The Beautiful (and Magical!) Lauriston Castle
There are some venues that are pretty special to perform in. And then there are venues that feel like they were practically built for magic.
This Christmas, I'm incredibly excited to be performing in The Secret Room at Lauriston Castle as part of the Edinburgh International Magic Festival - an immersive magic experience inside one of Edinburgh's most enchanting historic buildings.
A castle, mysterious stories, impossible illusions and a room full of secrets? It's safe to say this one is right up my street.
Discover The Secret Room at Lauriston Castle
Tucked away at the end of a winding driveway, Lauriston Castle is one of Edinburgh's hidden gems.
With its beautiful Edwardian interiors, rich tapestries, fascinating history and incredible views across the Firth of Forth, it's already somewhere that feels a little removed from the everyday.
But this Christmas, there's even more to discover.
The Secret Room brings the castle's mysterious past to life through an intimate experience combining live magic, sleight-of-hand, mentalism and storytelling.
As you explore the castle, you'll encounter stories of noble tricksters, doomed inventors and fortune-seekers who risked everything in pursuit of their dreams.
It's not simply a magic show in an unusual venue. It's an opportunity to step into another world for a little while - where history, mystery and the impossible come together.
And I'll be bringing a little mind-reading to the mix.
What I'll be doing as a mentalist
As a mentalist, I explore the strange and fascinating relationship between thoughts, choices, predictions and the things we believe to be impossible.
For The Secret Room, that style of performance feels particularly fitting. In a castle filled with stories, secrets and whispers of strange experiments, there's something wonderfully atmospheric about exploring the boundaries between what we know and what we think we know.
I can't give too much away, of course. That would rather spoil the fun!
But I'm genuinely thrilled to be part of a production that brings together such a brilliant setting and a collection of performers with very different approaches to magic.
Meet the magicians behind The Secret Room
One of the things I'm most excited about is sharing the experience with an exceptionally talented group of performers.
The Secret Room features:
Cameron Gibson (me!) - mentalism, mind-reading and psychological mysteries.
Lewis Barlow - an accomplished card magician.
Tim Licata - sleight-of-hand artistry, performing on 19 December only.
Luke Osey - magician and inventor, performing on 20 December only.
With different disciplines and styles of magic coming together, the experience promises a fascinating mix of the unexpected.
And with the castle itself providing the backdrop, every part of the evening has the potential to feel a little different from your usual night out in Edinburgh.
A different kind of Christmas experience in Edinburgh
If you're looking for something unusual to do in Edinburgh this Christmas, The Secret Room is well worth adding to your list.
It's a chance to discover Lauriston Castle in a completely different way, enjoy live magic in a beautiful historic setting and experience something that goes beyond a traditional theatre performance.
Whether you're a lifelong magic fan or simply curious to see something extraordinary, the combination of intimate performance, fascinating history and atmospheric surroundings makes this a particularly special festive experience.
And honestly, getting to perform in a setting like this is a treat for me, too.
As a magician, I'm always looking for ways to make an experience feel memorable - and it's hard to imagine a better setting for mystery and wonder than a Scottish castle filled with stories.
I hope to see you there - but stayed tuned for an EVEN BIGGER Christmas announcement!
Cameron 🎩