Cirque du Noir is an exciting evening of inspiration and creativity that promotes local artists, musicians and photographers while raising funds for the Worcester County Food Bank. Cirque du Noir is a very unique event for Worcester, conceived in 2007 by designer Michelle May, who wanted an edgy masquerade that showcased local talent. After the first event, May quickly realized Worcester was not afraid to expose itself to the idea. When asked how the concept of an over- flowing house party evolved into an avante garde evening, May said, “I wanted to contribute to the cultural aspect of living in Worcester. Ideas were generated, a lot of them, and I was just sitting around complaining about wanting more. The opinions of my contemporaries were the same, so we made it a reality. The idea of celebrating and giving back to Worcester ultimately inspired me to create and grow Cirque du Noir.”

We thought every woman could wear a little black dress, men, a black suit, black t-shirt and black pants, OR there are those who could and would dress very Alexander McQueen-ish to Tim Burton-esque! Creativity abounds for the museum goer or the curious!” When asked about the success of the event, May said, “ I guess we felt like we were on the right track when curators of local museums started attending, and asking our artists to do shows. Bringing worlds together is why we are here.” Cirque du Noir requires attendees to wear all black attire, in the spirit of masquerade, and all black costumes are indeed encouraged and prizes are awarded for best costumes. One particularly exciting part of the evening is a live Art Fusion, inspired by local artist Scott Holloway. Fusing the talents of artists in a “merry-go-round” exchange on the canvas as you watch is as intimate as it is visceral. We all have viewed a finished piece, it is incredible to witness the creation.