Santa Barbara Jugglers Association
&
Club Juggling at UCSB

The Annual April Fools Jugglers Festival

The April Fools Jugglers Festival has been going on for a while now... since 1977. Rumor has it that it is the longest running jugglers festival held at a single location. The festival is held in memory of Patty Laney, a local activist and juggler who, tragically, became a victim of violence towards women. This is why all the profit made from the sale of T-shirts and public show tickets go to the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center. Click here for an article describing the atmosphere in Isla Vista in those days of yore.

Click here for information on the upcoming festival.

Parking

UCSB charges a parking fee on evenings and weekends. There are two options available for Friday evening after 5:00 and all day Saturday and Sunday:

Pay $3 per day for any slot.
Pay $12 for an unlimited 30 day permit, good for evenings and weekends only.

Note that there is NO LONGER FREE PARKING after 10:00 PM. Also, the permits are only good for lots labeled "C".

The permits may be purchased at the self-pay machines located in the parking lots. Payment must be made with exact change (paper) or credit card.

Note: The regular UCSB Robertson Gym Parking Lots 20 and 21 are now CLOSED (Permanently). The closest parking lots to Robertson Gym are now in the "Mesa Parking Garage" (lot #18, to the East of Rob Gym), and in front of the "Thunder Dome" (lot #27, to the west of Rob Gym).

Want more information?

Night and Weekend Parking rates at UCSB.

UCSB Transportation and Parking Services

Why Rob Gym? Why Easter Weekend?

The Short Answer

The gym provides a single location where the festival can be set up and left for the entire weekend. This makes it a lot less work for the organizers and vendors. Less work means fewer burned out organizers. Also, many jugglers appreciate the climatically controlled environment of the gym. This is especially appreciated when the wind is blasting outside, which is usually the case in April in Santa Barbara county.

Easter Weekend is the only time when the jugglers are almost sure to be able to reserve the gym.

The Long Answer

Throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's the festival happened at Anisq'Oyo park in Isla Vista. Rain or shine, windy or calm. Usually windy. Many of us remember this era quite fondly.

The festival has been happening at Robertson (Rob) Gym, on the UCSB campus, for several years now. It all started one year when it started raining on Saturday morning at Anisq'Oyo park. The festival participants went off to Rob Gym. Our backup location was a small upstairs gym. The festival organizers were left to take down the sound system. By the time they got to the gym, all the jugglers were having their way with the large downstairs basketball gym instead of the tiny side gym that had been reserved. The guy that was working at the gym had tried to get them to move upstairs, but jugglers will be jugglers! We made a quick phone call, and, much to our surprise, had secured the large gym for the entire weekend! This was a revelation to us; the jugglers were always given a low priority for gym space. The only reason that it was possible was that it happened to be Easter Weekend. The festival has been taking place at Rob Gym on Easter Weekend ever since.