By JoAnn Ireland
The 16th New York City Unicycle Festival was organized by the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and this four day festival took place August 28 – 31, 2025. New York City is of course the largest city in the United States (population estimated to be 8.48 million as of 2024) and no doubt an incredible place to a part of on Labor Day weekend. Attendance was free for everyone and donations were also welcome and greatly appreciated. Beautifully designed t-shirts were for sale ($30 each) with a cartoon rat riding a unicycle while eating a slice of pizza, fittingly its unicycle wheel was also a pizza with a slice cut out of it. Past festival t-shirts were also for sale at $25 each, often with iconic New York City imagery, so they are an absolutely great souvenir.
NYC Unifest 2025 group photo – photo courtesy of Keith Nelson
Saturday and Sunday’s events were at the Hudson River Park Pier 76, near 12th Ave. and 34th St., which is on the west side of midtown Manhattan with grand views of the Hudson River. It’s also very conveniently located one mile to either the New York Port Authority bus station and the Moynihan Train Hall, which is New York’s Amtrak Station, for those who are traveling from outside of New York City.
Unicyclists and riders playing basketball and sumo
I attended on Saturday where the scheduled events included: a workshop on idling / riding backwards, pin wheels, unicycle sumo, unicycle games / relays, unicycle basketball and drills, a unicycle demo / show, and a group photo. On Saturday unicycle hockey also took place.
Learn to Ride at the NYC Unicycle Festival 2025
I’m basically a unicyclist who can ride forward, make wide turns, without being able to consistently free mount and anyone at that ability can definitely participate in many of the events – I really could have benefited from the idling / riding backwards workshop. If you don’t know how to ride a unicycle, there were plenty of people at this festival who were able to help you learn as well as apparatus, such as metal crowd-control barriers set up to provide that much needed unwavering support when you are learning to ride and unicycles, which were available on both Saturday and Sunday. There were even special training unicycles available to get new riders used to being on one wheel. While I didn’t try to ride one, it didn’t appear that the training unicycles by design really helped new riders learn that forward and backward balance that is unique to ride a unicycle, but sometimes building confidence by being on a unicycle and moving forward can really help, so I still thought the trainers were a cool idea. There were also trials-like obstacles (a pipe, ramps, narrow wooden beams, a see-saw, and small jumps) set up on both Saturday and Sunday.
Unicyclists at NYC Unifest 2025
I brought my own unicycle to the festival; it was very easy and convenient for me to do so, but if you cannot do that, or don’t have a unicycle yet, don’t let that hold you back from attending this festival. Sem and Teresa Abrahams of Cirque Amongus came in from Michigan with a truck full of unicycles and related circus bicycles, many of which were available for individuals to try. Plus they were seen spinning jump ropes if anyone wanted to try Double Dutch while on a unicycle.
Jugglers at NYC Unifest 2025
Many of the jugglers from the New York Carmine Street Irregulars Juggling Club were in attendance, including Donnell Griffith. Longtime former New Yorker, Cindy Marvell, was also in attendance and seen riding at this festival with a unicycle that she borrowed. There was lots of juggling taking place, so jugglers were certainly welcome at this unicycle festival.
Show performers at NYC Unifest 2025
The show on Saturday was emceed by Bindlestiff Family Cirkus co-founder Keith Nelson, and the show started off with beautiful pinwheel partner work demonstrated by Alessia and Ilaria Success, two sisters who first got on unicycles at this festival about seven years ago. Dave Cox was next and he rode a unicycle while holding two hoops and proceeded to place each of them around his legs and then moved them up his body and over his head all while riding. Calla June was next and she performed some skilled one-foot riding, wheel walking, and standing while riding her unicycle. Sem Abrahams performed with his one-of-a-kind scissors lift giraffe unicycle that the crowd was very excited to see him use it to mechanically go higher and higher and then lower it back down.
Randy Kato in the Cyr wheel
Randy Kato was the next act with a definite crowd pleasing performance with the Cyr wheel, which is a large metal circular ring that is approximately six feet in diameter that he is able to artistically and acrobatically spin while inside of it. Cyr wheels can be made any size depending on your height and can also be manufactured to be able to be taken apart for easier transportation. His act was a type of act that I haven’t often seen in person, so that was especially exciting.
Jefferson Freire, the NYC Unifest 2025 finale act
Video of Jefferson Freire flashing five clubs on a giraffe unicycle
Jefferson Freire was the final performer who juggled up to five beanbags and performed many patterns with both three and five clubs. Jefferson then proceeded to juggle three clubs while on a giraffe unicycle and then balanced a long pole on his forehead with a ball on top. For his next trick, he played the violin while also riding the giraffe unicycle, a very unique way to incorporate instrumental music into his performance. He concluded his act by impressively flashing five clubs while also idling on the giraffe unicycle.
Sunday’s scheduled events at the Hudson River Park Pier 76 included: a wheel walking workshop, pin wheels, unicycle basketball and drills, unicycle and penny-farthing (high wheeler) race, unicycle games / relays, and unicycle sumo.
On Thursday and Friday there were long distance unicycle rides. Thursday’s ride was in Manhattan going from Battery Park at the southernmost tip of Manhattan where you can start by seeing expansive views of the New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. The ride headed north along the Hudson River greenway, which is a dedicated bike path that is closed to vehicular traffic and runs along the Hudson River. The ride continued east to the Central Park loop where riders got to see many of the parks landmarks. The ride then headed south and concluded at none other than Times Square (42nd St.) for a total distance of approximately ten miles.
Friday’s long distance ride started on the Manhattan side of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, where riders traversed the bridge into Brooklyn and traveled south to Prospect Park for a brief rest before continuing their ride to none other than Coney Island. Coney Island is home to Luna Park and the historic Cyclone wooden roller coaster, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, the Coney Island beach and boardwalk, very appropriately the Wonder Wheel, and the New York Aquarium. Friday’s long distance ride was approximately 13 miles.
Views from Pier 76, the Bella Abzug Park fountains, and the Vessel at Hudson Yards
There is plenty to see and do in the immediate area of the Hudson River Park Pier 76 for those who might not prefer to spend their afternoon unicycling, including the High Line Park, the Bella Abzug Park, and the Hudson Yards shopping and dining complex.
Lots of incredible volunteers put together the 16th New York Unifest, including Keith Nelson who organized the event, Rich Potter for his truly fun t-shirt design, and Sem and Teresa Abrahams who helped individuals learn circus skills. There were also numerous volunteers at each of the events, learn to ride area, demo juggling / circus prop area, and registration / t-shirt sales tables to help make it a very successful festival, in addition to those individuals who led the two long distance unicycle rides. So if you’re looking for a big city unicycling (and circus / juggling) experience, this is the festival to attend!
Written and photographed by JoAnn Ireland.
JoAnn Ireland is a longtime hobbyist juggler who especially prefers juggling beanbags, joggles (running and juggling), and occasionally rides a unicycle. She is grateful for the opportunity to have been able to attend many IJA and regional juggling festivals.
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