MACH 5 is a non-profit association underthe French law of 1901. Hereafter: extract from article 2 « Purpose » of the bylaws;

The purpose of the association is to develop activities of general interest, mainly of a cultural nature, by presenting live, educational and social shows to the general public, for the benefit of as many people as possible:

– To offer wonder, happiness and culture by bringing the magic arts to as many people as possible;
– To introduce children and the general public to the magical arts;
– To teach the history, culture and art of magic;
– To preserve, develop and make known to the widest public by all means, the magical cultural heritage and the magical arts in all their forms;
– To establish a dialogue between the magical cultures of other countries in Europe and the wider world, dedicated to the same goals.

In this respect, its main purpose is to operate an establishment known as the « Palais de la Magie » in Paris, and to present all forms of live entertainment related to the magical arts in the said establishment, by :

• Establishing itself as a venue for performing arts (artistic shows, illusionist shows, magic theater and other theatrical performances, etc.);
• Organizing artistic creation and dissemination, and ensuring the physical and technical operation of the facility;
• Participating in cultural development initiatives.

It carries out this main activity within the framework of disinterested management and the provisions of article 200 1-f) and 238 bis 1-e) of the French General Tax Code.

On an ancillary basis, it develops any activity of general interest in one of the aforementioned areas of general interest, and in particular a non-profit museum and library/media library dedicated to the magical arts.

To sum up:

MACH 5 brings together all individuals and entities interested in developing the association and its corporate purpose. Among other things, MACH 5 is responsible for running the Palais de la Magie and its activities.

Joining MACH 5, whether you’re a magician or a non-magician, individual or corporate, means taking part in an exceptional project to bring magic to the general public.

It means benefiting from the shared aura of a project never before undertaken in France on this scale, aimed at the general public.

You’ll be immersed in a vast, broad-minded artistic renewal, with resources and tools never before available to this art form.

It means enriching yourself by enriching others.

Magic « Arts Culture Humanism » 5

In France, we can estimate the number of people interested in magic at around :

• 4,000 regular practitioners (the FFM ex-FFAP groups together 1/3 of them),
• 40,000 occasional practitioners (figure derived from trick-dealer customers)
• 40 million sympathizers (based on a sample of the population to whom a trick is presented), i.e. over half the French population!

Just look at the enthusiasm generated by magic shows to understand people’s considerable interest in this subtle Art, often called the « Queen of the Arts », so many disciplines are combined.

The Palais de la Magie is destined to become the essential hub for these 40 million people, and what’s more, with a European and global reach.

Because in each and every one of us lies a child’s soul yearning for the marvelous; for that which has no borders or constraints.

Jean Cocteau captured this so well:

« Men of a thousand hands, I salute you. Aren’t you representative of this time and space that blend together to deceive us and set their countless walls against us? Men of a thousand hands, what you make believe is more real than reality, which is a dream. For in this game you play the role of fate and mystery. Your lies amaze us more than our poor truth. Men of a thousand hands, I hope that your art will live on, because it addresses the best that the world has to offer: childhood. »
Jean Cocteau

YES. Although we’re only at the beginning of the great adventure, the fairies are rushing to the cradle.
Supporting MACH 5 are the following associations and clubs:
– The Magic Circle, London
– The Royal Club of Magicians of Brussels
– Club de Illusionistas Profesionnales (CIP – Madrid)
– Assicicio Catalona d’aficionats à l’Il lusianisme (Barcelona)
– Associacio Catalana de Mags il.lusionistes professioals i Empresaris (ACMIPE Barcelona)
– Associacio la cas Magica ( Gerone)
– Associacio XEVI museu de la Magia (Gerona)
– La Circulo della Magia di Torino (CADM Turin)

In France, the following associations have joined:
– La Fédération Française des Magiciens (ex-FFAP) in May 2025.
– Le Cercle Magique de Paris (CMP), the largest club in France.
– Hospital magic
– Magev (Magic for life-tested children)
– IPotam Mecamusic

In the college of institutions, the town of Blois is the first to join us in January 2025.

While « Arts » and « Culture » are identical words in English and French, « Magic » sounds better than magic, whose last syllable is extinct.  « Magic » is a homophone of « Magique ». As for Humanisme, the word can be understood in both languages, and the choice was made to end on a French word.

Finally, although the association is French, it aims to be open to the world, and already to Europe, so let’s go crazy and mix the beautiful language of Molière with that of Shakespeare.

