In recent times, festivals around the world have grown in number due to the increased recognition of their importance for tourism, branding and economic development. Festivals hold multifaceted roles in society and can be staged to bring positive economic impact, for the competitive advantage they lend a destination or to address social objectives. Studies on festivals have appeared in a wide range of disciplines, and consequently, much of the research available is highly fragmented. This handbook brings this knowledge together in one volume, offering a comprehensive evaluation of the most current research, debates and controversies surrounding festivals. It is divided into nine sections that cover a wide range of theories, concepts and contexts, such as sustainability, festival marketing and management, the strategic use of festivals and their future. Featuring a variety of disciplinary, cultural and national perspectives from an international team of authors, this book will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers of event management and will be of interest to scholars in the fields of anthropology, sociology, geography, marketing, management, psychology and economics.

Magic is a fabulous form of entertainment, both on a professional basis and in the home. This comprehensive book contains more than 375 tricks, ranging from card, money and mind magic, optical illusions and close-up magic to puzzles, party tricks and stand-up and stage illusions. More than 2500 step-by-step photographs reveal all the skills you need, and close-up secret views show how the illusions are performed, with tips on preparation and patter enabling you to achieve a polished performance. Whether you are a keen novice or want to expand your repertoire, this inspiring book will enable you to confound and amaze friends and family.

70 of the best rope tricks ever devised using overhand knots, slip knots and square knots. Dissolve knots, cut and restore ropes, make ropes magically shrink or grow longer, rope escape tricks, flourish knots. 423 illustrations and clear, easy-to-follow directions make performing these startling feats foolproof.

Proposing the innovative concept of palimpsest bodies to interpret provocative theatre and performance experiments that explore issues of cultural memory, bodies of history, archives, repertoires and performing remains, Ruth Hellier-Tinoco offers an in-depth analysis of four postdramatic and transdisciplinary collective creation theatre projects. Combined with ideas of postmemory and rememory, palimpsest bodies are inherently trans-temporal as they perform re-visions of embodied gestures, vocalized calls and sensory experiences. Focusing on one of Mexico's most significant contemporary theatre companies, La Maquina de Teatro, directed by renowned artists Juliana Faesler and Clarissa Malheiros, this ground-breaking study documents the playfully rigorous performances of layered, plural and trans identities as collaborative, feminist and queer re-visions of official histories and collective memories. Illustrated with over one hundred colour photos, Performing Palimpsest Bodies: Postmemory Theatre Experiments in Mexico will appeal to creative artists and scholars interested in contemporary theatre and performance studies, critical dance studies, collective creation and performance-making.

A spellbinding new fantasy novel from the author of The Apprentice Witch series - perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli and Diana Wynne Jones. 'A cosy, magical adventure which touches on the problems associated with fast fashion.' THE BOOKSELLER 'Enchanting' THE WEEK JUNIOR Hen dreams of joining the family spell-tailor business, making magical homemade outfits. But the shop is struggling, thanks to the cheap clothing factory that has opened nearby. Stumbling upon a stitch - one that can sew memories into seams - Hen thinks he has the answer that will save them. Instead, he's shocked to be banned from sowing forever. What is going on? And can he unravel the mystery before it's too late? Combines James Nicol's trademark cosy fantasy with an enchanting mystery - perfect for readers 8 and up Explores the real magic of clothes as Hen, a spell tailor's apprentice, struggles to master his family craft - and discovers a new kind of stitch in the process A warm hug of a book - one to curl up with in your favourite old jumper!

The Cambridge Companion to the Circus provides a complete guide for students, scholars, teachers, researchers, and practitioners who are seeking perspectives on the foundations and evolution of the modern circus, the contemporary extent of circus studies, and the specialised literature available to support further enquiries. The volume brings together an international group of established and emerging scholars working across the multi-disciplinary domain of circus studies to present a clear overview of the specialised histories, aesthetics and distinctive performances of the modern circus. In sixteen commissioned essays, it covers the origins in commercial equestrian performance during the late-eighteenth century to contemporary inflections of circus arts in major international festivals, educational environments, and social justice settings.

The Cambridge Companion to the Circus provides a complete guide for students, scholars, teachers, researchers, and practitioners who are seeking perspectives on the foundations and evolution of the modern circus, the contemporary extent of circus studies, and the specialised literature available to support further enquiries. The volume brings together an international group of established and emerging scholars working across the multi-disciplinary domain of circus studies to present a clear overview of the specialised histories, aesthetics and distinctive performances of the modern circus. In sixteen commissioned essays, it covers the origins in commercial equestrian performance during the late-eighteenth century to contemporary inflections of circus arts in major international festivals, educational environments, and social justice settings.

