Editing Entertainment (section)

== Forms ==

=== Banquets ===
[[Banquet]]s have been a venue for [[amusement]], entertainment or [[pleasure]] since ancient times,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Martin |first=Sandra Romano |date=2013 |title=Banqueting Gods in Valerius Flaccus Arg. 5.690–5 |journal=Mnemosyne |volume=66 |issue=4–5 |pages=666–681 |doi=10.1163/156852512X617641 |issn=0026-7074}}</ref> continuing into the modern era.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carson |first=Cary |title=Banqueting Houses and the "Need of Society" among Slave-Owning Planters in the Chesapeake Colonies |journal=The William and Mary Quarterly |publisher=The William and Mary quarterly, 2013, Vol. 70 (4) The Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture |year=2013 |volume=70 |issue=4 |location=Williamsburg |pages=725–780 |doi=10.5309/willmaryquar.70.4.0725 |issn=0043-5597}}</ref> until the 21st century when they are still being used for many of their original purposes{{snd}}to impress visitors, especially important ones; to show hospitality; as an occasion to showcase supporting entertainments such as music or dancing, or both. They were an integral part of court entertainments and helped entertainers develop their skills. They are also important components of celebrations such as coronations, weddings, birthdays civic or political achievements, military engagements or victories as well as religious obligations, one of the most famous being the [[Banqueting House, Whitehall]] in London.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Charlton |first=John |title=The Banqueting House, Whitehall |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |year=1964 |isbn=978-0-11-671099-4 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Palme |first=Per |title=Triumph of peace : a study of the Whitehall Banqueting House |publisher=Thames and Hudson |year=1957 |location=London}}</ref> In modern times, banquets are available privately, or commercially in restaurants, sometimes combined with a dramatic performance in [[dinner theater|dinner theatres]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Solomon |first=Charmaine |title=Oriental banquets |publisher=Hamlyn |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-947334-46-8 |location=Port Melbourne}}</ref> Cooking by professional chefs has also become a form of entertainment as part of global competitions such as the [[Bocuse d'Or]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Graham |first=Joan M. |title=Cooking for competition: what the judges are looking for |publisher=Ercildourne |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-646-05369-1 |location=Richmond, Victoria}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" widths="180" heights="150" caption="Banquets across centuries and cultures">
File:An Egyptian Banquet.jpg| A banquet scene from [[Ancient Egypt]] (from a wall painting in [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]])
File:Byzantine Greek Banquet Alexander Manuscript (cropped).JPG| [[Byzantine]] banquet showing musicians and various musical instruments (1204–1453)
File:Banquet de Charles V le Sage.jpg| [[Jean Fouquet]], ''Banquet for [[Charles V of France]]'' (1455–1460)
File:A banquet for Babur.jpg| A banquet including [[roast goose]] given for [[Babur]] by the [[Mirza (noble)|Mirzas]] in 1507 (miniature {{circa|1590}})
File:Helst, Peace of Münster.jpg| [[Bartholomeus van der Helst]], ''[[Peace of Münster]]'' <br />Amsterdam (1648)
File:Victory banquet 1788.jpg| Victory banquet by [[Emperor Qianlong]] to greet the officers who attended the [[Lin Shuangwen rebellion|campaign against Taiwan]] (late 18th century)
File:Wedding in Toropets (landlords coming to the peasants’ wedding)..jpg| Landlords coming to the peasants' wedding banquet (late 18th century)
File:The banquet hall in King Sahla Sellases palace colour.jpg| The banquet hall in the palace of King [[Sahle Selassie]] painting from a photo, Ethiopia (1852)
File:George IV coronation banquet.jpg| Coronation banquet of [[George IV of the United Kingdom|George IV]] in [[Westminster Hall]] (1821)
File:Chinese banquet in a banquet hall.JPG| Chinese banquet in a banquet hall given as a birthday celebration (2012)
</gallery>

