There are some places in Los Angeles that feel like they belong to another time.

The Magic Castle is one of them.

Tucked away in the Hollywood Hills, the Castle has been a home for magicians, magic enthusiasts, and curious guests since 1963. It isn't your typical restaurant, nightclub, or theater. It's a private clubhouse filled with secret rooms, close-up magic, stage shows, bizarre artifacts, hidden passages, and other unique attractions.

For years, getting inside meant knowing a member. And while that hasn't completely changed, 2026 has brought a significant change to the way the Magic Castle operates.

Randy and Kristy Pitchford, who purchased the Magic Castle property in 2022, have now taken over the Castle's commercial operations through Magic Castle Enterprises. The change officially took effect January 1, 2026, following a vote by the Academy of Magical Arts membership. The Academy remains the nonprofit organization representing its members and continues to call the Castle home.

One of the changes that caught my attention was the opportunity for members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) to visit on designated days. Once I discovered that, I didn't waste much time.I quickly became a card-carrying IBM member and then took my wife to the Magic Castle for brunch. For our visit, we specifically needed to make brunch reservations for Saturday because Saturday is the only day IBM members can attend brunch. IBM members can also visit evening Monday - Thursday.

The Magic Castle isn't a typical tourist attraction, and there are some rules you need to know before you show up. The Castle remains a private club. Admission is for members and their invited guests, and you'll need valid photo identification. Reservations are also an important part of the experience. The most important thing to know is the Castle takes it’s dress code seriously. The daytime brunch dress code is more relaxed than the evening dress code, but it is still dressy. Men should expect to wear appropriate dress clothing, and the Castle specifically restricts things such as T-shirts, athletic wear, hoodies, sneakers, flip-flops, and clothing with prominent logos or slogans. Evening visits are considerably more formal. 

We made our reservation for 11:00 a.m., but we were told to arrive by 10:00. We paid $25 for valet and got in the small queue already outside the Castle. Once inside, I was surprised to discover IBM members do not pay a door charge for themselves and 1 guest. I was informed I could bring more guests but they would incur the $50 door charge. After checking in, guests have to say ‘open sesame’ to a small owl statue to open the secret door disguised as a book shelf.

There are several performance spaces throughout the Castle, and the schedule changes. You might find a close-up magician performing inches away from you in one room, walk upstairs and see a stage show, then wander into another room where somebody is performing parlour magic.

The brunch close-up shows are performed by the Magic Castle Juniors.This was particularly cool for me because, many years ago, yours truly was once a Magic Castle Junior. So I have a bit of a soft spot for this particular part of the Castle.

The Castles’ premiere close-up performances takes place in the Close-Up Gallery.The Gallery seats only about 24 people, and it's arranged in stadium-style seating. That means there really isn't a bad seat in the house. The downside? Everybody knows that so people start lining up early. We were a little farther back in the line, and by the time we got to the front, we were redirected to the basement close-up room. The room was filled with old magic trinkets and artifacts, giving you plenty to look at while you're waiting for the show to begin. In fact, it almost feels less like a theater and more like a little magic museum.

The show was excellent. The standout routine for me came right at the beginning. The young magician took four Chinese coins and, one at a time, transformed them into half dollars. And what impressed me wasn't just that the trick worked. It was the confidence and craftsmanship behind it. This kid was a craftsman. There is something particularly enjoyable about watching a young magician who has clearly put in the work. The routines are technically demanding, but the best performers make the difficult stuff look effortless.

After the first show, we still had some time before our brunch reservation so we wandered over to the Library Bar where another performance was scheduled. The room also had a museum-like quality to it as well, with glass displays containing old magic props and showcasing magicians old and new. The performer was a tall young man and we arrived he already had the rowdy crowd eating out of the palm of his hands with a flurry of card tricks. The standout being his closer, when  the deck of cards transformed into a solid block of glass.

And after spending the morning wandering around the Castle and watching magic, sitting down with a couple of mimosas sounded like an excellent idea.For my meal, I ordered the hamburger.I am somewhat of a burger connoisseur, and I like my burgers a little more rare than most restaurants are willing to serve them. I asked if they could accommodate me.They were happy to oblige and the burger was good. My wife ordered Eggs Benedict and she found it serviceable, though she did note her Expresso Martini was strong. I was informed by the waiter that I would have to order another food item to reach the $50 minimum per person. I simply ordered a side Cesar salad to meet this requirement and was surprised to find out that alcohol did not go to it.

After brunch, we headed over to the Parlour of Prestigitation for another show. This was a larger theater with stadium seating that sat roughly 50 guests.

This time, we got to see Chris Capehart, a name I recognized for his published material on the “Miser’s Dream” magic routine. This ended up being the highlight of our visit. Chris has been perormaing magic for so long he was completely at ease and the laughs came quick. We were “warned” beforehand that this show would be more geared towards kids. While its true that Chris only picked children for his volunteers, I found the  warning unnecessary. The highlight for me was his signature “Miser’s Dream” routine in which he appears to pluck an obscene amount of coins out of thin air. This show had me laughing in tears. Describing any further would just be a disservice, just know Magic Castle is still the best place to see world class magic.

No trip to the Magic Castle would be complete without a visit with Erma, the Castle's resident ghost pianist. Erma sits at the piano and takes requests, and watching her play is one of those wonderfully strange Magic Castle experiences that feels like it could only happen there.

During our visit, I requested and she played both The Simpsons theme and Star Wars. Then a kid in the audience requested "Thriller." There's something particularly charming about watching a room full of people gather around a ghostly piano player while she casually works her way through everything from television themes to movie scores to Michael Jackson, just don’t forget to tip!

The Verdict

I went into this visit curious about what the new era of the Magic Castle would feel like and I came out feeling pretty good about it.

The opportunity for IBM members to experience the Castle on designated days gave me the excuse I needed to become a card-carrying member and I’m glad I did.

We got to see young magicians performing close-up magic, explore rooms filled with pieces of magic history, see Chris Capehart in the Parlour, and listen to a ghost pianist play everything from Phantom of the Opera to Thriller.

That's a pretty good Saturday.

The Magic Castle may be entering a new chapter, but from my perspective, the most important thing hasn't changed.