Bill Blagg’s Family Magic show is coming to the Jones Center in Springdale on Saturday, Oct. 26 as a part of the 2024-25 FamJam season.

The signature series allows kids and their parents to “learn, play and move together,” according to a press release. Each one includes a performance at 2 p.m. or 6 p.m., indoor ice skating, swimming and a themed craft activity after the show.

Tickets are $10, or $8 for Jones Center members and include access to the full day of events. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette caught up with the renowned magician by phone to learn more about him and what he plans to bring to our neck of the woods.

How did you first fall in love with magic?

When I was 7, I got a magic set from my grandparents and learned how to make a quarter disappear. When I showed my dad and it fooled him, that was the moment. I thought, ‘Oh, cool!’ There was something that just grabbed me.

My sister had a magic kit from years prior and never had any interest. So I would sneak into her room, taking it out of closet. She had cooler stuff, things that mine didn’t have in it. Through working with that and messing around, I started putting on magic shows in elementary school instead of going to recess.

Now I’m like ‘Wow they did that instead of recess?’ It was a ton of fun. For me, over years, (the fun is) more of watching the audience reactions. Experience magic, perform you know what’s going on, give sense of wonder and sense of awe.

How did you gain more knowledge about magic?

My 5th grade teacher was an amateur magician who used tricks in class. When he learned of my interest in magic, we shared a few tricks with each other. Whenever I got my classwork done early, I would hang out in conference room and work on the trick he showed me.

Each year for my birthday, my parents gave me the choice of going to Magic Incorporated or having a birthday party. I chose the magic shop every year.

What was your very first professional magic trick?

Every year dad would give me $25 (on my birthday) to buy magic (gear). That was the magic number. You could get a bunch for $25 because there was stuff for $5 and $2.50. There was one in the display case, a die box that I remember seeing and it was $50.

So I saved my allowance: I cut lawns and did whatever I could to earn an extra dollar to go back. On my 11th birthday for the first time I used all $25 and the $25 I had saved and bought one — the die box.

What it is, you have a box with die in it, and you take it out. It’s at different table in a hat or bag away from the box. People see you take it out, and it reappears back inside. It’s teleportation.

You’ve got a couple different types of shows. How do they differ?

I have two shows that tour. We have a grand scale magic illusion that travels in a semi truck, it takes a bunch of people, lighting and is grand scale illusion.

Over the last couple years, I’ve become a parent. In March 2022, when I was home for (parental leave) I realized that there’s not a lot for parents to do something with their children that’s geared toward both of them. I want to engage and entertain, but the parents have a blast as well. I wanted them to share a common experience and through that, I created the one for family magic.

It’s my favorite magic from over the years, things that were a hit in the big show, and it has a lot of interactive pieces from the audience— not the large scale illusion, but the how-is-this-even-happening—and put into package. We can take it to different venues that we typically can’t play with the big show.

What should we expect?

60 or more minutes of really cool magic. We’ll make someone float in mid air from the audience. You’ll get insight about me and where I started magic. And we’ll turn one kid into a magician. We also have magic that everyone participates in from their seat. The highlight is a dancing pocket handkerchief who is a better dancer than Justin Timberlake.

What I’m looking forward to is seeing parents and kids come together, sit down and enjoy an hour without electronic device; they’ll have this shared experience and have a great time.

The Jones Center is intimate nature, it’s not huge, a couple hundred in the audience. I’m excited to have this experience. It’s one of the smallest venues in my 25 years of touring. It’ll be lots of fun. With an audience that is interactive.

What’s one of your most surprising moment in your years of performing?

When my son walked on stage at the end of a show, just waving at audience and coming to give me a hug.

Also surprising was when I performed family magic for the first time, in York, Penn., they told me we would start at 10 a.m. Saturday. I said ‘Nobody is going to come at this time.’ For years, I always performed Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. No one is coming at 10 a.m. But over 1,600 people showed up that morning. I watched kids and grandparents and I met with everyone afterward to take pictures and hear their comments, ‘It’s awesome,’ ‘It was so much fun!’, that ‘We had a great morning’ or ‘This is exactly what we needed,’ and ‘We’ve never seen anything like this.’

Bill Blagg’s Family Magic Show will take place at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Jones Center. For more: thejonescenter.net/famjam.Bill Blagg brings family magic show to the Jones Center Oct. 26