What is "sideshow"

also side-show, 1855, "minor exhibition alongside or near a principal one," apparently a coinage of P.T. Barnum's, from side (adj.) + show (n.). Hence, any diversion or distracting event.

n. 1 A minor attraction at a larger event such as a circus, fair, music festival or similar. 2 An incidental spectacle that diverts attention from a larger concern. 3 (cx US English) An incident in which drivers block traffic to perform donuts for an extended period of time.

1. n. a subordinate incident of little importance relative to the main event; "instruction is not an educational sideshow"

2. a minor show that is part of a larger one (as at the circus)

In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction.

A sideshow is an informal demonstration of automotive stunts now often held in vacant lots, and public intersections, most often in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, United States. Sideshows first appeared in Oakland as informal social gatherings of African-American youth. Sideshows were made even more popular throughout the 1990s with such songs as bay area rapper Richie Rich's "Sideshow" anthem. "Down Bancroft / To the light / Let me warm it up, I hit a donut tight / Chevy on my side / Windows straight tinted / He got hype when he saw me spinnin’ / I’m up outta there, sideways to the next light"

Sideshows first emerged on the streets of East Oakland during the mid 1980's. The first sideshows were originally ad hoc carshows where people would congregate in the parking lot of Foothill Square or the top level of the Eastmont Mall parking lot. The original intent of the sideshows at this time were for people to show off their cars, usually American muscle cars from the 1960's. These cars were often highly customized with elaborate candy paint jobs, all leather interiors, wire rims such as Daytons, Zeniths or Cragar Starwires and modified high performance engines. Around the early 90's, sideshows grew so popular that they had outgrown the parking lots of Eastmont Mall and Foothill square and participants began cruising up and down the Foothill Blvd which shortly after became known as "the strip". By the mid 90's the sideshow became the alternative hot spot for teenagers and adults who were too young to gain entrance into 21 and over nightclubs.

Common activities at sideshows include doughnuts. and ghost riding. The latter involves driving a car, opening the door and climbing out, sometimes onto the hood, sometimes standing or dancing next to the car while the car continues to roll. Violent incidents, including shootings, sometimes occur at the events. To crack down on the illegal sideshows, The Oakland Police Department opened a police substation at Eastmont mall and set up "No Cruising Zones" along Foothill Blvd. In efforts to keep the events from spreading west Lake Merritt, an addition no cruising law was established along Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue in 1996. The phenomenon is most strongly associated with Oakland, California (the birthplace of the sideshow), with the events there often being attended by those in the hip hop community. Such events are promoted in local rap by artists such as E-40.

On June 8, 2005, the Oakland City Council narrowly defeated a measure (pushed by then-Mayor Jerry Brown) which would have subjected spectators at sideshows to criminal sanctions, such as fines and even jail terms. Drivers face various penalties, including having their cars impounded.

A sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival or fair etc.

Sideshow may also refer to:

• Sideshow alley, an Australian term for amusements
• Sideshow (automobile exhibition), an illegal automotive skills event

Sideshow is a comedy album by The Bob & Tom Show, which was first released in November 2004. It is a double disc CD which represents original material recorded during their syndicated, daily radio show and other studio numbers which had not been previously presented on air.

"Sideshow" is a song recorded by American R&B soul vocal quintet Blue Magic, released in 1974. It was first released on the album Blue Magic and when issued as a single it sold over a million copies, going to #1 R&B and #8 pop in the United States in the summer of 1974. Billboard ranked it as the No. 19 song for 1974. It was covered as a reggae version by Barry Biggs who reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1977. It has also been covered by Ray, Goodman & Brown, Silk, and Joss Stone.