Illusionist Stefan Leyshon will be performing for diners in Paris at the Hotel Plaza Athénée on the first Saturday of each month through December. Inspired by the 19th-century “Soirées Fantastiques” staged by conjurer Jean‑Eugène Robert‑Houdin, the Secret Dinners series blends a polished magic show with close interaction between performer and audience. The experience takes place on a 360-degree stage in the hotel’s Le Salon Haute Couture ballroom, allowing guests to enjoy the illusions from every angle.
Tickets are priced at €295 per person (about $312) for each four-hour event. The fee covers a multi-course tasting dinner, a cocktail and the performance. Head chef Alain Ducasse and his culinary team have created the tasting menu and themed cocktails to complement the theatrical program. The ballroom atmosphere relies on candlelight and a program of classic illusions inspired by Robert‑Houdin and his protégé Georges Méliès, whose work carried the tradition into the early 20th century. Typical effects include levitation, mind reading and objects that vanish before your eyes.
To preserve the sense of wonder and the refined setting, the dress code for the evenings is strictly “elegant.” The format emphasizes intimate, up-close moments between magician and guest, so attendees should expect interactive routines as well as stage pieces. Running monthly through December, these Secret Dinners combine haute cuisine, carefully crafted cocktails and period-inspired magic for a distinctive, immersive night out in Paris.