I’m stoked to be seeing friends and performing in the gala show at the University of Waterloo’s 27th annual juggling festival this Saturday. One of my contact juggling heros, Kyle Johnson (shout-out to Sacramento), will be there. He’s just one of many awesome folks who will be in attendance. It’s a great crowd and a small, intimate festival. If you’ve never gone, check out the festival website and carpool with somebody or find another way to get there. This festival holds a special place in my heart, since it’s one of the first places where I was able to test out a new magic-juggling idea years ago. I really like the informal and fun-focused structure of juggling festivals, which include best trick jams, juggling games (like volleyclub), passing, free workshops, and more formal shows like the one on Saturday night. There’s a beautiful lack of pretense at festivals like this one, which makes it much easier for object manipulators of all skill levels (absolute beginner to absolute pro) to exchange skills and learn new tricks quickly. I’ll be teaching a rope manipulation workshop at the festival on Saturday afternoon and am looking forward to all of the other activities too. The general festival is free for all (click on the link or the image above for details) and the gala show is great entertainment for price. Click here for tickets.