A City Worth Celebrating

Chicago is a city of extraordinary creativity, resilience, and generosity.

It is also a city where many of our neighbors are rebuilding after experiencing violence, or simply carrying burdens that aren't always visible.

Of course, moments of laughter, play, and human connection belong here too.

What Is Clowns Without Borders?

For more than 30 years, Clowns Without Borders-USA has brought professional artists to communities affected by war, displacement, natural disasters, and other crises around the world.

Through live performances rooted in clowning, physical theater, music, and play, our artists create moments of joy, connection, and emotional relief that remind children and families they are more than what has happened to them.

While many people know us for our international work, we also bring performances to communities here in the United States, partnering with local organizations serving asylum seekers, unhoused neighbors, and others who could use a moment of relief through laughter.

The Chicago Tour

In the weeks after Behind the Nose, a team of CWB artists will take their show across Chicago, partnering with local organizations to bring free performances directly into communities across the city.

The tour is a celebration of Chicago's resilience using clowning, music, physical theater, and play to create spaces where children and families can laugh, connect, and enjoy being together.

Where we'll be sharing the laughter:

Christopher School — Chicago Public Schools elementary school, McKinley Park
W.E.B. DuBois School — Chicago Public Schools elementary school, Riverdale/Altgeld Gardens
Finkl Academy — Chicago Public Schools elementary school, Lower West Side
Minnie Miñoso Academy — Chicago Public Schools elementary school, Bridgeport
Little Village Library — Chicago Public Library, Little Village
Alpine Care of Evanston — Skilled nursing and behavioral health, Evanston
Cornerstone Community Outreach — Homelessness services and family shelter, Uptown
Sarah’s Circle — Women’s homelessness services
El Hogar del Niño — Bilingual child and family center, Pilsen
Ballet Folklórico de Chicago — Mexican folklórico arts nonprofit, Chicago

Help Get the Show on the Road

On September 13th, you'll experience the show, meet the artists, and get the CWB "show on the road" in Chicago.

Kids in Chicago will soon laugh like these kids in Brazil (CWB tour, 2022).

What Your Support Makes Possible

Your ticket and donations cover the real costs of putting this tour on the road, including:

Transportation between performance sites
Costumes, props, and performance materials
Meals and logistical support for volunteer artists
The resources needed to bring professional performances to communities free of charge

Every ticket purchased, and every gift made, helps put this tour on the road.

And there's a fitting way to celebrate that support: CWB supporter and artist Temo has contributed The Hitchhikers, artwork featuring a troupe of clowns seemingly trying to do exactly that—get on the road and go where they're needed. Select ticket levels include signed archival prints, and the first Golden Nose ticket purchaser will receive the original artwork.

Join Us!

Whether you're attending because you know one of the artists, you're curious about Clowns Without Borders, or you simply believe joy belongs in every community, thank you.

By joining us, you're helping send this team into Chicago with the support they need, and you'll be part of a community that believes laughter, play, and human connection belong in times of crisis.

Behind the Nose

A Sneak Peek of Clowns Without Borders' Chicago Tour, 2026

Team Members