Hog’s Back Park to be carnival’s summer home.
OTTAWA — An old-school carnival that had been searching for a home is putting up its tents in Hog’s Back Park this summer thanks to the National Capital Commission, and the carnies couldn’t be happier. Carnivale Lune Bleue is a 1930s-style travelling carnival complete with vintage rides and games and death-defying acrobatic performances. After a surprisingly successful first year last summer on the fairgrounds in Kars, founder and executive producer Wayne Van De Graaff went looking for a new location closer to the urban core. The show aims to transport people to a time when touring carnivals would set up on the outskirts of cities and towns for a few days and then move on. So the setting is important. Van De Graaff had an agreement with a landowner to run the five-week show on some rural land just outside Manotick, but the location had to be rezoned to allow it, and the idea ran into several policies designed to protect agricultural land. Organizers approached the NCC about staging the show on LeBreton Flats, but that ran into conflict with another festival. It was then the NCC suggested the isolated, quiet Hog’s Back Park, just north of Hog’s Back Road between Prince of Wales and Riverside drives. “It’s perfect,” said carnival spokeswoman Stephanie Egan. “We’re certainly excited about the location. The setting is just right, and it’s more central.” Alain Nantel is the commission’s point man for festivals. He said after looking at several aspects of the park, the low-impact carnival (organizers expect 500 to 600 people per night) was deemed appropriate. This is a trial year, he said, but if things work out, there’s no reason not to continue. “After this summer, we’ll do our evaluation and determine our next step. But we think it’s an excellent location for them.” The carnival is the result of Van De Graaff’s passion for old-time fairs. There’s a vintage wooden carousel, a creaking 1917 Eli Bridge Ferris wheel that he found in a barn, traditional games such as the milk-bottle ring toss, and, of course, a Love Tester. There are also two tent shows per day featuring acts that organizers promise will “amaze, astound and confound you.” They include sword-swallowing, razor-blade and fire-eating, a strongman, trapeze artists, somebody who electrocutes himself, and another who drives spikes into his face. It also features a “Carny Cookhouse,” which serves gourmet meals. Carnivale Lune Bleue: Tuesday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to midnight, from July 23 to Aug. 30. Tickets range from $15 to $80. For more information, go to carnivalelunebleue.com.
