'Go out and have a laugh': Festival of Fools kicks off at The Forks
A beloved circus-themed event has returned to The Forks, offering free children's entertainment for Winnipeggers throughout spring break.
The Festival of Fools kicked off Saturday afternoon on the second floor of the Forks Market.
The week-long event was created by the Winnipeg International Children's Festival.
Executive producer Neil Rempel said the idea came to him while running a circus camp for kids during spring break. "I thought to myself 'we have all this great talent coming from all over the world and from Manitoba, no one gets the chance to see them,' so we created this."
Rempel said all the Festival of Fools performers are also teachers at the circus camp. "They just rotate around, cover off their workshops, come here, do a show, go back to circus camp," he said. "So they're busy."
The festival features three shows a day, at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. through Mar. 31.
Rempel said they have a variety of different performers, including jugglers and acrobats, and different magicians, including one from the United Kingdom.
"The next show up is the street circus show … and they're fantastic," said Rempel. "They're climbing and balancing all over each other – feats of strength – it’s a fun show!"
Admission to all shows are free. Rempel said it's important that children's festival events be accessible.
"We try and do that with all of the stuff that we do," he said. "We're open for anybody from any socioeconomic category to be able to come down and still have access to this great world class talent."
He adds it's a great way to keep the kids busy during spring break.
"Kids are not in school. They're at home, they need some place to go, something to do. And it’s a great way to go out and have a laugh, have some fun together at The Forks.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A man was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.