=== Music ===
[[File:A full house, seen from the rear of the stage, at the Metropolitan Opera House for a concert by pianist Josef Hofmann, 1 - NARA - 541890.tif|thumb|A full house at the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in New York City, waiting for a musical entertainment to begin (1937)]]
Music is a supporting component of many kinds of entertainment and most kinds of performance. For example, it is used to enhance storytelling,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bullock |first=Jon E. |title=Broadcasting the Nation: The Importance of Radio in Kurdish Music History |publisher=VWB – Verlag für Wissenschaft und Bildung |year=2022 |issn=0043-8774}}</ref> it is indispensable in dance and opera,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Newman |first=Ernest |title=The stories of the great operas, with music : the stories and descriptive analysis of the music |publisher=Geo Newnes |year= |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Lowe |first1=Geoff |title=Opera and music theatre resource book |last2=Chong |first2=Su-Lyn |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-07-013796-7 |location=North Ryde, N.S.W.}}</ref> and is usually incorporated into dramatic film or theatre productions.<ref>{{cite book|last=Griffiths|first=Paul|title=A concise history of western music|url=https://archive.org/details/concisehistoryof0000grif|url-access=registration|year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-521-84294-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Prendergast |first=Roy M. |title=Film music : a neglected art : a critical study of music in films |publisher=W.W. Norton |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-393-02988-8 |edition=2nd |location=New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=DesJardins |first=Christian |title=Inside film music: composers speak |publisher=Silman-James Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-879505-88-9 |location=Los Angeles}}</ref>

Music is also a universal and popular type of entertainment on its own, constituting an entire performance such as when concerts are given. Depending on the [[rhythm]], [[Musical instrument|instrument]], performance and style, music is divided into many genres, such as classical, [[jazz]], [[Folk music|folk]], rock, pop music or traditional.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Oxford history of music |publisher=Oxford University Press, 1929–38 |year=1929–1938 |editor-last=Buck |editor-first=P.C. |edition=2nd |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gray |first=Cecil |title=The history of music |publisher=London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner ; New York : Knopf |year=1931 |edition=2nd revised |location=London, New York}}</ref> Since the 20th century, performed music, once available only to those who could pay for the performers, has been available cheaply to individuals by the entertainment industry, which broadcasts it or pre-records it for sale.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chase |first=Gilbert |title=Music in radio broadcasting : [a symposium] |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=1946 |location=New York}}</ref>

The wide variety of musical performances, whether or not they are artificially [[Amplifier|amplified]], all provide entertainment irrespective of whether the performance is from [[Solo (music)|soloists]], [[Choir|choral]] or orchestral groups, or [[Musical ensemble|ensemble]]. Live performances use specialised venues, which might be small or large; indoors or outdoors; free or expensive.<ref name="Kronenburg-2012">{{Cite book |last=Kronenburg |first=Robert |title=Live architecture: popular music venues, stages, and arenas |publisher=Abingdon, Oxon [England] ; New York, NY : Routledge |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-415-56192-1 |location=Abingdon, Oxford; New York}}</ref> The audiences have different expectations of the performers as well as of their own role in the performance. For example, some audiences expect to listen silently and are entertained by the excellence of the music, its rendition or its interpretation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dingle |first=Christopher |editor-first1=Christopher |editor-last1=Dingle |title=The Cambridge History of Music Criticism |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-139-79542-5 |location=Cambridge, UK |doi=10.1017/9781139795425|s2cid=241762186 }}</ref> Other audiences of live performances are entertained by the ambience and the chance to participate. Even more listeners are entertained by pre-recorded music and listen privately.

The instruments used in musical entertainment are either solely the [[human voice]] or solely instrumental or some combination of the two.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Hugh Milton |title=History of music |publisher=Barnes & Noble |year=1960 |edition=3rd |location=New York}}</ref> Whether the performance is given by vocalists or instrumentalists, the performers may be soloists or part of a small or large group, in turn entertaining an audience that might be individual, passing by, small or large.<ref>{{Cite book |title=New Oxford history of music 1954–1990 |publisher=Oxford University Press, 1954–1990 |year=1954–1990 |location=London; New York}}</ref> Singing is generally accompanied by instruments although some forms, notably [[a cappella]] and [[overtone singing]], are unaccompanied. Modern concerts often use various special effects and other theatrics to accompany performances of singing and dancing.<ref name="Kronenburg-2012" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Burrows |first=Tim |title=From CBGB to the Roundhouse : music venues through the years |publisher=Marion Boyars Publishers |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7145-3162-5 |location=London; New York}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" caption="Types of audience engagement with musical entertainment" widths="180" heights="150">
File:Lama orchestra.jpg|  Traditional instruments used to accompany dance (Tibet, 1949)
File:RIAN archive 24089 The youngsters singing.jpg| Children's choir providing musical entertainment ([[Soviet Union]], 1979)
File:Paris Metro orchestra.jpg|  Ensemble entertains travellers in the [[Paris Métro]] (2002)
File:Boduberu performer.jpg| Drummer playing [[Boduberu]] (Maldives, 2010)
File:CORO ECCLESIA.jpg|  Choir and orchestra in [[ecclesiology|ecclesiastical]] setting (Italy, 2008)
File:Rouvas fans.jpg|  Contemporary audience in ancient outdoor stadium (Greece, 2009)
File:Jay Chou The Era Singapore 2010 concert.jpg| A concert with a 3D enhanced stage (Singapore, 2010)
File:Concertkoor Haarlem 19-11-2010 Philharmonie.jpg|  Concert hall audience (Netherlands, 2010)
File:Phoenix ThomasMars1.jpg|  [[Crowd surfing]] at a concert (France, 2011)
File:Music listener.jpg|  Woman listening privately to music through headphones (Russia, 2010)
</gallery>

