Street performers are not exactly a new thing in Vancouver. Walk around town for any amount of time and you're bound to bump into one or two. Skytrain stations have buskers and you can often spot them along the Granville Entertainment District (though they're not exclusively limited to this area) but one of my favourites is the juggler who I usually spot at Granville Island. It's been a while since I've seen him and can't quite remember what he looks like but I came upon this performer yesterday while wandering the streets in the middle of the afternoon.

He had quite a crowd of both young and old gathered on the corner of Granville and Robson. I'd missed half of the show but managed to watch a few tricks. The first is this flying plane trick which, to be honest, is only memorable for how it ends.

This next trick, the last in his show, is pretty spectacular. I expect part of the reason he's so popular is his banter with the crowd but it also takes a special kind of person to put his/her life in the hands of perfect strangers. It's hard to tell but that pole? It's being held up by four guys that the performer pulled from the crowd.


I thought it was well worth my $5.