Shawn Campbell writesUPDATE: Brilliant Corners’ Saturday Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Performance Benefits CHIRP

Summer in Chicago means festivals galore, but a new entry on this year’s calendar is certainly among the most unique and ambitious. Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements runs September 16 through the 18th at Eckhart Park, combining live music and circus arts with carnival rides, games, and the proverbial Fun For Kids of All Ages to create a kind of Vaudeville for the 21st Century.

Each day, Brilliant Corners’ Magic City Tent will feature an impressive lineup of acrobats, aerial artists, and more, along with live music and short films. On Saturday, September 17th, proceeds from one of these performances — Bindlestiff Family Cirkus , a group that combines elements of Vaudeville, Circus, Wild West Shows, Burlesque, and Sideshow — generously benefits CHIRP Radio. Tickets for the Saturday performance are available here. The previously-announced act, Ricochet, had to cancel for personal reasons.

Music fans also will find plenty to like over the course of the weekend, with live performances by Shellac, Bill Callahan, School of Seven Bells, Dan Deacon, and many others under the bigtop in the Criss/Cross Tent.

Brilliant Corners promises to be more than a festival — its website teases pop-up events, one night shows, and a general state of mind — but the weekend should be a doozy of an introduction. You can find out more at the Brilliant Corners website .