public spectacles
Mass witnessed happenings
Public spectacles are events or displays meant to be witnessed by crowds—parades, executions, sporting matches, royal ceremonies.
The term often carries a whiff of the theatrical or excessive: The trial became a public spectacle.
To make a public spectacle of oneself is to behave embarrassingly in front of others, drawing unwanted attention through foolish or undignified conduct.
- boxing matchScheduled combat between pugilists
- arenaVenue for contests
- religious festivalObservance honoring the divine
- amphitheaterOpen-air tiered venue
- exotic animalsNon-domesticated foreign species
Roman Empire · bread and circuses · concert · gladiatorial games · wild animals · parade · victory parade · ticker tape · wedding ceremony · circus · street performer · town square · coronation · royal wedding · harvest celebration · bullfight · protest · cavea
- etiquettemanners, politeness, etiquette, table manners, courtesy
- Inquisitioninquisition, heretic, inquisitors, heretics, heresy trial
public spectaclesreserved manner
Restrained, formal bearing
understated elegance · keeping a low profile · personal privacy