Get Weird With Our NSFW Photos From The Gathering Of The Juggalos
By Juliet Bennett Rylah in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 28, 2015 10:00PM
The Gathering of the Juggalos is a strange and magical place, where fans of Detroit's Insane Clown Posse are free to be themselves, distanced from the criticism of the outside world and their magnet jokes.
Anyone who enters the dark carnival can expect to be doused with Faygo—a cheap, Detroit-made soda for the uninitiated—and surrounded by nudity, face paint and drug use, all while the Juggalos chant "Fam-i-ly! Fam-i-ly!," and issue their standard greeting of "Whoop! Whoop!" Or, alternatively, "Show me your butthole!"
The 16th annual Gathering of the Juggalos took place over the weekend in Thorneville, Ohio, the Gathering's new home after leaving Cave-In-Rock in southern Illinois two years ago.
The Insane Clown Posse and their label, Psychopathic Records, began throwing their own festival in 2000 in Novi, Mich., because, let's face it, ICP is probably never going to play Lollapalooza. Juggalos have made the annual pilgrimage year after year, even as the festival has had to move several times due to festival rowdiness. (At the third annual Gathering in Peoria, Illinois, cops tear-gassed the crowd after a number of Juggalettes refused to put their tops back on, although the festival was able to continue after Psychopathic Records employees talked it out with cops and they all paused to let the venue air out.)
The Gathering grew over the years, eventually moving outdoors and finding private property in Cave-In-Rock in 2007, where Juggalos were free to camp out, whip off their tops, deal questionable contraband at 'The Drug Bridge,' and where no security guards ever made them throw our their bottled water before entering the festival grounds. That spirit of family, camaraderie, wicked clowns and loosely-controlled mayhem has now carried over to the 120 acres of Legend Valley in Thornville.
As usual, the Gathering had a diverse lineup of musicians both from under Psychopathic Record's umbrella, and some that make no sense at all: like Chicago's Flosstradamus (DJ J2K apparently got hit in the face with a rock during his set) and Puddle of Mudd. (Fact: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic once played the Gathering, and the Juggalos loved them.)
It's not all about the music, though. The Gathering also hosts numerous wrestling matches courtesy of ICP's wrestling group Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly known as Juggalo Championshit Wrestling), standup comedy from the likes of 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander and the Comedy Cellar's Godfrey, bizarre side shows, Juggalo weddings and many pageants to determine the most comely of Juggalettes.
Juggalos are notoriously body positive, and it's not uncommon to see a Juggalo freely wandering the festival grounds naked or nearly nude. There's also Mike Busey's impromptu strip club, The Busey Beauties. These ladies roll in from Florida, where they live in something called The Sausage Castle, to entertain during the Gathering. You can also expect to hear many Juggalos praising the idea of family. While Juggalos may be seen by many as misfits, here they're embraced for a blissful couple of days void of both judgement and, oftentimes, law enforcement. And because Juggalos often seen each other as family and come to the Gathering to party, you can most likely expect to be welcomed with open arms and offered a hit of a joint, or "just a little sip of Faygo." Tempting, huh?