Luxembourg illusionist David Goldrake has been awarded the prestigious Merlin Award as Magician of the Year 2026 by the International Magicians Society, one of the most renowned honours in the world of magic. This marks his second major recognition from the organisation, following a previous award in 2015.
Currently, Goldrake is performing in Las Vegas at The Magicians Room, where he takes to the stage five nights a week. He tells RTL that in recent weeks, they have even welcomed several Luxembourgers in the crowd, which he sees as a real pleasure.
The theatre, which seats 250 people, allows for a more intimate atmosphere with the audience. Goldrake explains that they have created a show for a smaller stage, which combines 75 minutes of illusions with classic stage magic. The personal setting lets him connect directly with the audience, he stresses.
"Las Vegas was my childhood dream", Goldrake says, and this eventually grew into a concrete goal. He reflects that he planned to spend one or two years in Vegas and then continue touring around the world, adding that it is a great feeling to have your own show, to be established, and to have a name.
Goldrake spends much of his time developing and perfecting new shows. He explains that he received the call for the current Vegas show in February 2025, which meant that he was busy preparing – selecting new music, adapting the staging, designing costumes – from March to November.
Preparation for such a production can take anywhere from six months to two years.
Looking ahead, Goldrake is already working on a new programme, with a potential new contract beginning in December this year or January 2027.
Goldrake also particularly appreciates being able to travel at the same time. Overall, he concludes that he has worked hard for this and that things are exactly as they should be, notably because he can regularly return to Luxembourg and Europe, which means a lot to him.
Goldrake will return to Luxembourg in November. He is already considering what the future holds, particularly as new technologies such as artificial intelligence become more prominent in his industry.
