Things To Do In Los Angeles: Two Bit Circus Foundation Anti-Gala 2019

By Eric Harris

Set strangers on fire AND support science, technology, engineering, arts, and math in schools? Hurry up and take our money! Things To Do In LA recently attended the Two Bit Circus Foundation’s 2019 Anti-Gala in Downtown Los Angeles.

I totally trust this guy with my charitable contributions

Wow! Two Bit Circus sure knows how to put the fun in fundraiser! Yes, we know that’s a terrible line, but it’s a great description of the evening. Start off with the standard Two Bit Circus experience — arcade games, escape rooms, virtual reality, augmented reality, modernized Midway-style games, and game shows — as a base, and then mix in Le PeTiT CiRqUe artists, garnish with the Dunk Tank Flambé, and finish things off a mime-hosted SUPER Silent Auction. All this and more to benefit innovative science, technology, engineering, [art], math STEM/STE[A]M programs in education!

Le PeTiT CiRqUe is an award-winning company of pre-professional 6-15 year old cirque artists. Think Cirque du Soleil, but smaller, much smaller. One could even say “ces artistes de cirque sont très petits.” True to the company name, at least one performer could fold-up into a box for easy storage and transportation. Convenient!

Le PeTiT CiRqUe performer in a box!

The Super Silent Auction was a silent auction hosted by a mime. Everyone loves mimes, and mimes love science, technology, engineering, art, and math education! Silent auction items ranged from sports memorabilia, for example, signed Sugar Ray Leonard boxing gloves, and a Kyle Kuzma basketball to gift baskets and collectables, to hard-to-find items such as tickets for LA’s Magic Castle. TTDILA tip — tickets to the Magic Castle can be hard to score, so charitable auctions are the way to go if you don’t have a magician hook-up.

Dunk Tank Flambé is a twisted take on the classic carnival dunk tank. Instead of dunking a person into a pool of water, the person to be “dunked” dons a fire retardant suit and is then set on fire repeatedly. The crowd loved the Dunk Tank Flambé! The show happened every half hour and was packed every time.

Louisiana Love Act

Entertainment also included Louisiana Love Act playing instruments made from found materials, and guest DJ Arabian Prince, a founding member of N.W.A.!

TTDILA staff are not the only people who wanted to support education by playing video games, drinking robot bartender prepared beverages, and lighting strangers on fire (for charity of course). The crowd was full of happy, smiling faces, and event sponsors included Vans, AT&T, YouTube, KMPG, Wells Fargo, and others. We expect great things from Two Bit Circus in 2020!

Single admission tickets started off at $125 for the October 14 event and included complimentary valet parking (first come, first serve).

Two Bit Circus Micro-Amusement Park

634 Mateo Street

Los Angeles, CA 90021

STEAM Lab Tool Bench

A quick note about Two Bit Circus Foundation

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Two Bit Circus Foundation provides educational opportunities for under-served youth in Los Angeles and around the world through their innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math programming. To date, the foundation has introduced more than 300,000 students to STEM/STEAM education, through innovative on-and-off campus classroom and after-school science programs. The foundation has also created more than 140 Makerspaces, portable carts loaded with tools and materials for hands-on STEM/STEAM learning experiences. The Two Bit Circus Foundation has some ambitious projects on the horizon, including a new Makerspace to be located in the Koreatown branch of the LA Public Library.