As soon as news dropped of the new "Magic Weekends" I shot a list of questions off to Paul Levy, one of Magic's Brand Managers at Wizards. He is one of the people behind the Magic Weekends.

My questions covered a number of aspects about the Magic Weekends which were not clear to us, hopefully his answers will clarify the new system for you. A number of the questions were about prospective announcements, unfortunately though the answers given provide no new announcements in any area.

My thanks to Paul Levy for answering my questions!

Q: What exactly will be different at Magic Weekends as opposed to the previous years' Pro Tours? Paris is testing a Grand Prix + Pro Tour format, but the others don't appear to be.

A: Yeah, the first new cool thing you can expect for Magic Weekend is that we are hosting both the Grand Prix and Pro Tour tournament on the same weekend in the same venue. So it's really going to be a true weekend of Magic! We've got other things in the works but aren't announcing anything at this time. Stay tuned on that.

Q: Was there any reason to test the PT + GP in Paris as opposed to the other announced locations next year?

A: Yeah, we wanted to kick-off the first Magic Weekend in style! The first Magic Weekend is in Paris on February 10-13 2011, and we thought having both the Pro Tour and Grand Prix on the same weekend would be exciting to Magic players. Plus it's Paris!

Q: Are these events going to be designed to appeal to a more broad audience?

A: Over the years the Pro Tour has become more than just a tournament – it's become a world class Magic event. With tons of Magic tournaments and events for every skill level and type of player it's an event for more than just pros. The Pro Tour tournament is the cornerstone event at Magic Weekend, alongside other fun experiences like going behind the scenes and meeting members of the Magic Research and Development team. You can also get your cards signed and snag some art to bring home from the Magic artists booths. There's "Champion Challenge" where you can play Magic against R&D and luminaries from the Pro Tour Hall of Fame, or even find that elusive card or special souvenir at the marketplace. Plus there are plenty of opportunities to hang out at special social events for players and Wizards and staff. More to be announced later!

Q: Is the Magic Weekend the new name for the Pro Tour or is it that the Pro Tour is taking place at a "Magic Weekend" event?

A: The change we just announced is to brand the event that surrounds where the Pro Tour takes place as Magic Weekend.

Q: Should we be watching for more Magic Weekend events to be announced for 2011, such as would the annual PAX event & party become a ‘Magic Weekend' sans a Pro Tour stop? Or will GPs become their own Magic Weekend events?

A: The Magic Weekend schedule for 2011 starts on February 10-13 in Paris, then on June 10-12 we're in Nagoya, Japan, followed by Philadelphia on September 2-4, and finally San Francisco on November 17-20, where the Magic World Championships will take place. We have no plans to add additional Magic Weekends for 2011.

Q: Is this going to have any impact on the number of Grand Prixes there will be in 2011?

A: No, Magic Weekend will not have an impact on the number of Grand Prixes that will be announced for 2011. Stay tuned for that full announcement!

Q: How are Pro players responding to the announced changes?

A: I talked to a couple Pro Tour players at Pro Tour Amsterdam and their reactions have all been positive to the announcement of Magic Weekend. The tournament will continue as before, we're just changing the event that surrounds the Pro Tour tournament. And perhaps get more Magic players interested in checking out what the pros are up to.

Q: Are there going to be contests or tournaments similar to the WPN Championship or My Magic Story to send more non-competitors to Magic weekends?

A: Both the WPN Championship and My Magic Story were successful programs and in the future we will continue to provide contests and tournaments to bring Magic players to Magic Weekends. We've heard from both players and stores that the WPN Championships was an exciting way to involve the WPN stores with the Pro Tour tournament. Nothing, however, to announce at this time.