As with any association, membership fees are used to cover operating costs. They are differentiated according to the nature of the members and their willingness to support the association.

YES. As the association is in the public interest, it is eligible for subsidies; to this end, it can apply to local authorities (Municipality / Department / Region / Ministry of Culture-DRAC / Europe) like all associations involved in performing arts and artistic creation.

MFP will allocate funding to support the association.

YES. As the association is of general interest, it will issue CERFA receipts enabling members to reclaim 66% of their contributions for tax purposes, up to a limit of 20% of their income.

Example for individuals:
a 15€ membership fee costs only 5€. Mach 5 will issue a Cerfa tax receipt for 10€, which you can enclose with your tax return.

NO. Neither the members of an association, nor its governing bodies (administrators grouped together in the « Bureau ») are liable for the association’s debts. In order for an association’s governing bodies to be held liable for its debts, they would have to have acted fraudulently or have voluntarily acted as personal guarantors for loans.

This creation is the brainchild of Domi NHO (75 years old, World Magic Champion, four-time FISM world award winner). Domi NHO is also a coach with the Equipe de France de Scène (EdFS) of the FFM (formerly FFAP), and a member of the Royal Club des Magiciens de Bruxelles, itself a member of the Belgian Magic Federation. Today, a number of magicians have joined him and are involved in « project teams ».

YES

Financial donations
We have the means to begin work on the project. We just need to keep on collecting.

It’s worth noting that the first financial donation was the endowment given to MFP when it was created, by a company.
But it’s not just financial donations.

There are also gifts of knowledge, and the first gift of this kind came from Pierre Guédin.
Pierre generously donated the fruit of a long project: « A little treatise on the initiation to the magic arts for children aged eight to twelve, in the form of a teaching booklet », which he had developed and tested himself. It’s very important, because it’s the cornerstone of teaching.

And then there are the gifts
25 renowned magicians contributed to the collective book « Je joue avec l’alphabet » (I play with the alphabet), the first work of the Palais de la Magie, which means that it already exists, even before its walls have been erected! Philippe Molina designed the Alphabook that accompanies the book. Alexandre Laigneau was responsible for the logos and structuring of the present site, Frédérique Houzelle for content, publication and communication. Pathy Bad worked on the documents for the EdF S’s first « patronage » period, Florian Sainvet created illustrations for us, Peter Din took charge of the book’s composition and manages the association’s accounts, Benoit Rosemont acts as secretary, William Condette manages stocks and shipping. Domi NHO of course coordinates and promotes the project. You’ll find out who else is involved in the « who does what » section to be created for this purpose.

There are donations of information and contacts
Stuart Scott, General Secretary of « The Magic Circle Foundation », gave us his advice; Juan Mayoral, a link with Spanish circles, Andrea Rizzolini connected us with Italian clubs, Marco Candela, President of the Royal Club des Magiciens de Bruxelles, supported us towards our Benelux friends.

Outside energies are suggesting that we create a kind of « Think Tank » to bring together the project’s investors, encourage dialogue with elected representatives, and establish exchanges with corporate VIPs.

We’re just getting started… Thank you to all those who support this project, and especially to those who are active and give their skills and time to MACH 5!

FFM (ex-FFAP) joined MACH5 in May 2025. Everything is open for the CFI. If you scroll down to « Ils en Parlent », you’ll see that two FFM (ex-FFAP) past-presidents support the project, and that a good half of the magicians are FFM members.

Not at all. MACH 5’s aim is not to federate clubs, publish a prestigious magazine, hold an annual national congress or organize French championships. The FFM understood this when it joined MACH 5 as an association.

MACH 5 welcomes members of five kinds: companies, associations, institutions, the 3 M’s (Muggle, Magic Fans) and magicians.

There is no entrance exam and no oath of secrecy.

MACH 5, supported by MFP, will host the Palais de la Magie. This very French venue will nonetheless have at least a pan-European vocation, and will therefore also aim for a cross-border culture. MACH5 targets the general public through its museum and shows.

What we have in common is the preservation of magic culture and its transmission through education.

They vary according to the type of member and the level of support he or she is able to give. They remain very modest and appear in the choices on the membership form.
As a reminder, they are tax-deductible at a rate of 66% for individuals and 60% for companies, up to a limit of 20% of income for the former and 0.5% of turnover for the latter.

Example for individuals :
a 15€ membership fee costs only 5€. Mach 5 issues a Cerfa tax receipt for 10€ to enclose with your tax return.