I love Spinfest! On the third Saturday of every month, people from all over North Texas get together at Eastside Plaza in Richardson (corner of Campbell and Central Expressway) to play. People of all ages just outside enjoying the sunshine and sharing their love of all things circus.  It’s so much fun.

It’s free, open to anybody of any age, and it happens on the 3rd Saturday of every month, from 3 until 7 p.m. Come anytime, stay as long as you like.  The first time I went, I was just 10, but everybody is so nice that it didn’t take long before I felt like I was part of the group instead of just some kid hanging around the grown-ups. It’s a great place to practice any skill you already have — hula hoops, stilts, juggling, acrobatics, parkour — or learn something new. I have learned a lot of things at Spinfest.  Wish I could be there every month, but I go as often as I can.

Yesterday was a blast — I did some things I’ve never tried before, like four-way passing, passing clubs while both jugglers are on a rola bola, and passing “uphill” where one juggler is on a different level than the other. And, as always, one of the fun things is watching little kids learn something new for the first time — there was one little boy who had never tried a diabolo before, and Katsu showed him how to do it.  He had the biggest smile ever when he got it going!

Here are some pictures — but still pictures don’t really show how much fun it is.  You don’t have to be a circus performer to come out and play.  There is always tons of gear, and someone is always willing to show you how to do something or just have fun.

The only bad thing about Spinfest is that every time I go, my Christmas wish list gets longer.  Of course, that’s only bad if I wind up not getting all the new gear I want! Katsu Nakayama had some really cool European juggling clubs this time — some were 260 grams, and some were 220. I really need six of the 220 gram clubs and two more of the “classic American” clubs I already have. (That’s a hint, grandma and grandpa!)