This book explores the circus as a site in and through which science and technology are represented in popular culture. Across eight chapters written by leading scholars - from fields as varied as performance and circus studies, art, media and cultural history, and engineering - the book discusses to what extent the engineering of circus and performing bodies can be understood as a strategy to promote awe, how technological inventions have shaped circus and the cultures it helps constitute, and how much of a mutual shaping this is. What kind of cultural and aesthetic effects does engineering in circus contexts achieve? How do technological inventions and innovations impact on the circus? How does the link between circus and technology manifest in representations and interpretations - imaginaries - of the circus in other media and popular culture? Circus, Science and Technology examines the ways circus can provide a versatile frame for interpreting our relationship with technology.

India's association with magicians goes back thousands of years. Conjurors and illusionists dazzled the courts of Hindu maharajas and Mughal emperors. As British dominion spread over the subcontinent, such wonder-workers became synonymous with India. Western magicians appropriated Indian attire, tricks and stage names; switching their turbans for top hats, Indian jugglers fought back and earned their grudging respect. This book tells the extraordinary story of how Indian magic descended from the realm of the gods to become part of daily ritual and popular entertainment across the globe. Recounting tales of levitating Brahmins, resurrections, prophesying monkeys and 'the most famous trick never performed', Empire of Enchantment vividly charts Indian magic's epic journey from street to the stage.

Get ready to start nursery with the classic Sophie la girafe toy, in this boardbook full of gentle messages and tips. Join Sophie for her first day at nursery in this book specially made for little ones settling into a new day care environment. This short story is perfect for reading aloud together with babies and toddlers, building familiarity and confidence about their days at nursery or with a childminder. Each scene picks out key first words, to help toddlers building their language skills. Textured, trace-the-shape pages will engage curious readers as they turn the pages. For parents and carers, each page features short practical tips to help you and your child, consulted by Early Years expert Lizzie Noble. Sophie la girafe has sold more than 50 million teether toys worldwide, and now the iconic toy from France turns 60. Celebrate with Sophie as she steps into the pages of a brand new series of baby books. Designed for reading together with your baby or toddler, this would also make the perfect birthday or returning to work gift.

The authoritative guide to planning, organising, managing and delivery events of all size Anyone responsible for organising a voluntary or public event will want to do it safely and well, complying with the legislation relating to different aspects of their event. This book will help you to research, plan, organise, manage and deliver any event, match, show, tournament or function that will be attended by more than a handful of people. You may be running a gymkhana, fete, fun run, steam fayre, half marathon, carnival, school sports day, jumble sale, tennis tournament, car boot sale, model aircraft show or even a huge pop festival or Formula 1 car race. Whatever it is, the principles are the same. As event manager you will need to research, plan, liaise with authorities, obtain permissions and licences, comply with legal requirements and then deliver the event to the public. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. The event manager; 3. The event objective; 4. Planning the event; 5. Health & safety; 6. Type of event; 7. When to run the event; 8. Defining your target audience; 9. Audience size; 10. Advertising; 11. Event attractions; 12. Event requirements; 13. Accommodation and services; 14. Event site; 15. Traffic management; 16. Sign posting; 17. Permissions; 18. Car parking; 19. Radio communications; 20. Staffing; 21. First aid; 22. Security; 23. Insurance; 24. Emergency and normal procedures; 25. Formal presentation; 26. Event manager's manual; 27. Money; 28. Accounts; 29. Video diary/evidence; 30. Setting up; 31. Site maintenance; 32. Strip down/clear up; 33. Final debrief 34. Final report; 35. Conclusion; Annex A; Annex B; Index.

This marvelous treasury of card magic presents the exact details of 155 professional card tricks that anyone can learn. The world's number-one card wizard, John Scarne, reworked an exciting series of classic card tricks to eliminate the need for sleight-of-hand. Simple instructions and clear diagrams illustrate Houdini's "Card on the Ceiling," Blackstone's "Card Trick Without Cards," Carlyle's "Piano Card Trick," Milton Berle's "Quickie Card Deal," and Scarne's own "Drunken Poker Deal" and "Knockout Card Trick." Scarne presents all tricks with advice on accompanying patter, offering helpful suggestions about the kinds of words and gestures that give performances a professional gloss. Introduction. Index.

Clear diagrams and step-by-step instructions for performing 18 simple feats of prestidigitation: Strength Test, Untangled, Elastic Lock, Mystic Spinner, Rollaway, Heavyset, The Great Escape and many more, using such ordinary objects as coins, rubber bands and string.

