Birthday calculator trick at a Daejeon science magic show: Magician JT

I was trying to figure out what to do with the kids over the weekend when I stumbled on a video of Magician JT's Science Lab science magic show on social media. It kept showing up in my algorithm after that! It's a show that combines scientific principles with magic, and I heard there's a lot of audience participation for kids, so I was curious. It turned out there was just one show in Daejeon, so after going back and forth on whether to go, I ended up booking in a rush the day before and headed over!

Where the Daejeon science magic show is held and how seats are reserved

This show was held at Eoullim Hall inside Pyeongsong Youth Culture Center in Daejeon. Magician JT's Science Lab ran on Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 2 PM, and unlike a normal booking, seats aren't assigned in advance — you reserve a spot in person at the venue.

So we left home around noon on Sunday and arrived around 1 PM. Walking into Eoullim Hall, a handful of people were already lined up. Since seat reservations open exactly one hour before showtime, if you want a good spot, it's best to get there as early as possible.

While waiting in line, I noticed a magic tool sales booth off to the side. Of course the kids couldn't just walk past that... their eyes were glued to the magic tools. When my turn finally came to pick a seat, I figured an aisle seat would be more comfortable for watching with kids.

Since front seats are also better for Magician JT's Science Lab, I picked Row B, aisle side, without much hesitation. There was also a photo zone set up nearby, so we snapped a picture. Entry opens 20 minutes before the show, so with a bit of time to kill, we swung by the nearby Insect Ecology Center.

Waiting before showtime at the Pyeongsong Insect Ecology Center

The Insect Ecology Center has plenty of insects and hands-on exhibits, so the time flew by. There's also a botanical garden nearby, so there's no shortage of things to see while you wait.

Then around 1:45 we went in!

We settled into our seats, snapped some photos of the kids, and waited for the show to start. Just a few days earlier the kids had gone to another magic show and gotten totally hooked on magic — and now here we were at another one! But this time it wasn't just magic, it was a science magic show, so I was curious what to expect too.

Before the show even started, snack quizzes and character quizzes popped up on screen to keep the kids from getting bored. A question would appear and everyone would shout out the answer together — the kids got really into it, and honestly, so did I haha.

Magician JT and Toto take the stage: what the four tickets mean

Then finally, 2 PM! JT came out and the show began. After a quick opening magic trick, he introduced himself, and his partner Toto showed up too. Toto was holding tickets, and getting one came with a perk — kids who received a ticket got a gift on the way out! There were 4 tickets total, handed out to kids who participated in the experiments.

Levitation magic and balloon telepathy

You could tell how hard the kids were concentrating, hoping to grab a ticket. The very first thing that blew my mind was the levitation magic. Right before our eyes, a kid appeared to be floating in midair. At first I assumed there had to be some kind of machine holding them up. But even after the cloth was pulled away, the kid stayed floating in the air — seeing it live was seriously mind-boggling.

There were other tricks too that looked like telepathy or psychic powers, and I genuinely have no idea how they pulled them off. There was also a balloon telepathy segment where the whole audience joined in — everyone focused their energy on the balloons JT and Toto were holding, and sure enough, the balloons popped right on cue!

The calculator trick that gave everyone chills

And the thing that amazed me the most: the calculator magic. JT asked audience members for their birthdays and had several people punch in random numbers, and the result was 269,130,238 — which broke down to September 13, 2026, 2:38 PM. When he explained what the number meant... I got chills.

He also taught us an arrow trick we could try ourselves. Once you learn the principle, it's actually pretty simple. JT showed off a big box he was holding and said you could make one at home — and as a surprise gift on the way out, if you subscribed to his YouTube channel you'd get one, so of course we grabbed one!!

Hydrogen peroxide decomposition and the cloud-making experiment

From the hydrogen peroxide decomposition experiment to the elephant-toothpaste-style cloud-making experiment, the kids got seriously into it. Scientific principles they'd normally only see in books or videos were happening right in front of them, and it clearly held their attention much more. Not just watching and listening but actually seeing it and joining in — that's what makes Magician JT's Science Lab fun.

Air cannons, Earth and Mars balls, and why front seats matter

Then came the really exciting part — the donut-shaped air cannon blasts! The bursts of air shot straight out, aimed in different directions toward the audience. They don't travel that far, so make sure to sit up front!!!!

At the end there was a segment where the whole audience passed around Earth- and Mars-shaped balls, but the kids up front got a lot more playtime with them and they didn't come our way much, which was a little disappointing. So seriously, sit up front haha.

The encore laser show and a surprise gift on the way out

Still, I was glad the kids stayed focused and had fun all the way through. I thought the show was ending, but there was an encore prepared — a dazzling, colorful laser show. We were told filming the laser show on our phones could damage the screen, so we put our phones down and just watched with our eyes. The lasers lighting up right in front of us were so spectacular that the kids were thrilled, and honestly, so was I. After the show wrapped up, we got a surprise gift on the way out and even took a photo with JT and Toto!!!

Getting that photo with the kids felt like the perfect way to close out the day. This Magician JT's Science Lab science magic show wasn't just a magic performance — it playfully wove scientific principles into magic and experiments, and I loved how much room there was for the kids to actually join in.

Magician JT tour dates after Daejeon

The Daejeon show has wrapped, but there are more dates coming up in other cities. Take a look if you're interested!

• October 4, 2026 — Busan Jeonggwan Edupark Sohakdae Hall
• October 10, 2026 — Gangwon Inje Cultural Center, 2F Grand Hall
• November 8, 2026 — Daegu National Science Museum, Scientree Hall
• November 15, 2026 — Gwangju Seo-gu Cultural Center
• November 22, 2026 — Namyangju Children's Vision Center, 4F Multipurpose Hall
• November 29, 2026 — Gyeongnam Yangsan Woongsang Culture & Sports Center
• December 20 & 27, 2026 — Seoul Dream Forest Art Center Performance Hall