History of the gathering

The Gathering of the Juggalos (The Gathering or GOTJ) is an annual festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artists. It was founded by Robert Bruce, Insane Clown Posse (Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler), and their label in 2000. The Gathering has featured bands of a variety of genres within hip hop and rock, though the majority of the acts perform horrorcore and hardcore hip hop, similar to that of Psychopathic Records artists.

Described by Joseph Bruce as a "Juggalo Woodstock",[1] the Gathering of the Juggalos spans four days and includes concerts, wrestling, games, contests, autograph sessions, and seminars with artists. It is regarded highly by the Juggalo fan base, and is commonly referred to as a "family reunion" of sorts by the fans.
Early years (2000–2002)

The Gathering of the Juggalos was created in 2000 when Rob Bruce organized an event for all Juggalos to gather, a concept long-talked about by Insane Clown Posse. The first Gathering took place in Novi, Michigan at the Expo Center and lasted for three days, with over 7,000 fans in attendance.[1][2] The festival featured concert performances and wrestling hosted by Juggalo Championship Wrestling[1] While performing on the final night, Insane Clown Posse asked the Juggalos to join them onstage, and about 300 fans rushed onto the stage. After performing for almost 30 more minutes, the concert was abruptly stopped by the venue's management.[2]


Vanilla Ice has performed at most of the Gathering of the Juggalos events.
The second Gathering of the Juggalos was held in Toledo, Ohio at the Seagate Center for three days, with approximately 6,600 in attendance. Outside artists included Suicide Machines, Marz, Three 6 Mafia, Vanilla Ice, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.[1][3][4] Juggalo Championship wrestling hosted several matches, with the main event pitting Sabu against Vampiro for the JCW Heavyweight Championship.[1]

Like the previous year, hundreds of fans charged the main stage during Insane Clown Posse's performance. However, this time the group was forced to flee the stage before it collapsed. The festival was ended early, before the duo could reveal their Sixth Joker's Card.[3] The next day, local newspapers reported the rush as a "riot".

The third annual Gathering of the Juggalos was held in the Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois for four days, with over 8,000 in attendance.[5] Esham, Ghoultown, Mack 10, Primer 55, and Bubba Sparxxx were among the guest performers.[6] Bubba Sparxxx was booed offstage and has since left a mark on future Gatherings, as acts sharing similar fates have been said to have received the "Bubba Sparxxx award." Esham announced at the event that he had signed with Psychopathic Records. The Sixth Joker's Card was unveiled in two separate seminars, The Wraith: Shangri-La and Hell's Pit, given by Violent J.[7] The second seminar, detailing Insane Clown Posse's entire rise to fame, was captured on video and released with The Wraith: Shangri-La in DVD format.

A riot occurred after police tried to stop Juggalettes from showing their breasts. The police released tear gas and pepper balls into the surrounding crowd, causing mass confusion. Psychopathic Record employees Rob Bruce and Alex Abbiss negotiated with police, and the festival continued after airing out for 30 minutes.[5]

Expansion and development (2003–2006)

In 2003, the Gathering was held outdoors for the first time. The event took place at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park, known as "the Crystal Forest", near Garrettsville, Ohio in Nelson Township, and lasted five days.[8] It was also the first time the festival went on for 24 hours every day. Guest performers included Bushwick Bill, Dope, and Killah Priest.[8][9] In addition to the wrestling matches, Mad Man Pondo hosted Mad Man Pondo's Wrestling School.[9] Though multiple police were called to watch over the event by Garrettsville residents, the Gathering went off without any problems.[10]


Tech N9ne is a performer who is a staple of the Gathering of the Juggalos
The fifth annual Gathering of the Juggalos returned to Garrettsville the following year, with over 5,000 in attendance.[11] Ol' Dirty Bastard, Kurupt, Tech N9ne, and Wolfpac were among those who performed.[12] Kurupt got booed off the stage by the Juggalos, and retaliated by throwing a microphone into the audience. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony also re-united for the first time in several months by making a surprise performance on opening night. Juggalo Championship Wrestling hosted matches every day, and featured several established wrestlers.[13]

The Gathering of the Juggalos returned to Garrettsville for a third time in 2005. Guest performers included 2 Live Crew, Powerman 5000, Manntis, and Mini Kiss. Charlie Murphy was also brought in as one of the stand-up comedians. The Gathering hosted the final round of the Underground Psychos contest, in which the winner, Axe Murder Boyz, was signed to Psychopathic Records. Juggalo Championship Wrestling held the event "JCW vs. TNA" which pitted JCW wrestlers against TNA wrestlers.[14]

Quarry Park's owner, Evan Kelley, kicked the festival off his grounds later that year. He stated that, "Psychopathic Records broke some of the rules set down for the 2005 event, including blasting music all night long." He also explained that, "Drugs, alcohol, nudity, profanity and trash also became serious problems."[15]