=== Games ===
{{Main|Game}}
Games are played for entertainment{{snd}}sometimes purely for recreation, sometimes for achievement or reward as well. They can be played alone, in teams, or online; by amateurs or by professionals. The players may have an audience of non-players, such as when people are entertained by watching a [[World Chess Championship|chess championship]]. On the other hand, players in a game may constitute their own audience as they take their turn to play. Often, part of the entertainment for children playing a game is deciding who is part of their audience and who is a player.

Equipment varies with the game. [[Board game]]s, such as [[Go (game)|Go]], ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]'' or [[backgammon]] need a board and markers. One of the oldest known board games is [[Senet]], a game played in Ancient Egypt, enjoyed by the [[pharaoh]] [[Tutankhamun]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Botermans|first=Jack|title=The Book of Games: Strategy, Tactics & History|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgamesstrat0000bote|url-access=registration|year=2008|publisher=Sterling Pub Co Inc|isbn=978-1-4027-4221-7}}</ref> [[Card game]]s, such as [[whist]], [[poker]] and [[Contract bridge|Bridge]] have long been played as evening entertainment among friends. For these games, all that is needed is a deck of [[playing card]]s. Other games, such as [[Bingo (U.S.)|bingo]], played with numerous strangers, have been organised to involve the participation of non-players via gambling. Many are [[children's game|geared for children]], and can be played outdoors, including [[hopscotch]], [[hide and seek]], or [[Blind man's bluff (game)|Blind man's bluff]]. The [[list of ball games]] is quite extensive. It includes, for example, [[croquet]], [[lawn bowling]] and [[paintball]] as well as many sports using various forms of [[ball]]s. The options cater to a wide range of skill and fitness levels. Physical games can develop agility and competence in [[motor skill]]s. Number games such as [[Sudoku]] and puzzle games like the [[Rubik's cube]] can develop mental prowess.

[[History of video games|Video games]] are played using a controller to create results on a screen. They can also be played online with participants joining in remotely. In the second half of the 20th century and in the 21st century the number of such games increased enormously, providing a wide variety of entertainment to players around the world.<ref>{{cite book|title=Understanding Digital Games|year=2006|publisher=Sage Publications|location=London; California; New Delhi|isbn=978-1-4129-0033-1|author=Bryce, Jo|editor=Rutter, Jason}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Newman|first=James|title=Videogames|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|location=London; New York|isbn=978-0-203-64290-0}}</ref> Video games are popular across the world.
<gallery class="center" caption="Games" widths="180" heights="150">
File:The Chess Game (Sofonisba Anguissola) 1555 (4096x3236px).jpg|[[Sofonisba Anguissola]] <br />''The [[Chess]] Game'' (1555) <br /> An intellectual game
File:Duverger Hopscotch.jpg|[[Théophile Emmanuel Duverger]] (before 1901) ''[[Hopscotch]]'' <br />A physical game
File:Televised Star Craft.jpg|Televised match of ''[[StarCraft]]'' (2006) South Korea <br /> An electronic game
</gallery>

=== Literature ===
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French poet [[Louise Labé]] (1520/1522–1566) wrote "a profound and timeless insight into reading's innate power".

''The past gives us pleasure and is of more service than the present; but the delight of what we once felt is dimly lost never to return and its memory is as distressing as the events themselves were then delectable&nbsp;... But when we happen to put our thoughts in writing, how easily, later on, does our mind race through an infinity of events, incessantly alive, so that a long time afterwards when we take up those written pages we can return to the same place and to the same disposition in which we once found ourselves.'' <br />quote from and commentary by Fischer (2003)<ref>{{cite book|last=Fischer|first=Steven Roger|title=A history of reading|year=2003|publisher=Reaktion Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-86189-160-0|page=236}}</ref>
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The young Saint [[Teresa of Ávila]] (1515–1582) read chivalrous novels and wrote about the "rapture" that books provided.

