sideshows
Not main attractions
Sideshows are secondary attractions at a circus or fair, typically featuring curiosities, oddities, or unusual performers—the bearded lady, the sword swallower, the two-headed calf.
By extension, a sideshow is any distracting spectacle that draws attention from the main event: The scandal became a sideshow that overshadowed the actual policy debate.
The implication is that sideshows are entertaining but ultimately peripheral.
Equidistant from both ends
- barkersAggressive sidewalk promoters
- tentsPortable fabric shelters
- boothsSmall compartments for activities
- freakshowExhibition of curiosities
fire-eaters · sword-swallowers · contortionists · fortune-tellers · games · funhouse · cotton-candy · popcorn
Unusual or strange things
- freakshowExhibition of curiosities
- specimensRepresentative items for examination
- wondersCauses of awe
- marvelsAstonishing phenomena
anomalies · gaffs · two-headed · conjoined · giants · dwarfs · pinheads · armless
Quality from past eras
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
- carnyTraveling show employee
- old-timeOf a past era
- sawdustPowdery timber waste
bygone · Ripley · boardwalk · fairground · itinerant · revival
Redirection of attention
- spectacleVisually striking event
- secondaryLesser in rank
- peripheralExternal computer add-on
- subplotSubordinate narrative strand
tangent · detour · digression · attention-grabber · misdirection
Performers of athletic feats
- jugglersMulti-object tossing artists
- clownsComic performers in costume
- magiciansPractitioners of sleight-of-hand
- illusionistsEntertainers creating false perceptions
contortionists · sword-swallowers · fire-eaters · escapologists · ventriloquists · puppeteers · unicyclists · mimes
midway
Equidistant from both ends
- barkersAggressive sidewalk promoters
- tentsPortable fabric shelters
- boothsSmall compartments for activities
freakshow · fire-eaters · sword-swallowers · contortionists · fortune-tellers · games · funhouse · cotton-candy · popcorn · tickets
oddities
Unusual or strange things
marvels · anomalies · gaffs · two-headed · conjoined · giants · dwarfs · pinheads · armless · legless
vintage
Quality from past eras
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
- carnyTraveling show employee
- old-timeOf a past era
sawdust · bygone · Ripley · boardwalk · fairground · itinerant · revival
diversion
Redirection of attention
- spectacleVisually striking event
- secondaryLesser in rank
- peripheralExternal computer add-on
subplot · tangent · detour · digression · attention-grabber · misdirection
acrobats
Performers of athletic feats
- jugglersMulti-object tossing artists
- clownsComic performers in costume
- magiciansPractitioners of sleight-of-hand
illusionists · contortionists · sword-swallowers · fire-eaters · escapologists · ventriloquists · puppeteers · unicyclists · mimes · aerialists
- circuscircus, big top, clown, clowns, ringmaster
- British Seasidepier, piers, beach hut, beach huts, promenade
- carnivalparade, costume, float, ferris wheel, roller coaster
- Bay Area RapOakland, Vallejo, ghost riding, turfing, slaps
- amusementsarcade, carnivals, pinball machine, fairs, ferris wheel
- theme parksroller coasters, roller coaster, Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, carousels
sideshowsmain event
Featured performance or contest
headliner · main attraction · centerpiece · main act · headline act
sideshowsmain stage
Principal performance platform
substance · heart of the matter · focal point · legitimate theater · crux
- sideshow actsUnusual carnival performers