These two great books of conjuring tricks: includes illusions, puzzles and stunts with 300 step-by-step projects for you to try, in over 2300 photographs. This title includes two fun and accessible step-by-step guides to more than 300 brilliant illusions, tricks, puzzles and stunts, including close-up magic and party tricks. Each fantastic trick is fully illustrated and expertly described, enabling you to amaze your audience with feats such as making someone levitate, walking through a postcard and defying gravity It includes a fascinating history of magic from its origins in ancient Egypt through the 19th and 20th centuries to today, featuring magicians such as David Copperfield and David Blaine. It provides more than 2300 specially-commissioned photographs that guide you through each illusion, trick and stunt, with information on preparation, patter and the performance itself. It is engagingly written by an expert, professional magician and member of 'The Inner Magic Circle'. Nothing delights and amazes more than brilliantly performed magic tricks and this comprehensive new box set contains everything the budding magician needs to put on a dazzling show. From the history of magic to card tricks, stage illusions and much more, these two expertly written books will help you to wow your friends and family. Step-by-step instructions show you how to perform each trick, and close-up secret views show exactly how each is done, along with tips on preparation and the patter you need to accompany it. With these books you can appear to have superhuman strength and x-ray vision, cut a volunteer in two, make everyday objects vanish and reappear, and restore torn-up paper napkins. It provides a special section on putting on a show provides invaluable advice on planning your performance, from selecting a venue to choosing running orders and sample programmes. This exciting and inspiring book collection will provide hours of entertainment for performer and audience alike!

Wondrous Brutal Fictions presents eight seminal works from the seventeenth-century Japanese sekkyo and ko-joruri puppet theaters, many translated into English for the first time. Both poignant and disturbing, they range from stories of cruelty and brutality to tales of love, charity, and outstanding filial devotion, representing the best of early Edo-period literary and performance traditions and acting as important precursors to the Bunraku and Kabuki styles of theater. As works of Buddhist fiction, these texts relate the histories and miracles of particular buddhas, bodhisattvas, and local deities. Many of their protagonists are cultural icons, recognizable through their representation in later works of Japanese drama, fiction, and film. The collection includes such sekkyo "sermon-ballad" classics as Sansho Dayu, Karukaya, and Oguri, as well as the "old joruri" plays Goo-no-hime and Amida's Riven Breast. R. Keller Kimbrough provides a critical introduction to these vibrant performance genres, emphasizing the role of seventeenth-century publishing in their spread. He also details six major sekkyo chanters and their playbooks, filling a crucial scholarly gap in early Edo-period theater. More than fifty reproductions of mostly seventeenth-century woodblock illustrations offer rich, visual foundations for the critical introduction and translated tales. Ideal for students and scholars of medieval and early modern Japanese literature, theater, and Buddhism, this collection provides an unprecedented encounter with popular Buddhist drama and its far-reaching impact on literature and culture.

For eight centuries the City of London has hosted one of the world's greatest public parades, as the newly elected Lord Mayor embarks on a procession through the heart of the City to the edge of Westminster, culminating in an oath of allegiance to the representatives of the Crown. This ancient tradition has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the London calendar, combining pageantry with carnivaleseque levity in a distinctly English blend of grandeur and irreverence. This book brings together a host of experts to provide a portrait of the Show across all periods and from a variety of different perspectives. The landmark locations such as the Guildhall and St Paul's, the regiments and livery companies with a proud history of participation in the Show, the Lord Mayor himself (more recently, herself) and his coach, barge, robes and banquet - all are here, as well as some of the fascinating ways in which the Show has been represented, from the paintings of Canaletto and the cartoons of George Cruikshank to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. This collectionof essays, beautifully illustrated with archive and newly commissioned photography, presents an engagingly kaleidoscopic vision of one of the nation's best-loved annual events.

This book shows how Carnival under British colonial rule became a locus of resistance as well as an exercise and affirmation of power. Carnival is both a space of theatricality and a site of politics, where the playful, participatory aspects are appropriated by countervailing forces seeking to influence, control, channel or redirect power. Focusing specifically on the Maltese islands, a tiny European archipelago situated at the heart of the Mediterranean, this work links the contrast between play and power to other Carnival realities across the world. It examines the question of power and identity in relation to different social classes and environments of Carnival play, from streets to ballrooms. It looks at satire and censorship, unbridled gaiety and controlled celebration. It describes the ways Carnival was appropriated as a power channel both by the British and their Maltese subjects, and ultimately how it was manipulated in the struggle for Malta's independence.