In late July and early August 2024, I attend the European Juggling Convention (EJC) in Ovar, Portugal. One of the staples of the EJC is a nightly show that runs every day: the Renegade. It’s like a wild version of an open mic where everyone who performs a trick gets a beer (or another drink) as a reward. If someone wants to perform the same trick but do it better, you have a ‘clash’. The Renegade starts every night just after midnight and continues until there are no more tricks, somewhere beteen 4 and 5 am.

To give you an idea of the craziness, I’ve written down all the acts of single night in order. You should imagine that between many of the acts, a guy would run onto the stage to do a standing backflip, while everything is MC’d by a queer-ish clown, with everyone shouting “Allez!” to encourage the performers.

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