Released just a few short months ago, the Cole Bros. Circus documentary, Tearing Down the Tent, “grants viewers a backstage pass to one of the largest traveling tent circuses in the world.” Since premeiring at the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis, NC, this documentary has had several screenings, including at the Asheville Film Festival and the [...]
For your viewing pleasure here today, a completely gratuitous vintage contortionist video:
I’m currently supplementing my summer’s travel with The Advance Man: A Journey into the World of the Circus, an autobiographical look at one man’s experiences while marketing and promoting the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Although I’m only about 1/3 of the way through this read, I can say this much: What the [...]
For some, the circus virus runs so deep in the blood that the mere sight of fantastical circus-like packaging is enough to make them stop dead in their tracks. If you fall into this special category of circus nerd (and I’m certainly not ashamed to say that I do), then you’ve likely spotted Spangler’s Marshmallow [...]
☛ Warning: Do not continue reading this post unless you have a full 23 minutes to kill…. I cannot pinpoint when exactly the whole depression era circus theme became so en vogue, but I can’t say I mind it either. One thing’s for sure: it certainly sells. In the wake of the television series Carnivale [...]
This Friday kicks off the Circus Model Show at Baraboo, Wisconsin’s Circus World Museum. Throughout the weekend, over 30 displays from across the country will be presented on these historic grounds for all to see. If you’ve never had the chance to see such an exhibit, allow me to warn you of your likely immediate [...]
Drew Friedman is a pop culture caricature artist who recently turned his talents towards the freakshow community for his illustrated book, Drew Friedman’s Sideshow Freaks. Influenced by his childhood excursions to Coney Island during the 60s and 70s, Friedman breathes new life into these characters by affectionately displaying “50 of his favorite historic human oddities [...]
Over 100 years ago, Belgian engineers challenged the convention of using fabric walls for tents and the Spiegeltent was born. “Spiegeltent” literally translates to “Mirror Tent” in Dutch, and that is quite the apropos name for this architectural wonder. These large, traveling tents are “constructed in wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained [...]
A new concept is emerging in the underground party scene in select cities around the country: box car markets. Advertised by word-of-mouth, these temporary playgrounds emerge in otherwise desolate or industrial districts and consist of converted cargo trailers, decorated to satisfy the whimsy of any carnival-loving night owl. While Brooklyn is credited as the birthplace [...]
Tomorrow kicks off the 999 Eyes Surreal Sideshow Tour, featuring the Black Scorpion, Eric Odditorium, Ballyhoo Betty and of course, THAT Damned Band! This assembly of misfits have been romping around Austin together for quite some time now, but never before has this lineup ventured out on the road together, and there are quite a [...]