October 17 to 19, 2025. That’s when the Butterfly Wondercon 2025 took place in Prague, Czech Republic. How was it?
It was fantastic! Mainly thanks to everyone who came, shared their ideas, and made new friends.
If you want to find out what the event was like or recap the three days you spent with us, we wrote this article to remember our very first convention.
// Photo: One of the navigations signed by most of the attendees.
Introduction and Backstory
Ondrej Psenicka, the founder of our store and creator of Butterfly Playing Cards, has long had the idea of holding a magic convention in Prague. The autumn of 2025 finally seemed like a good time to turn that dream into reality.
He knew from the start that Butterfly Wondercon would be different. The aim wasn’t to have a convention focused on teaching dozens of effects. His goal was to organize an event that delves more into magic theory, performance, and other aspects of magic.
That’s why we put together a diverse line-up of magicians from different corners of the magic world, with very different views on magic.
We were excited when Juliana Chen, Tobias Dostal, and Moritz Mueller accepted our invites to the Butterfly Wondercon.
Juliana is a living legend in the magic world, being the first female magician to win first place at the FISM World Championships of Magic. With many accomplishments gained throughout her career, she is now a member of the FISM jury.
Tobias is one of the most creative magicians and thinkers. You’ve probably seen him melt objects on the go and blow minds with candy.
Moritz is a brilliant magician with coins and cards. His psychology studies help him make his magic more captivating and deceiving.
And, of course, we can’t forget about Ondrej. He completed the quartet of our fantastic performers and lecturers.
This line-up promised a wonderful experience. So, how did it go?
Day 1 | Friday, October 17
We started off the convention with Ondrej’s lecture. Before the convention officially started, the early comers already started building connections, getting to know each other, and sharing magic. That was the goal we had in mind for Butterfly Wondercon, so it was amazing to see it at such an early stage.
// Photo: Ondrej Psenicka presenting his lecture.
Ondrej talked about creating a close-up show, the steps you have to take, and he shared tips to help you achieve your goal faster. It sparked a discussion, with many questions from attendees eager to learn more about the subject.
After Ondrej, it was time for Juliana Chen’s lecture. She focused on creating a competition, specifically a FISM act. Her experience as a FISM winner and, now, as a member of the official FISM jury, was evident as she shared priceless tips. Juliana was our only guest who specialises in stage magic, so this was probably the peak of the convention for everyone interested in that genre of magic.
// Photo: Juliana Chen showing her "moves" during her lecture.
We ended day one with a huge magic show called Wondercon World Magic Show. We saw eight acts, six by the winners of the Golden Chrysanthemum Award, presented by the Chinese Acrobat Association. They were joined by Ondrej and Ales Hrdlicka, a Czech artist who combines juggling and circus art with magic.
Umbrellas, rings, and airplanes appeared out of nowhere, cards were flying across half of the theatre, and cups and balls were played at the level where, if money were on the table, everyone would leave broke. A long-standing ovation and loud cheers were a well-deserved reward for all performing artists.
Day 2 | Saturday, October 18
// Photo: Moritz Mueller performing at the beginning of his lecture.
The second day began with a brilliant, thought-provoking lecture by Moritz Mueller titled "Concerning the Construction of Close-Up Magic.” At the start, everyone could watch Moritz perform and show off his flawless skills. As you could have expected, as he ended the lecture, he was met with huge applause.
Then came the panel discussion. When we finalised our line-up and realised our guests have such different approaches to magic, we knew it was a great opportunity to let them answer a few questions from their perspectives. The discussion lasted an hour and a half and was packed with tips and ideas.
Another surprising moment came after lunch. We didn't make it very public before the event, but Ondrej managed to persuade Tobias to start his lecture with his stage show. You didn't know Tobias had a stage show, did you?
// Photo: A snippet from Tobias Dostal's stage show, which he performed.
His thirty-minute act received a huge applause, as did his lecture. It was natural, funny, and full of little pieces of magic almost nobody else could have come up with. When his lecture ended, the theatre was filled with a loud, disappointed “oooooooh” from the audience. Nobody wanted the lecture to end, but we had to move to the next thing.
And that was Ondrej’s 52 Lovers Magic Show. This year marks the show's tenth anniversary, and it has undergone many changes. The show is entirely different, with none of the original effects left in. So, everyone saw the newest and latest version of Ondrej’s close-up show. But that was not the last time Ondrej performed that day.
// Photo: Ondrej Psenicka is about to harness the magical powers.
Tobias and Moritz joined him for the Close-Up Gala Show. It was the convention's final official event, and it was brilliant. The three guys came up with a unique concept for the show that is hard to replicate with words. It was funny and original. They were rewarded with a long-standing ovation at the end.
// Photo: Tobias Dostal, Ondrej Psenicka, and Moritz Mueller enjoying a well-deserved stage ovation after their close-up gala show.
Day 3 | Sunday, October 19
The final day of the convention held a meet-up at our brick-and-mortar store in Prague. Everyone who came could go through all the items in the store, read the books, and try some of the more than 300 decks on display.
// Photo: Attendees of Butterfly Wondercon 2025 browsing through the playing card display at Butterfly Wonderland.
Juliana, Tobias, and Moritz joined us as well. Tobias and Moritz were performing their effects and sharing tips on sleight of hand. Juliana showed and explained some of the manipulation techniques she uses on stage.
We ended the day with two raffles. One was for the bingo that everyone could participate in during the convention. Upon registering, the attendees received a bingo card with sixteen activities they could complete during the convention.
If they completed a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line, the bingo card would be complete, and they could join a raffle for prizes. We randomly selected five winners who received limited edition Hanging Gardens of Babylon Playing Cards from Room One. As a surprise, we also gave away three Butterfly Deck Zeros to the three most active magicians who filled out the entire card.
// Photo: One of the lucky winners of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon Special Edition Playing Cards.
The day and the event ended with a raffle, where everyone received a prize: either a deck of cards or a magic trick.
This day, as were the previous ones, was filled with a sense of camaraderie. That was amazing to see and feel.
The End
Gratitude
We want to thank Juliana, Tobias, and Moritz for coming to Prague and sharing their knowledge and wisdom with everyone.
Thank you so much to all the attendees who joined us and made the event possible. We loved meeting and getting to know you. Seeing everyone talking, having fun, and sharing ideas was the best part of the convention for us.
Thank you to Room One for providing their beautiful playing cards to the registration packs and to the raffles. Thank you to Vampire Shot for letting everyone try their natural energy shots. And thank you to the Czech Magic Association for their financial support of the event.
We can’t forget the entire Butterfly team, who made it happen. They worked the whole weekend tirelessly.
What’s next?
This was our first big event. We were equally nervous and excited about it. It was a massive learning experience.
We already have a few ideas for next year. Yes, that means that Butterfly Wondercon is coming back in 2026.
Mark your calendars for October 9-11, 2026.
See you in Prague!