The Chicagoist will be launching later but in the meantime please enjoy our archives.

Get Weird With Our NSFW Photos From The 2017 Gathering Of The Juggalos

By aaroncynic in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 31, 2017 4:11PM

The Gathering of the Juggalos—the wild, weird, hedonistic, and anarchic celebration of clown love for the horrorcore rap duo Insane Clown Posse—spent its 18th year in Oklahoma City over the weekend, and we managed to get a front row tent to all of the action.

This year’s Gathering was decidedly different than previous years. The Juggalos decided not to return to Thornville, Ohio, and after falling to secure a spot in weed-friendly Denver, Colorado, the Dark Carnival settled on the Lost Lakes Ampitheater in the Sooner State. There were a lot of noticeable absences this year: artists Twiztid and Tech 9nine, the drug bridge, brazen displays of public nudity, and even people openly toking a little bit of pot.

Alongside the normally dark and chaotic yet free-spirited attitudes of the Juggalos came resentment and rumor, much in part thanks to what attendees described as a heavy handed local police presence. A police helicopter made regular appearances overhead, which those on the ground responded to with a volley of middle fingers, and squad cars regularly rolled through the dirt trail encompassing the park.

Juggalos however, are extremely resilient, and they did what they could to make the most of their time despite the obstacles they needed to overcome.

We’ll have a full reportback Tuesday (we’re still shaking the dust out of our clothes, cameras, computers, and orifices) of the (albeit dialed back) chaos, but for now check out these photos from photographers Nate “Igor” Smith and Aaron Cynic.