History - PCAM 2026 in New Westminster, BC

2026 PCAM Convention
New Westminster, BC March 26 - 29th, 2026

New Westminster or, as it's known locally, New West is a central point for the entire Vancouver Metro area, with 3 million people and a whole lot of magicians! The PCAM took place at The Metro Hall for all lectures, contests, shows and socializing.

Schedule Highlights

Thursday, March 26th

A solo show from Benjamin Barnes kicked off the convention, drawing a good number of public tickets as the shows were promoted as part of The MAGIC Festival around town. Banjamin presented both on stage, and at the close-up table (with video screen).

Christopher Taylor presented the first lecture of the weekend, featuring his non-electronic solution for Color Match and more strong mentalism wrapped in engaging stories.

Friday, March 27th

The morning and afternoon featured the PCAM Contests which offered up a strong group of competitors in all categories. It was especially nice to have a big group of genuine kids drop in for the Children's Entertainers to present at their best.

Benjamin Barnes presented his lecture, following up on many of the routines he featured in his show the night before.

After dinner Rachel Wax took the stage for a memorable solo show that went off the rails with some unpredictable audience involvement. It made for an extra enjoyable experience watching Rachel keep it entertaining no matter what!

Erik Tait was up after dinner for his lecture featuring some uncommon ideas from the underground world of card magic.

Saturday, March 28th

After the contest awards ceremony (results posted below), Rachel Wax was back to try to explain what was supposed to happen in the show. Her lecture focused on mind-mapping as a tool for defining your character and finding routines that fit you.

While many attendees went off-site for the Vancouver Magic Circle "Children's Magician of the Year" event, others stayed at the Metro for jams or went for leisurely lunches to enjoy the company of their PCAM friends and family.

Everyone reassembled after dinner for Erik Tait's solo show. This was entirely a stand-up show featuring a psychic duck and miracles with a pack of cards.

After a short break we got a late show; Christopher Taylor opened with a couple mind-reading routines, then Bizarro took the stage for his uniquely visual magic.

Then the late-late show; the One-Hand Cut-A-Thon and the Bag O' Tricks is always a night of good fun and plenty of cheers.

Finally the late-late-late show; a panel talk called "TicketMasters" got bumped to the end, but those who stuck around heard a lifetime of experience on the topic of producing and selling your own ticketed shows from people who are doing it; Rob Teszka, Shawn Farquhar, Topher Gowen, Ryan Michaels, and Ryan Pilling.

Sunday, March 29th

The final day kicked off with a Swap Meet, and then a lecture from Bizarro and his DIY prop-making is sure to stimulate some creative ideas.

A few dedicated cardicians joined in for a workshop with Erik Tait in the back room, while the rest hung out, swapped, and jammed.

Finally, just before all the gear got packed up Trevor Watters and Bizarro teamed up to do a Tech Talk with tips on how to be seen and heard at your shows, and how to make your gear practical and portable.

Convention Team

Alex Zander

President
Billy Hsueh

Convention Co-Chair
Brian Cook

Contest Chair

Presenters at the 2026 PCAM Convention

Benjamin Barnes
Bizzaro

The Optical Illusionist
Rachel Wax
Erik Tait
Christopher Taylor

2026 Contest Award Winners

Stage
- Adult (18 and over) - Gold - Tetro
- Junior (14 to 18) - Gold - Rupert Wolf
- Junior (14 to 18) - Silver - Adria Ehart
Platform
- Adult (18 and over) - Gold - Ryan Michael
- Adult (18 and over) - Silver - Rob Teszka
Mentalism
- Adult (18 and over) - Gold - Tetro
- Adult (18 and over) - Silver - Dan Chan
Comedy
- Adult (18 and over) - Gold - Kelvin Ng
- Adult (18 and over) - Silver - Bruce Hunt
Children's Entertainment
- Adult (18 and over) - Gold - Bruce Hunt
- Adult (18 and over) - Gold - Rob Driscoll
Close-Up
- Adult (18 and over) - Gold - Ryan Michael
- Adult (18 and over) - Silver - Scott Barker
Most Novel or Innovative
- Ryan Michael
- Kelvin Ng
Tony Eng People's Choice
- Kelvin Ng
Bag'O'Tricks
- First Place - Sam Bennison
Kevin Cardona "Comedy" Award
- Trevor Watters
One Handed Cut-A-Thon
- First Place - James Nguyen