Circus Flea Market at the Museum: 240 Collectors on a Treasure Hunt

On June 14, the Circus & Clown Museum Vienna was filled with collectors and circus fans: at the Circus Flea Market held as part of the International World Circus Day, around 240 visitors came to the museum. In several large boxes lay program booklets, posters and magazines from circus companies such as CIRCUS KRONE, CIRCUS APOLLO, BELLY and BARUM – many of them from the museum's own holdings.

Many guests stayed for a long time, browsing through entire annual volumes and exchanging tips on rare pieces and collector questions. Anyone who wanted to took the opportunity to also walk through the permanent exhibition and have the curators explain the backgrounds of individual performers and venues.

The Circus Flea Market takes place once or twice a year and has now become a fixed part of the museum's program. The edition on June 14 showed how much interest there is in printed records of circus history – and how important places are where people can view, buy, or simply discuss such pieces together.