The Carnival of the Animals and xylophone. From the beginning, Saint-Saëns regarded the work as a piece of fun. On 9 February 1886 he wrote to his publishers Durand in Paris that he was composing a work for the coming Shrove Tuesday, and confessing that he knew he should be working on his Third Symphony, but that this work was "such fun" (). He had apparently intended to write the work for his students at the École Niedermeyer, but it was first performed at a private concert given by the cellist Charles Lebouc on Shrove Tuesday, 9 March 1886. A second (private) performance was given
Carnival Diablo 2009, Carnival Diablo was featured act at Carnivàle Lune Bleue,; a dedicated revival of a 1930s old-time carnival located in Ottawa, Ontario. Scott McClelland's grandfather, Nicholas Paul Lewchuk, had run and operated Canada's largest travelling sideshow from 1920 through 1968. Starting as a performance show with acts ranging from sword swallowing to an on stage seance, Professor N.P. Lewchuck's Travelling Shows grew to include rides and live animals. Nicholas, whose fascination with magic led to the birth of the sideshow, performed many mental acts himself, with his wife Anastasia acting as the show sword swallower. Starting in 1968, Nicholas Lewchuk