What: James Harrison Lecture
When: Sunday May 18, 1:30pm
Where: Magiestrale, 6546 Rue St-Hubert, Montréal, QC H2S 2M3
Cost: 40 bucks

James Harrison is a pickpocket magician and security consultant who has turned his uncanny sleight-of-hand skills into a tool for awareness and defense. With a background in street magic and the art of misdirection, he now exposes the tricks of thieves by demonstrating live pickpocketing techniques at major security conferences, including NorthSec (Montreal), BSides (Florida), SecT (Sweden), and DefCon (Vegas) —where audiences watch in awe as wallets, phones, and even neckties vanish without a trace. His engaging talks blend entertainment with real-world security insights, teaching professionals how to spot and stop theft before it happens. Whether baffling crowds with his magic or arming them with anti-theft tactics, James proves that the best defense is knowing the thief’s playbook.

The Lecture will be two parts

The first part will focus on the magic James performs at strolling events. The majority of his work is at cocktail events and get-togethers where folks are mingling, so the magic must be strong, and either be in the hands or require very little table space. Items used will includes cards, Coins, Rings, sponges, and even dryer sheets.

The second Half will focus on straight pickpocketing James goes over the rules of engagement for entertainment. That includes:

• What you CAN steal
• What you SHOULD steal and what you SHOULDN'T
• The HOW and WHY of techniques used to borrow items
• The HOLY GRAIL of items will be covered, but not limited to watch, phone, wallet, keys, and more

So if you want to learn the true secrets of theatrical pickpocketing or just want some powerful walk-around magic, then don't miss this.