In 1888, Seurat displayed the breadth of his technique at the Salon des Indépendants by showing two works: Circus Sideshow, an outdoor nocturnal scene under artificial light, and Models, an interior, daylight scene. Circus Sideshow marks Seurat's inaugural nocturnal painting and his initial depiction of popular entertainment. The painting captures the parade, or promotional sideshow, of the Circus Corvi, which took place at the yearly Gingerbread Fair near the Place de la Nation in eastern Paris during the spring of 1887. These sideshows were performed outside the circus tent without charge, intended to encourage pedestrians to buy admission tickets. Those observing on the far right are waiting in a queue on steps that lead up to the box office.