''I became accustomed to reading [novels] and that small fault made me cool my desire and will to do other tasks. I thought nothing of spending many hours a day and night in this vain exercise, hidden from my father. My rapture in this was so great, that unless I had a new book to read, it seemed to me that I could not be happy.'' <br /> quoted in Fischer (2003){{sfnp|Fischer|2003|pp=234–235}}
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[[Reading (process)|Reading]] has been a source of entertainment for a very long time, especially when other forms, such as performance entertainments, were (or are) either unavailable or too costly. Even when the primary purpose of the writing is to inform or instruct, reading is well known for its capacity to distract from everyday worries. Both stories and information have been passed on through the tradition of [[orality]] and oral traditions survive in the form of [[performance poetry]] for example. However, they have drastically declined. "Once literacy had arrived in strength, there was no return to the oral prerogative."{{sfnp|Fischer|2003|p=215}} The advent of printing, the reduction in costs of books and an increasing literacy all served to enhance the mass appeal of reading. Furthermore, as [[font]]s were standardised and texts became clearer, "reading ceased being a painful process of decipherment and became an act of pure pleasure".{{sfnp|Fischer|2003|p=212}} By the 16th century in Europe, the appeal of reading for entertainment was well established.

Among literature's many genres are some designed, in whole or in part, purely for entertainment. [[Limerick (poetry)|Limericks]], for example, use verse in a strict, predictable rhyme and rhythm to create humour and to amuse an audience of listeners or readers. Interactive books such as "[[choose your own adventure]]" can make literary entertainment more participatory.
[[File:Old man reading newspaper early in the morning at Basantapur-IMG 6800.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Old man reading newspaper at Basantapur]]

[[Comics]] and [[editorial cartoon]]s are literary genres that use drawings or graphics, usually in combination with text, to convey an entertaining narrative.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chapman|first=James|title=British comics: a cultural history|year=2011|publisher=Reaktion Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-86189-855-5}}</ref> Many contemporary comics have elements of fantasy and are produced by [[Company (law)|companies]] that are part of the entertainment industry. Others have unique authors who offer a more personal, philosophical view of the world and the problems people face. Comics about [[superheroes]] such as [[Superman]] are of the first type.<ref>{{cite book|last=Benton|first=Mike|title=Superhero comics of the Golden Age: the illustrated history|url=https://archive.org/details/superherocomicso0000bent|url-access=registration|year= 1992|publisher=Taylor Publishing|location=Dallas, TX|isbn=978-0-87833-808-5}}</ref> Examples of the second sort include the individual work over 50 years of [[Charles M. Schulz]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cartoonician.com/charles-m-schulz-on-cartooning/ |title="Charles M. Schulz on Cartooning", ''Hogan's Alley'' #1, 1994 |access-date=14 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603035016/http://cartoonician.com/charles-m-schulz-on-cartooning/ |archive-date=3 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> who produced a popular comic called ''[[Peanuts]]''<ref>Films have been made of the ''Peanuts'' cartoons, including one [[The Peanuts Movie|released in 2015]] to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the comic strip.</ref> about the relationships among a cast of child characters;<ref>The philosophical and theological implications of Schulz's work were explored in: {{cite book|last=Short|first=Robert L.|title=The Gospel According to Peanuts|url=https://archive.org/details/gospelaccordingt0000shor_k6b8|url-access=registration|year=1965|publisher=John Knox Press|location=Westminster|isbn=978-0-664-22222-2}}</ref> and [[Michael Leunig]] who entertains by producing whimsical cartoons that also incorporate [[social criticism]]. The Japanese [[Manga]] style differs from the western approach in that it encompasses a wide range of genres and themes for a readership of all ages. [[Caricature]] uses a kind of graphic entertainment for purposes ranging from merely putting a smile on the viewer's face, to raising social awareness, to highlighting the moral characteristics of a person being caricatured.

