The history of the Circus-wagon is multiform. It all started with The Little Workshop. The house of the Lunds Mekaniska Verkstad at Trollebergsvägen was rented by a group of art-interested people during some years in the seventies. Héctor Morales conducted there experimental child-activities every saturday for several years, until the old house was torn down by the autorities to make place for new housing. In 1980 the first neighbourhood festival was held at Östra Torn. The place has a resemblance to an amphiteatre which inspired the children to call it Tne Banana-fiest which also became the official name of this festival. Most of those who organised these yearly festivals live or work in Djingis Khan, a nowadays privatised part of the students residencial of Östra Torn, counting 350 families. At each festival a hovelty was presented: once it was a wind-driven merry-go-round, another time a mini-amusement park. The Circus Wagon was the special for 1986. The purchasing of a circus-wagon meant the realisation of a dream for many and the possibility of realisation of many new ideas. We also liked the idea of having something different to look every day and not only during festival days. The group Circusvagnen was then composed of fifteen people from all Sweden, Southern Europe and South America and has since been growing. Many members work with children for a living. There are many other groups that participate on occasion: pantomime, barrel-organ-grinder, musical groups, dancers, etc The Banana Festival was held every year until 1992 and engaged to by almost everyone at Östra Torn and their friends. Inside and around a four-mast-tent the party used to go on night and day for three days for the old and for the young ones: circus, contests, cabarét, dancing, food, music, etc With the purchasing of the old circus-wagon the workshops started, a few at first and then more regularly. We've been participating in Lunds Annual Cultural Night since 1987. Any part of Lund is our operating ground and sometimes also neighbouring communities are visited by us . |