Review from: Thrown Together festival, National Centre for Circus Arts, London; 25th October 2026
I walk into the National Centre for Circus Arts for the Sunday of Thrown Together, London’s Juggling & Flow Arts Festival, and the atmosphere hits me straight away. The foyer is decorated with circus history, including an exhibition of historic posters and props, which gives the day a sense of tradition before anyone has picked up a club. It also tells me I’m somewhere that takes the art form seriously.
The foyer doubles as a marketplace. There is a varied spread of tables, with vendors, stickers and a place to get coffee, so there is something to browse whether I want kit, souvenirs or a caffeine break. People gather here between workshops, and it makes the whole building feel like one social space rather than a series of closed doors.
Beyond it, the National Centre’s professional studios are in constant use. There are plenty of training spaces and a wide programme of workshops, including Minimal Juggling: Learn how to say more with less, led by Liam Wilson, and a foot juggling and antipodism session led by Roxana Küwen Arsalan. The scale matters, because with this much room to train, swap skills and experiment, the convention feels at home in a building that is a working circus space all year round.
The friendliness carries through to the people. Everyone I speak to is open and chatty, and the feedback I hear is positive. Natalie Reckert, a professional handbalancer, tells me it has ‘the biggest buzz I’ve heard about a circus event in London for years’. Coming from someone who works in the scene, that says Thrown Together is filling a gap in London’s circus calendar.
The Open Stage is the main performance of my day, and it is a charming one: informal and varied, so every act feels different from the last.
Calyx Lumina performs a blindfolded poi routine. Taking away sight is a bold choice, since poi demands constant awareness of where the props are, so the act depends on the performer trusting their body completely. We are also treated to a contemporary ring act from Robert Wholley. It is a lovely mix of technique, graceful movement and small comic moments, and the comedy softens the precision so it never feels cold.
The organiser himself takes the stage too. Charlie Holland has been collecting historic juggling clubs, and he brings the history of the art form to life by pulling them, one by one, out of a Lidl carrier bag. It is an amusing juxtaposition: precious objects from juggling’s past emerge from the most everyday of supermarket bags, and the contrast keeps the tone light rather than reverential. It is also a sweet moment, because it shows how much Holland cares about the tradition and how happy he is to share it with the room. It connects neatly to the poster exhibition in the foyer, so the convention’s sense of heritage runs from the walls to the stage.
The raffle comes after the acts, and it is well managed, which is harder than it sounds. Raffles at conventions can drag and drain the energy from a room. This one is brisk and entertaining, and it stays short enough that the celebratory mood carries on.
My one criticism is that the day is a little short. I would happily stay another three or four hours. That is a small complaint, though, and a sign the convention works: I leave wanting more.
Thrown Together leaves me feeling warmly towards London’s juggling and flow arts community, and I hope it returns next year.
