The 2011 Congress of Curious Peoples Convenes at Coney Island

The 5th Congress of Curious Peoples, an annual convention of sideshow entertainers and other curious individuals, begins tonight at Coney Island. The event, which runs through April 17, is presented by Coney Island USA, a non profit whose mission is to “defend the honor of American popular culture through innovative exhibitions and performances.”

Since the 1860’s, Coney Island has been a beacon for strange and interesting people. For generations, it has attracted the curious and the enlightened, the onlooker and the performer. Every spring Coney Island USA convenes The Congress of Curious Peoples, a 10-day gathering of unique individuals at Sideshows by the Seashore and the Coney Island Museum, celebrating Coney Island’s subversive and exciting power and exploring its political, artistic, and spectacular possibilities through performances, exhibitions, and films by important artists in the world of the 21st century sideshows.

submitted by Jason Laskodi