Salou magic dinner show: worth it?

The short answer

Worth it for a family or group that wants a seated night out the whole table can share, and that can match the dates. Not worth it if you want rides, a multi-course dinner on every ticket, or a show you can see on any night of the year. The Salou show is a magic and illusion dinner show in an intimate theatre beside the port: there is close-up magic before the main show, then grand illusions, sleight of hand, escapology and comedy, with the audience drawn in. This guide sets out what the night holds, what the ticket covers, and who should look at something else instead.

• Book it for a seated, shared family night with drinks included
• Choose a PortAventura night ticket if you want rides after dark
• Take both in one week if the holiday is long enough

What the night is

The show is staged in an intimate theatre at Calle Espigó del Moll, by the port of Salou. You are welcomed and escorted to your seat, so there is no scramble for places once you arrive. Close-up magic comes before the main show. The main show then moves through grand illusions, sleight of hand, escapology, comedy and moments that involve the audience. It is billed as a family show, and that sets the tone: playful, interactive and built to hold several ages in one room. The programme can change, so read this as a sketch of the kinds of magic on offer and not as a running order. Nothing here promises a particular trick or performer on the night you book.

Close-up magic comes first

Close-up magic, also called table magic, is performed in an intimate setting, usually no more than three metres from the audience and often with the performer sitting at a table, Wikipedia says. It depends on everyday objects, above all cards and coins. Wikipedia adds that the name table magic is used particularly when it is performed as dinner entertainment, which is why it fits the start of an evening that includes drinks or a meal. Because the audience sits so near, close-up magic is the part of a night like this where you can watch the hands most closely and still not see how it is done.

Then the main show

After the opening, the programme moves up to the stage. Wikipedia describes stage illusions as the kind of magic performed for large audiences in a theatre, marked by big props and the use of assistants. A night like this adds sleight of hand, the fine finger skills behind card and coin work, and escapology, the branch of magic that deals with escapes from confinement or restraints. Comedy and audience interaction run through the whole show. The booking names grand illusions, sleight of hand, escapology, comedy and audience interaction as the ingredients, and nothing more specific than that. That is a useful limit: it tells you the shape of the evening without spoiling any of it, and it leaves the surprises to the room.

Read next: Close-up, stage magic and escapes

A short history of the art on stage

The show belongs to a long theatre tradition. Wikipedia calls Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, a clockmaker who opened a magic theatre in Paris in 1845, the father of modern entertainment magic, because he moved the art from fairs to a theatre the public paid to see. By the late 19th century, large magic shows permanently staged in big theatres had become the norm, and Wikipedia says the Magic Circle was formed in London in 1905 to promote the art of stage magic. A magic night in a theatre by a port is one more link in that line.

Early show or late show

Several packages sit under one ticket, differing in seat, drinks and food. The biggest split is the show time. Dinner is part of the early show with some ticket types, while the late show is drinks only. Dietary needs are given when you book. If the evening is meant to replace dinner, choose the early show and a package that includes the meal; if you have already eaten, the late show is the lighter option. Your booking page shows which package carries which, and your confirmation shows the start time. You will find no clock times in this guide, because they can change.

Read next: Early or late magic show in Salou?

What is included, and what is not

Your ticket covers the show and selected drinks while you watch: wine, sangria, beer and soft drinks. Dinner belongs to the early show alone, and only to certain ticket types. Getting to the theatre, and anything extra from the bar, you pay for yourself. A booking made through GetYourGuide can be cancelled for free a full day ahead, and payment can wait until later. Reading the package name on the booking page before you pay is the quickest way to know what your table is getting, because the packages differ in seat, drink and food.

• Included: the show and selected drinks throughout
• Included on some early-show tickets: dinner
• Not included: transport, extra bar drinks and snacks

Who it suits

Families with children and teenagers in one group are the natural audience, since the show is billed as a family show. Couples and groups of friends who like a laugh and a puzzle will find it fits too. The seated format suits anyone who wants an evening off the beach and the pavements, and the theatre is wheelchair accessible. The comedy and the audience interaction make it a better choice for people who enjoy being part of the fun than for those who like to watch in silence. Very young children are a judgement call, so check the booking page for the package details first, and think about how long a three-hour evening is for them.

Who this isn't for

Skip it if you want rides after dark; that is a theme park's job. Skip it if you expect dinner on every ticket, because only some early-show tickets carry one. Skip it if you need a show on a specific night, since the dates are limited and the calendar decides. Skip it if you dislike audience interaction, which is part of the programme. And skip it if you want a large-scale arena production: the theatre is intimate, which is its point, and the close-up magic only works at that size.

Where it is

The theatre stands on Calle Espigó del Moll, at the port. The Salou Tourist Board places the Cybernetic Fountain near the Port and the Espigón del Muelle, in front of the Tourist Board's own office on the Passeig Jaume I, a landmark worth knowing at the port end of the promenade. Wikipedia describes the Passeig Jaume I as Salou's main promenade, running along the coast beside the Llevant beach. Arrive about half an hour before the show so that you are seated without a rush. The ticket does not cover transport to the theatre, so settle your way there and back before leaving.

Read next: Getting to the show at Salou port

Booking and dates

Pick a date and a package on the booking calendar. The show is not on every night of the year, so check dates when you book and treat the calendar as the final word on what is on sale. A free cancellation window runs to a day before the show. Give any dietary needs when you book, keep the confirmation for the evening, and choose the early show if dinner matters. The free cancellation window means a change of plan costs nothing until the day before. If the dates do not suit your week, the PortAventura night ticket and a day on the coast are the obvious alternatives, and the next guide sets the two kinds of evening side by side.

Read next: Magic show or PortAventura night?