Update on British Juggling Convention 2025:

Mïark - 2025-02-18 18:07:44 UTC #

Update on British Juggling Convention 2025:

There will be a Facebook roundtable meeting - a chance for jugglers to ask the organisers questions on Wednesday (19th Feb) evening see www.facebook.com/britishjugglingconvention/posts/pfbid0tqCGyTRJEuYfzE2DSwULnXZRSP5BPtXRACs7MexH21J27UrjzHRRSCNvNZdH7mUDl

you can submit questions prior to the Wednesday meeting at https://forms.gle/K8iKGaKU36ukWzrt8

The organising team have also posted the following message on Facebook today:

Announcement - A letter to the community.

Dear British Juggling Community,

It's with a heavy heart that I must share that we are likely going to have to cancel the British Juggling Convention (BJC) 2025. Since our initial announcement, a vocal minority has been extremely active online, and I feel it's important to address the community directly. We'll also be hosting an online Q&A tomorrow where you can speak with me and the team. I truly wish there was a path forward, but this is a community event, and it relies on community support, which is sadly lacking at this time.

It's been particularly disappointing to see this negativity given the current climate for juggling and circus events. With the BJC facing cancellation and other events like Play festival no longer running, it seems there's a lack of understanding for the immense effort and resources required to make events like this happen. We had hoped for a more collaborative spirit in facing these challenges and ensuring the future of juggling conventions.

For context, I'm Luke Hallgarten, Artistic Director of Revel Puck Circus. My connection to this community is deeply personal. I've been a juggler since I was nine, volunteered at Oddballs from ten, and even worked there at thirteen. Juggling led me to circus school in London and then Le Lido in Toulouse. Now, I lead The Revel Puck Circus, a not-for-profit circus with a mission to redefine the art form.

The BJC 2025 story began with a phone call late last October. We learned that effectively the event wouldn't happen unless we took it on. My team and I immediately considered the challenges: the financial risks, the significant workload, and the incredibly tight timeline. A concern we held, echoed by many in the juggling community, was the need to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.

We'd heard feedback about past conventions regarding experiences like "cuddle puddles," nudity in unsupervised spaces, and a demographic imbalance. We also heard from a youth circus facilitator who took their youth group once, and didn’t feel comfortable taking them again. It was clear we needed to proactively address these issues; they didn’t need to define the community or the convention, but they needed to be addressed seriously.

The question became: could we take on this substantial financial risk, the massive workload, and organise an event in such a short timeframe, especially given its past reputation? My answer was yes, but things had to change.

Why yes? Because juggling conventions matter. They bring together people from all walks of life who share this wonderfully unique passion. My own convention experience at age 13 was transformative. It fostered confidence and ultimately inspired my career in the arts. Juggling conventions matter, personally and deeply.

So, we got to work. We rearranged our tour schedule, secured local authority support, carefully considered the finances, and, most importantly, we focused on how to do things differently and better.
I'm incredibly proud of what we'd put together. Our vision: a convention that truly celebrates juggling, that's inclusive and safe for everyone, fun, and inspiring. It was also essential to me that the event remained true to the original proposal I submitted: Click here to view.

Inevitably, some things were going to be different. This is the first time a professional events organisation has run the BJC. We operate under rules and regulations with serious consequences for non-compliance. We’re not a volunteer organisation. Our overheads are significant, and our cash flow is tight, particularly at the start of the season. With current ticket prices, we need to reach 80% capacity just to break even—that’s double the standard risk for an events company.

We’d created a fantastic program: two circus tents, a bar and chill-out space, camping with showers and charging points, campervan spaces, a town parade, a juggling hall open 12 hours a day, plus squash courts for workshops and other activities. We knew we had to create warm, dry, and enjoyable spaces. A 24-hour juggling hall, however, wasn't feasible given the necessary capacity limits for a safe and comfortable environment. From 9pm onwards, there would be a variety of social and juggling activities on the circus site.

The most prominent concerns seem to revolve around ticket prices and the limited juggling hall hours. To be transparent: VAT accounts for 20% of every ticket. We also must pay everyone who works on this event. This isn’t a volunteer-led endeavour.

It's been incredibly disheartening to see the community's reaction to a not-for-profit circus trying to do something positive. Especially considering that no one else was able to run a BJC this year, and other events like Play festival have been discontinued. The financial risk and responsibility of putting on an event like the BJC are simply not what they once were. Furthermore, the two female producers leading this project have had their phone numbers circulated, and they’ve been bombarded with calls, messages, and Facebook requests day and night, seven days a week. This is simply wrong.

I’m deeply saddened by this response. To the new generation of jugglers, I want you to know: these voices complaining about "how it used to be" do not represent the entire circus community. We envisioned an event for everyone.

We are currently exploring three options:
- Continue with the event as is: This means proceeding with a community that doesn't seem to fully support it and risking a significant financial loss for Revel Puck.
- Reduce the ambition of the event: If we eliminate camping, we could offer a day ticket for around £40. This would significantly change the event's feel and scope.
- Cancel the event completely: This would be a deeply disappointing outcome for us but is the most likely.
We want to be transparent and give the community some agency in this decision. We will continue to explore how we can support future community-run events where everyone feels welcome and safe. In the meantime, I want to say a massive thank you to Start Thurrock, Thurrock Council, the Pucks producing team and all the support we have received from positive members of the juggling community.

See those of you tomorrow for the Q&A if you’re able to join.

Sincerely,
Luke Hallgarten
Artistic Director of The Revel Puck Circus (and 2008 British Young Juggler Of The Year silver medalist 🥈)

from: www.facebook.com/britishjugglingconvention/posts/pfbid0yb4RwPt1JavWCsTeq4jRbCetErSyQEqmgtPmz4bAWxJRLBRWP4uM58ukasx3Q7PGl

#bjc2025