World Champions of Street Magic

Front row seats with street magic FISM finalists! Left to right: Matthew Keys, Kris Bentz, Felice Ling, Tom Timon, Horbi Kull, Julian de Rosa

We were told to show up early to the Award Ceremony -- and show up we did, excited and goofy as though we were sitting at the pitch waiting our turn to work.

Whatever happened next, the work was done. We had each performed five 20-25 minute shows, spread out over the course of the week, under an official extreme heat warning from the Italian meteorological service.

On top of that, we were all trying to attend the convention itself and possibly maybe even see a little of bit of Turin.

We were having fun, but we were also ready for this to be done.

So... who are the world champions of street magic?

Out of over 100 applicants, 29 were invited to compete in Turin.

25 competitors showed up.

12 of us made it to the finals.

And The World Champions of Street Magic are:

🥇 1st place – Eric Evans (USA)

🥈 2nd place – Jisu Park aka "The Charming Jay" (South Korea)

🥉 3rd place – Matthew Keys (Ireland)

World Champions of Street Magic (left to right): Matthew Keys, Jisu Park ("The Charming Jay"), and Eric Evans

World Champion Eric Evans from USA dealt with some of the harshest conditions during his performance at the finals: 10:30am in the scorching sun with limited Friday morning foot traffic. Despite those headwinds, he pulled together a strong show that showcased the very best of the craft of street magic. The best street performers in the world can deal with any conditions (even if we don't want to), and Eric Evans did a world-class magic show in tough conditions. This student of Jim Cellini and author of street performing book "The Secret Art of Magic: Street Magic and the Art of War" proved his reputation as a street performing legend tenfold and deservedly won the first place prize.

2nd place winner The Charming Jay from Korea also faced tough conditions in the afternoon sun in Piazza Carignano. He did a silent (as in non-verbal) magic show that mixed in clowning, mime, and playfulness with his audiences. One highlight of his show was when he "vanished" a child behind a curtain by luring her with a lollipop. This silent act showcased the variety of magic acts that can exist and thrive on the street. Despite the heat, this act was a lot of fun -- and you could see it on the smiling and laughing faces of his audience members.

3rd place winner Matthew Keys from the UK (officially competing for Ireland) had a tight show with tons of audience interactivity and jokes, with playful visual magic and comedy that he self-describes as perhaps "too British." On top of that, he embodied one of the street performer's most vital skills: dealing with the unpredictable. When Matt rolled over on the ground, pretending to be a dying pigeon, a baby burst into tears. He calmed her with some breadsticks and the audience shared in a moment of authentic connection.

I am super proud and honored to have participated in this new category of FISM, and proud to call my fellow competitors my friends. Unlike the established FISM categories, I will never know officially what my score was -- I had given it my best, I'm proud of my performances, and I'm ecstatic for what this means for the future of street magic.

I'll share some reflections later on the competition itself, but for now, here are some photos of some of the winners, two of the street performing judges (Gazzo & Mattia Flip), and myself celebrating over sushi after the awards ceremony.