=== Comedy ===
{{Main|Comedy}}
[[File:Dictator charlie3.jpg|thumb|Comedian [[Charlie Chaplin]] impersonating [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] for comic effect in the [[satire|satirical]] film ''[[The Great Dictator]]'' (1940)]]
Comedy is both a genre of entertainment and a component of it, providing laughter and amusement, whether the comedy is the sole purpose or used as a form of contrast in an otherwise serious piece. It is a valued contributor to many forms of entertainment, including in literature, theatre, opera, film and games.<ref>{{cite book|last=[[Murray Roston|Roston]]|first=Murray|title=The comic mode in English literature: from the Middle Ages to today|year=2011|publisher=Continuum|location=London|isbn=978-1-4411-9588-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Grindon|first=Leger|title=The Hollywood romantic comedy: conventions, history, controversies|year=2011|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|location=Malden, M|isbn=978-1-4051-8266-9}}</ref> In royal courts, such as in the Byzantine court, and presumably, also in its wealthy households, "[[Mime artist|mimes]] were the focus of orchestrated humour, expected or obliged to make fun of all at court, not even excepting the emperor and members of the imperial family. This highly structured role of [[jester]] consisted of verbal humour, including [[teasing]], jests, [[insult]], ridicule, and [[obscenity]] and [[Nonverbal communication|non-verbal]] humour such as [[slapstick]] and horseplay in the presence of an audience."<ref name=Garland /> In medieval times, all comic types{{snd}} the [[buffoon]], jester, [[hunchback]], [[Dwarfism|dwarf]], jokester, were all "considered to be essentially of one comic type: the fool", who while not necessarily funny, represented "the shortcomings of the individual".<ref>{{cite book|last=Hokenson|first=Jan Walsh|title=The Idea of Comedy: History, Theory, Critique|year=2006|publisher=Rosemont Publishing and Printing Corp|location=Cranbury, NJ|isbn=978-0-8386-4096-8|pages=150–151}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hornback|first=Robert|title=The English clown tradition from the middle ages to Shakespeare|year=2009|publisher=D.S. Brewer|location=Woodbridge Suffolk, Rochester, New York|isbn=978-1-84384-200-2}}</ref>

Shakespeare wrote seventeen [[Shakespearean comedy|comedies]] that incorporate many techniques still used by performers and writers of comedy{{snd}}such as [[joke]]s, [[pun]]s, parody, [[wit]], [[observational humour]], or the unexpected effect of [[irony]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Gay|first=Penny|title=The Cambridge introduction to Shakespeare's comedies|year=2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge; New York|isbn=978-0-521-85668-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ellis|first=David|title=Shakespeare's practical jokes: an introduction to the comic in his work|year=2007|publisher=Bucknell University Press|location=Lewisburg, PA|isbn=978-0-8387-5680-5}}</ref> [[One-liner joke]]s and satire are also used to comedic effect in literature. In [[farce]], the comedy is a primary purpose.

The meaning of the word "comedy" and the audience's expectations of it have changed over time and vary according to culture.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thorpe|first=Ashley|title=The role of the chou ("clown") in traditional Chinese drama: comedy, criticism, and cosmology on the Chinese stage|year=2007|publisher=[[Edwin Mellen Press]]|location=[[Lewiston, New York]]|isbn=978-0-7734-5303-6}}</ref> Simple physical comedy such as [[slapstick]] is entertaining to a broad range of people of all ages. However, as cultures become more sophisticated, national nuances appear in the style and references so that what is amusing in one culture may be unintelligible in another.<ref>{{cite book|title=Comedy: A Geographic and Historical Guide|year=2005|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=0-313-32706-8<!-- (set)-->|editor=Charney, Maurice}}</ref>

=== Performance ===
{{Main|Performance}}
Live performances before an audience constitute a major form of entertainment, especially before the invention of audio and video recording. Performance takes a wide range of forms, including theatre, music and drama. In the 16th and 17th centuries, European royal courts presented [[masque]]s that were complex theatrical entertainments involving dancing, singing and acting. Opera is a similarly demanding performance style that remains popular. It also encompass all three forms, demanding a high level of musical and dramatic skill, collaboration and like the masque, production expertise as well.

[[File:Aida poster colors fixed.jpg|center|thumb|550px|Poster for a 1908 production of [[Verdi]]'s 1871 opera ''[[Aida]]'', performed by the Hippodrome Opera Company of Cleveland, Ohio]]
Audiences generally show their appreciation of an entertaining performance with applause. However, all performers run the risk of failing to hold their audience's attention and thus, failing to entertain. Audience dissatisfaction is often brutally honest and direct.

