choices”.) He has been slandered as a pedophile based on that FOX 8 article for years, and we are very remorseful for our role in propagating this false narrative. Jerry will receive five and twenty lashes for this. But in all seriousness, we will be dealing with this further. This is not the final word on the subject by any means. Stay tuned.

So Magifest 2026 has come and gone! Unless you’re doing the Sunday workshops, in which case you’re probably still jamming as this post goes live and I hope that you are enjoying yourself. Otherwise if you didn’t get a workshop pass, you’re likely flying out today, or already flew out this morning.

I’m joking, of course. Even though I’m writing these words Saturday night I know the truth of the matter. Just about nobody’s leaving Columbus Sunday. That shit ain’t happening. There’s gonna be a lot of glum magicians with no workshop passes and postponed flights stuck jamming in the Renaissance, in reality. Winter is going to make sure of that. Winter is coming.

Anyway; this is a communal post with contributions from each member of the Oval that attended Magifest, in no particular order. Some answers may seem like repeats or even contradictory with one another, but only if you mistakenly read it as if they are all words from the same person. Four of us attended, including someone you have not even ever seen mentioned here yet because they play a much more background role in helping to run the blog.

What Made This Magifest Special?

There was a higher ratio of women to men than ever before. Perhaps Mystify’s influence had something to do with this?

The focus of the lectures tended to be broader and more widely applicable than last year’s lectures. Rather than focusing on how to do a certain trick, the lecturers were typically more likely to talk about more abstract, philosophical, or theoretical principles. Theories were prioritized over methodologies, which was quite excellent and I hope it sticks for the next year. Felice Ling and Taylor Hughes were great examples of this.

Richard Kaufman attended this time! Even though he spent most of the time on his phone.

The winter storm that’s causing everyone to stay in! For the first time in my experience, everyone is forced whether they like it or not to stick around Sunday and jam! I mean, what else are you gonna do?

BILL. MA. LONE. BILL. MA. LONE.

What Was The Same As Last Year?

Cash was once again king at the dealer’s room.

People were walking into doors.

The best show was, as usual, done by a non-magician. The ventriloquist at the gala (Celia Muñoz) and the juggler the night before (Marcus Monroe) are the contenders this year, to be specific. Last year it was undoubtedly Leah Orleans, the dizzyingly talented clown who founded the Mystify Magic Festival.

Favorites?

Eric Mead’s shotglass production was my favorite effect because of how practical and easy it is.

My favorite show that was actually magic and not ventriloquism or juggling was Abracadabra Bitch! by Reuben Moreland.

My favorite commercial effect was Henry Harrius’ Do As I Do routine with Rubik’s Cubes that used an Ultimate RD Shell.

Felice Ling’s Portrait of a Friend was my favorite effect because of how beautiful it is and the very clever backstory behind its development.

My favorite product from the dealer’s room has to be Aurora, the remote-controlled haunted deck by Matteo Pittenger. At long last, there’s a product that both allows you to do Andy of The Jerx’s haunted deck presentation and is currently still being sold new. The jerky cut shown in the demo and trailer is not the only option. There is the ability to do a much slower and deliberate cut, and without a card jumping off solo either. The only reason you usually see the jerky cut is because it is faster to reset.

My favorite show was The Duo. The magic wasn’t anything revolutionary but I thought their dynamic was fun. There are so many magic duos out there that it was kind of cool to see a magic trio (even if it’s presented as a duo act) and the talk they gave the next day about their creative process made me appreciate the show more.

My favorite lecture was Danny Garcia’s. I’ve always liked his thinking and many of his effects are classics so it was cool seeing his interpretations of different effects, including variations on his own releases. Plus, he’s really funny.

My favorite product from the dealer’s room is probably the Morgan thin coin set because of the versatility of the gimmick and the craftsmanship that went into it. It was pretty much completely seamless and silent, and both sides could be shown. Plus Mark Mason could sell water to a fish, so it’s always entertaining to watch him demo products.

In Conclusion

Magifest 2026 was pretty swell.

That’s all. I didn’t even get to go so I don’t have much to say myself personally. But according to everyone else it was pretty swell.

Alright, peace.