Wednesday Wyrd: Carneys and Sideshows - a talk with Selene Paxton-Brooks

Freak or Unique?
Enter the weird and wonderful world of the American Carney!
Roll up, roll up, for a look into the lives of the characters who shocked their audiences by being given the opportunity to leave the darkness and astound the viewer’s gaze.
Banned for over 30 years, the film,‘Freaks’, by Tod Browning in 1932 brought shock and horror to theatres, causing outrage and disapproval.

Take a look with Selene Paxton-Brooks at the real people who terrified crowds at theatres, exhibitions and sideshows around the globe.

A tragedy or a blessing? You decide! Join us if you dare… for a night of the unique, the astounding and the unusually beautiful individuals who, for some, will forever haunt the mind.

Part of West Norfolk Wyrdfest 2026.
A month-long cabinet of curiosities with events celebrating the weird, the wonderful and the West Norfolk Landscape.