Hoboken|Local Event
The Flotsam River Circus
Event Details
he Flotsam River Circus, a zany troupe of puppeteers, acrobats, musicians and clowns, have enchanted waterfront communities across the country. After traveling the 363-mile length of the Erie Canal and heading down the Hudson River, this waterborne circus will arrive in Hoboken on Tuesday, September 9. They will perform on their ramshackle raft at Sinatra Park, using the Hudson River as a stage. Bring your own lawn chairs or blanket for this free, hour and a half show.
“Our goal is to bring some magic and whimsy to the world while helping communities engage with their waterways,” they state on their website.
For the month of August, they performed in communities along the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Waterford, New York, joining in the canal’s bicentennial festivities. On September 1, they will begin their journey down the Hudson River with performances in Hudson, Saugerties, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Haverstraw and Nyack. After Hoboken, multiple performances are planned in New York City.
Jason Webley founded the Flotsam River Circus in 2019. He began as a street performer, an accordion troubador, in Seattle, Washington.
Last year, the Flotsam River Circus toured the Ohio River with 38 performances in 29 cities including Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Steubenville, Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia. In 2023, the Flotsam River Circus embarked on a six-week journey down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis, Minnesota to St. Louis, Missouri.
While the shows are free, Flotsam River Circus operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and welcomes donations to support its journey.