The seventh annual Gathering of the Juggalos was set to take place in Brooklyn, Michigan, however, the board of Woodstock Township, Michigan denied the label the permits needed to hold the event. On April 18, Psychopathic Records announced that the Gathering would be held in Pataskala, OH at Frontier Ranch.[16] The festival featured over 100 bands. Those playing at the main and second stages included Drowning Pool, Digital Underground, Rehab, Too $hort, Intricate Unit, Bobaflex, and Vile.[17]

Current (2007–present)

Cave-In-Rock, Illinois hosted the eighth Gathering of the Juggalos at Hogrock Campgrounds, with over 8,000 fans attending the four day event.[18] Like the previous year, over 100 bands were featured. Performances on the main and second stages included Ying Yang Twins, Necro, Haystak, Zug Izland, Prozak, Mushroomhead, and Insane Poetry. Comedians included Joey Gay. Bloodymania, the culmination of Juggalo Championship Wrestling's web show, SlamTV!, debuted at the event.[19] Anybody Killa was also announced to have signed back with Psychopathic Records. Since the 2007 event, every Gathering has been held at Hogrock Campgrounds.

The ninth Gathering of the Juggalos included guest performances Afroman, Andrew W.K., Ice-T, and Bizarre.[20] Both Bloodymania II and the debut of Oddball Wrestling were presented by Juggalo Championship Wrestling. The Gathering was filmed by Psychopathic Video for the documentary A Family Underground, which was released on May 12, 2009.[21][22][23]


Ice Cube was the opener for the tenth Gathering of the Juggalos.
The tenth Gathering of the Juggalos had the largest attendance in Gathering history with over 20,000 people.[24] Over 120 musical artists performed at the event, including Ice Cube, GWAR, Coolio, and Scarface.[25] During their set, Insane Clown Posse debuted the songs "Juggalo Island" and "Bang! Pow! Boom!" from their then-upcoming album Bang! Pow! Boom![25] Juggalo Championship Wrestling hosted Bloodymania III, Oddball Wrestling, and Flashlight Wrestling.[26] Stand-up comedians included Jimmie Walker and Pauly Shore.[27] The trailer for Big Money Rustlas also premiered during the event, where it was screened twice.[28]

An infomercial for the event was released online by Psychopathic Records.[29] On July 21, 2009, Tom Scharpling and Paul F. Tompkins lampooned the promotional video on New Jersey radio station WFMU's The Best Show on WFMU.[30] On December 5, 2009, Saturday Night Live aired a sketch titled "Kickspit Underground Rock Festival", which parodied the infomercial.[29] Bruce stated that he was not offended by the parody, and that he thought that the sketch was "hilarious" and "a humongous compliment".[29]

The 11th Gathering of the Juggalos was held on August 12–15, 2010 in Cave-In-Rock, IL.[31] In honor of the Western comedy film Big Money Rustlas being released at the event, the Gathering featured a "Best in the West" West Coast hip hop theme.[32] Guest performances include Naughty by Nature, Spice 1, Method Man & Redman, Above the Law, and Warren G.[32] A "Ladie's Night," hosted by Sugar Slam, featured performances by Kisa, Lil V, Ill E. Gal, and Tila Tequila.[32] Shaggy 2 Dope hosted "Shaggy's Old School Super Jam," featuring DJing by 2 Dope and performances by Tone Lōc and Rob Base.[32] Comedy was provided by Tom Green, Gallagher, and Ron Jeremy.[32] Five wrestling shows were booked for the event; Oddball Wrestling, Bloodymania IV, two Flashlight Wrestling events, and an event featuring the cast of Half Pint Brawlers.[32][33] Tila Tequila and Method Man were hit with bottles during their performances, and both plan to sue Juggalo Gathering LLC.[34][35]

Kottonmouth Kings performed at the first Gathering of the Juggalos, and numerous others since.
Main article: Gathering of the Juggalos lineups by year
Over the years, several hundred artists have performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos. Outside of the label's roster, notable artists who have become a common stay at the event include Project Born, Kottonmouth Kings, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Vanilla Ice, Zug Izland, Esham, Tech N9ne, Wolfpac, 2 Live Crew, Rehab, Necro, Haystak, King Gordy, Prozak, Three 6 Mafia, Afroman, Bizarre, Big B, and Coolio.

Notable guest performances include Mack 10, Bubba Sparxxx, Dope, Killah Priest, Bushwick Bill, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Kurupt, Powerman 5000, Digital Underground, Drowning Pool, Too $hort, Ying Yang Twins, Mushroomhead, Andrew W.K., Ice Cube, GWAR, Scarface, Naughty by Nature, Spice 1, Method Man & Redman, Above the Law, Warren G, Tila Tequila, Tone Lōc, and Rob Base.