inb4 the inevitable jokes, this is a genuine question.
I’m learning to juggle, I’ve got a lot of experience doing different kinds of presentations for children, I thrifted a guide to making balloon animals and will buy supplies to practice if I end up winning an Amazon gift card at work.
The other things I imagine I would need are getting the make up down. I’d love to go to Mooseburger, but financially not in the cards.
How does one start doing festivals? Making money would be nice, but I’d be happy to do things like kids hospitals for free.
If you’re wanting to do stuff like festivals, you’d probably want to find a clown school.
But doing it as a volunteer, all you really need is a suit, a face, and skills. Juggling, balloon making, card tricks, etc. Then you reach out to facilities and work out the arrangements for a performance. Hospitals can be a tad restrictive about who gets to do shows for pediatric wards, so you’ll likely want to try nursing homes first and build up a local rep.
You can also try to hook up with local sideshow type troupes. Clowns aren’t always welcome, but you can usually pick up some skills if you’re honest about it. The fire performers won’t teach you, but jugglers and magicians will usually share some basics as long as you aren’t trying to shaft them with it.