Curbside Carnies

Curbside Carnies started as a mobile circus during the Victorian lockdowns, built to deliver contactless shows when nothing else could happen. Once restrictions lifted they pushed a small portable stage out onto the street and gave away pop-up performances from the city out to country towns. The project runs Australia-wide now, working with councils and community organisations on programs aimed at bringing people back out in public. Most bookings land in one of a few shapes: performers roving through a crowd, hands-on workshops, a supervised play space, a pop-up show, or a longer circus program built for a specific group. Roving needs almost no set-up time; a pop-up show wants up to half an hour. All performers hold public liability insurance and Working With Children Checks.