Burning City

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the city’s rebirth from the ashes is the basis of this identity. The organizer’s of this festival—featuring burlesque, carnival, and sideshow theatre—chose that defining moment to transform the fire of destruction into one of artistic creation.

The second star of the Chicago flag (which acknowledges the fire) frames the phoenix of the city’s spirit rising from allegorical performers that, like the festival, celebrate the human form and movement.

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(Poster gallery at bottom of page)