A good way to judge music festivals is in the supplemental things beyond the music. It’s not just about seeing a bunch of bands, and it’s why people put up with some of the less-appealing factors of festival (e.g., shorter sets, generally sub-par sound, lots of distractions). That said the New York-based Bindlestiff Family Cirkus was one of the best supplemental things at Freefest. Throughout the day they put on performances for anyone who felt like walking over to check out juggling, contortion, and sword swallowing. It’s these little touches that help make a festival stand out, and stopping by for a few minutes on the way to one stage or the other added up to being one of the best moments of the festival, and more memorable than some of those bands we were going to see.