CLEVELAND, Ohio – Magic shows are a thing of the past, and bubblers/bubbleologists are taking over the party scene. These bubble artists entertain people with all kinds of bubbles. (Not to be confused with devices for consuming cannabis.)
We’re not talking about the iridescent, baseball-sized bubbles you blew with a plastic wand as a kid. We’re talking about bubble drama like cube-shaped bubbles, smoke-filled bubbles, and bubbles big enough to fit a person (or two) inside.
Seventy bubblers from around the world will be in Northeast Ohio for BubbleFest 2024. Three shows are planned. The first two – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, September 7, at Edgewater Park and noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, September 8, at Wade Oval – are free.
A variety show featuring the best of this group will be performed on the Cleveland Heights High School stage on Sunday, September 8, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and $20.
These events are the third international bubble festival. The previous events took place in Berlin and London.
“We could have held this event in one location, but we know Cleveland is a city with an East Side and a West Side,” says Steve Presser, who owns the Big Fun toy store and is helping organize the event. “We wanted the bubble community to know that Cleveland is a unique city with beaches and a cultural center. Those two venues were important to us when we decided on a location.”
“I’ve done a lot of fun things in my life,” says Presser. “There’s something incredibly special about bubbles that makes everyone happy. And bubbles are so cool and nice.”
Presser works with bubble artist and BubbleFest director Gary Pearlman, aka Dr. UR Awesome, to coordinate BubbleFest and private meetings for the traveling bubbleologists.
Pearlman holds 15 Guinness World Records, including the largest free-floating outdoor bubble, which was the size of two school buses stacked on top of each other. He says this category of entertainment is relatively new.
“There are about 5,000 of us worldwide who make a living doing this,” he notes. “Others are electricians, teachers and more during the week. On the weekends they throw birthday parties.”
Bubble artists still use bubble solution, but each has their own recipe for success.
“All bubble makers use Dawn soap as their base,” says Presser. “They also have their own secret ingredient, a different recipe. There are also several really good, professional-quality bubble solution companies.”
Dr. Awesome shows a bubble recipe on the back of his business card.
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