Carnivàle Lune Bleue () is a live entertainment event in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Canada.Nostalgic Ottawa accountant recreates 1930s carnival , CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/nostalgic-ottawa-accountant-recreates-1930s-carnival-1.704686 It was created by Executive Producer and Founder, Wayne Van De Graaff. Van De Graaff has stated that after watching the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series, ''

Carnivàle ''Carnivàle'' () is an American television series set in the United States Dust Bowl during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The series, created by Daniel Knauf, ran for two seasons between 2003 and 2005. In tracing the lives of disparate gr ...

,'' he was inspired to pursue his lifelong dream and recreate a vintage Depression-era carnival."Under The Big Top" by Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen, July 31, 2008.
/ref> Carnivàle Lune Bleue made its world debut in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on July 31, 2008 (special media sneak preview night)
/ref> and officially opened to the public for an initial month-long run on August 1, 2008."Authentic 1930s Carnival Makes North American Debut in Ottawa", June 24, 2008.
/ref> In 2009, Carnivàle Lune Bleue performed from July 23 to August 30 at Hog's Back Park in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The opening weekend of the 2009 performance featured a special appearance by

Adrienne Barbeau Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American actress and author. She came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical ''Grease (musical), Grease'', and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter of Maude Findl ...

, who played Ruthie the Snake Dancer in ''Carnivàle''. Carnivàle Lune Bleue has been described as 'offering a visceral peek into the life of a Depression-era road show.'"Blast From Dark Past" by Denis Armstrong, Ottawa Sun, August 1, 2008.
/ref>

Creation

Carnivàle Lune Bleue is the creation of Wayne Van De Graaff, a former international tax and human resources expert who wanted to pay homage to and resurrect the Depression-era traveling carnivals he recalled hearing about from his grandparents while growing up in Utah. During the development of Carnivàle Lune Bleue, Van De Graaff recruited an international team of circus and carnival advisors: Johnny Meah, who is popularly known as "The Czar of Bizarre,"Johnny Meah's Official Website.
/ref> is famous for his work as a carnival advisor and historical consultant for the HBO show, ''

''." Claude Le Belle, who was one of Cirque du Soleil's first "Tent Masters" and now owns hi
own company
Jan-Rok Achard, an internationally renowned circus historian instrumental in founding th
National Circus School in Montreal
Gilles Renaud, who worked with the Montreal International Jazz Festival and other entertainment ventures. Holde Unverzagt, who painted numerous show fronts and banners for amusement parks and carnivals. Jim Conklin o
Conklin Show's
the largest amusement show provider in Canada since the 1920s to create a lifelike and authentic old-fashioned carnival experience.

Attractions

The 2008 and 2009 Carnivàle Lune Bleue lineups featured the following main attractions:Carnivàle Lune Bleue's Official Website.
/ref>

Big Top main event ft. Cirque Maroc

The main event is the Cirque Maroc performance in the Vintage Big Top canvas tent. This show features internationally trained circus artists and former

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

trained performers in a 70-minute showcase of acrobatics, trapeze, contortionism, juggling, aerial rope and other such feats inspired by Depression-era circus, cabaret, burlesque and vaudeville shows. The Big Top used for the Cirque Maroc performance is in itself a piece of circus history in that it was the first tent ever used by

. Cirque Maroc is produced specifically for Carnivàle Lune Bleue by Production Éclats de Rire (Artistic Directors and Administrators: Nicolette Hazewinkel & Rodrigue Tremblay; Production Manager: Gilles Renaud; Director: Pierre Potvin).

Ten-in-One Freak Show ft. Carnival Diablo

An homage to the

freak show A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "Freak, freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual Human#Anatomy and physiology, humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, t ...

s of the original traveling circuses, the Ten-in-One show features acts such as fire-eating, sword swallowing, and the human dartboard. The freak show also involves a guillotine and an electric chair. The Ten-in-One show is produced for Carnivàle Lune Bleue by Scott McClelland of Carnival Diablo (a successful Canadian touring freak show).Carnival Diablo's Official Website.
/ref> McClelland has deep roots in the industry and enthusiastically signed on to perform his show in the old-style carnival revival, as his grandfather was involved with the largest traveling circus sideshow in Canada from 1920 to 1968. The show features McClelland himself as "Nikolai Diablo", Sword Swallower Extraordinaire; István Betyár, Countess Vanessa and the Illustrated Strongman; The Mighty Leviticus.

Tropical Terrors: Great Snakes of the World

The Tropical Terrors: Great Snakes of the Word show features snakes and bugs from all over the world, including a giant rock python. There are also boa constrictors, anacondas, spiders, rattlers, and other types of pythons, all available in a space-controlled, interactive environment. The Tropical Terrors show is produced for Carnivàle Lune Bleue by Little Ray's Reptile Zoo (the largest reptile rescue group in Canada and a successful touring zoo across Eastern Ontario).Little Ray's Reptile Zoo's Official Website.
/ref>

The Magical Midway

Carnivàle Lune Bleue also features original, restored carnival rides, including a 1938

Allan Herschell Company The Allan Herschell Company was a company that specialized in the creation of amusement rides, particularly carousels and roller coasters. The company manufactured portable machines that could be used by traveling carnival operators. It was st ...

vintage carousel and a 1917 Eli Bridge No. 5

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...

. For safety reasons, seatbelts were installed and the original gasoline engine that ran the Ferris wheel has been replaced with an electric one. The Magical Midway also includes a clairvoyant caravan, a variety of carnival games of skill, a Banner Line (a large art exhibit of carnival banners), a Grab Joint and Candy Joint (with classic carnival drinks and candies), and a vintage 1920s high striker.

The Congress of Wonders Museum

The Congress of Wonders tented exhibit features numerous artifacts, images and displays from the golden age of traveling carnivals including a freaks photo gallery, the infamous Turtle Boy, a genuine bed of nails and the Jersey Devil. The Congress of Wonders Museum is presented by th
North American Carnival Museum and Archives

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carnivale Lune Bleue Entertainment companies of Canada Traveling carnivals