With an eye towards lining up sponsorship for the event, Gallery5 has announced the details of The Carnival of 5 Fires 2008, their “extravagant art carnival and performance festival spanning the course of three consecutive evenings” in early October.

The First Friday opening reception for The Carnival of 5 Fires 2008 will include art, music, and performances on both the first and second floors. Performances will include puppet shows by local acts such as All the Saints Theater, Chris Milk, and Thea Duskin. The outdoor balcony will showcase theatrical performances by local troupe PunkSinatra and special street performances will be given by G5 Fire: Fire Performance Group, Fire in the Belly-Fusion Belly Dancing troupe, and various jugglers, unicyclists, stilt walkers, accordion players and more interactive crowd-pleasers. On the main stage, such performances as Sweet Tease Burlesque, and music performances by The Hellblinki Sextet, No BS Brass Band, and the High St. Lowlifes.

Saturday and Sunday’s events will start with circus art classes. These workshops, geared toward older children and adults, will include puppet making, hula hooping, beginner poi spinning, stilt walking and more. On Saturday and Sunday nights, audience members will enjoy a full roster of entertainment ranging from cabaret, theater, puppet show, musical acts and stand-up comedy. Saturday night will also include a “Most Grotesque Freak‚” contest, where audience members will compete for prizes for the most disgusting and repulsive Freak Costumes.