I will be in New York on the weekend of the 12th May including the Monday does anyone have any recommendations of shows I could catch or magician hangouts

I've heard there is normally a Saturday afternoon gathering of magicians and wondered who normally frequents these meetings

The Saturday afternoon gathering takes place at Café Rustico, a pizza restaurant at 25 West 35th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. People usually show up around noon and there are folks there most often at least until 5 pm and usually later than that. There is a diverse group that hangs out there, including some skilled folks - Wesley James, Doug Edwards, and Sol Stone are among those who are usually there. Tannen's and Fantasma magic shops are both nearby.

That Saturday night the S. A. M. Assembly is presenting its magic show, the Salute to Magic at Queens Theatre - the headline performer of that show is Jeff McBride, and the other acts are Jay Scott Berry, David Oliver, and Devlin. Sol Stone will be honored as Magician of the Year and Kamarr will be recognized for his performances at the 1964 World's Fair. The tickets for the show are only $45 and a lot of folks from the magic community will be there that night. Because of the show in Queens that night it's possible some folks may skip Rustico's during the day, but I'm sure you'll still find a good group there.

http://queenstheatre.org/105th-salute-magic