Taking a breather outside The Big Top
New Orleans bars and concert venues tend to be great because of the unique charms or trademarks that each place has to offer to its patrons, which, at this stage of the game, sort of goes without saying. However, there are some places in this city that are truly unconventional and off the beaten path. One such place is The Big Top.
Located conveniently right off of St. Charles by Lee Circle, The Big Top is the home of 3 Ring Circus Productions, a non-profit, arts education organization whose aim is to contribute in any way possible to the arts community of New Orleans. The venue itself, The Big Top, is an art gallery that really operates more like an all-purpose room for an array of different happenings ranging from private parties and events to arts showcases, film screenings, and live concerts.
Fatter Than Albert performs at The Big Top
As a live music venue, The Big Top’s greatest feature is the fact that it is an all-ages spot and in a very accessible area of town for every age. The all-ages production company “An Idea Like No Other” regularly hosts concerts at The Big Top featuring bands that range from local and underground hardcore to up-and-coming indie rock. For the past several years, The Big Top has been home to the Community Records Block Party, a once-a-year all day ska and punk festival put on by locally-run Community Records.
Ultimately The Big Top has its unique charms just like many other New Orleans venues. The room has an unconventional set up for live music, being wider than it is long; the acoustics make for a pretty authentic-sounding metal show; art regularly lines the walls of the entire venue, regardless of what’s happening on a given night; and the unisex bathroom only adds to the charm.
Find out more about The Big Top and 3 Ring Circus Productions, including their Calendar of Events, at www.3rcp.com or www.myspace.com/3rcp.
The Big Top
1638 Clio St.
Taylor Gray // Groovescapes
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