Jay Rawlings performing at a previous festival edition. Photo: Charles Gervais, Both Hemispheres PhotographyJay Rawlings was fresh from his World record-breaking attempt in the Circus Big Top, after securing a new world record for the number of toilet rolls balanced on someone’s head, when we came across his short Walkabout set in Glebeland.
We noticed later that there was essentially a permanent crowd around Rawlings whenever he was performing in the area in his magician’s outfit, a small stage through which his hands appear, strapped to his chest as he creates card magic while standing up.
The first time we see him, we’ve missed the start, drawn in by the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ of families standing around him, catching the end of his final trick. We come across him again later and manage to catch the full short set, of card trickery.
He bewitches the younger members of his new entourage with a pitch-perfect version of The Card Monty or Chase the Lady. Even better is a trick – we won’t give too much away – where he guesses the card a festival-goer is thinking of, with a little added extra that stuns the adults as much as the children. And he does it all so effortlessly but in an engaging and fun way.
With the set over, as we wander away to find our next attraction I note the feedback of the small audience who had huddled around Rawlings. “Wasn’t that so good!”, “wow! How did he know that?”, “That was amazing.” That about sums it up.
Jay Rawlings performed at Glastonbury Festival 2024, running from 26 to 30 June
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