The Carousel of Fools was a rollicking one-night-only party and immersive sideshow at the Santa Monica Pier in the historic Looff Hippodrome.

It’s the dead of winter and a 100-year-old carousel calls out to you to take a ride. But choose your horse wisely – as the world spins, a curious carnival erupts from the boardwalk of Time itself. Lost in a night of mayhem and wonderment, will you become an oddity, a star, or a mark?

Carousel of Fools features 30 games, pop-up performances and sideshow acts, including magicians, mermaids, land sharks, carousel rides, tarot readers, naughty finger puppets, a monster truck ballet, a fire-breathing chicken, stilt walkers, a (stationary) blacklight dark ride, and more! Audiences will spend an interactive choose-your-own-adventure night following their curiosities into every corner of the Looff Hippodrome.

The sideshow stage stars Amy Amnesia and Brianna Belladonna performing sword swallowing, human blockhead and other human tricks.  Female sword swallowers are rare in the sideshow world – so don’t miss your lucky night to see two at a time!

For those interested in a deeper immersive experience, audiences  opted into joining The Apothecary of Stories. A mysterious traveler  arrived at the sideshow to save the forgotten, hidden stories of the Carousel, which were scattered around the party and had to be saved before they were consumed by the great and terrible Dogfish. Entrance to the Apothecary of Stories was included in the $240 ticket level 

A bit of wicked and a dash of mischief included for no additional cost. The night included a special taste of Rogues’ work in development, Schlitzie: Alive and Inside the Decaying Sideshow.

Previous Event

January 25th, 2024 at the Santa Monica Pier 

Accessibility 

This event was a fully ADA-accessible experience, including the carousel!

Press

 “Rogue Artists Ensemble has appropriately blown the lid off the standard fundraising gala event[...]” - Broadway World