{{Blockquote|Of course you all ought to know that while singing a good song or, or giving a good recitation&nbsp;... helps to arrest the company's attention&nbsp;... Such at least was the case with me{{snd}} the [[Publican (United KIngdom)|publican]] devised a plan to bring my entertainment to an end abruptly, and the plan was, he told the waiter to throw a wet towel at me, which, of course, the waiter did&nbsp;... and I received the wet towel, full force, in the face, which staggered me&nbsp;... and had the desired effect of putting an end to me giving any more entertainments in the house.|[[William McGonagall]] (Performance artist and poet)<ref>{{cite book|last=McGonagall|first=William|title="Reminiscences" in Collected Poems|year=1992|publisher=Birlinn|location=Edinburgh|isbn=978-1-874744-01-6|page=13}}</ref>}}

==== Storytelling ====
{{Main|Storytelling}}
[[File:Millais Boyhood of Raleigh.jpg|thumb|''[[The Boyhood of Raleigh]]'' by [[Sir John Everett Millais]], oil on canvas, 1870.<br />A seafarer tells the young [[Sir Walter Raleigh]] and his brother the story of what happened out at sea.]]
Storytelling is an ancient form of entertainment that has influenced almost all other forms. It is "not only entertainment, it is also thinking through human conflicts and contradictions".<ref name=Kuhns /> Hence, although stories may be delivered directly to a small listening audience, they are also presented as entertainment and used as a component of any piece that relies on a narrative, such as film, drama, ballet, and opera. Written stories have been enhanced by illustrations, often to a very high artistic standard, for example, on [[illuminated manuscript]]s and on ancient scrolls such as Japanese ones.<ref>{{cite book|last=Watanabe|first=Masako|title=Storytelling in Japanese Art|year=2011|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York|isbn=978-0-300-17590-5}}</ref> Stories remain a common way of entertaining a group that is on a journey. Showing how stories are used to pass the time and entertain an audience of travellers, [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer]] used [[pilgrim]]s in his literary work ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'' in the 14th century, as did Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century in ''[[Journey to the West]]''. Even though journeys can now be completed much faster, stories are still told to passengers en route in cars and aeroplanes either orally or delivered by some form of technology.

The power of stories to entertain is evident in one of the most famous ones{{snd}}[[Scheherazade]]{{snd}}a story in the [[Iran|Persian]] professional storytelling tradition, of a woman who saves her own life by telling stories.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yamanaka|first=Yuriko|title=The Arabian nights and orientalism: perspectives from East & West|year=2006|publisher=I.B. Tauris|location=London; New York|author2=Nishio, Tetsuo}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=[[Sir Richard Francis Burton]]|title=[[The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night|Arabian nights. A plain and literal translation of the Arabian nights' entertainments: now entitled The book of the thousand and one nights]]|year=1958|publisher=Barker|location=[[London]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Arabian nights in English literature : studies in the reception of The thousand and one nights into British culture|year=1988|publisher=Macmillan|location=Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire|isbn=978-0-333-36693-6|editor=Caracciolo, Peter L.}}</ref> The connections between the different types of entertainment are shown by the way that stories like this inspire a retelling in another medium, such as music, film or games. For example, composers [[Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)|Rimsky-Korsakov]], [[Shéhérazade (Ravel)|Ravel]] and [[Karol Szymanowski|Szymanowski]] have each been inspired by the Scheherazade story and turned it into an orchestral work; director [[Pier Paolo Pasolini|Pasolini]] made a [[Arabian Nights (1974 film)|film adaptation]]; and there is an [[The Magic of Scheherazade|innovative video game]] based on the tale. Stories may be told wordlessly, in music, dance or puppetry for example, such as in the Javanese tradition of [[wayang]], in which the performance is accompanied by a [[gamelan]] orchestra or the similarly traditional [[Punch and Judy]] show.

Epic narratives, poems, [[saga]]s and [[allegory|allegories]] from all cultures tell such gripping tales that they have inspired countless other stories in all forms of entertainment. Examples include the Hindu ''[[Ramayana]]'' and ''[[Mahabharata]]''; [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]'' and ''[[Iliad]]''; the first Arabic novel ''[[Hayy ibn Yaqdhan]]''; the Persian epic ''[[Shahnameh]]''; the [[Sagas of Icelanders]] and the celebrated ''[[The Tale of Genji|Tale of the Genji]]''. Collections of stories, such as ''[[Grimms' Fairy Tales]]'' or those by [[Hans Christian Andersen]], have been similarly influential. Originally published in the early 19th century, this collection of folk stories significantly influence modern popular culture, which subsequently used its themes, images, symbols, and structural elements to create new entertainment forms.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rankin|first=Walter|title=Grimm pictures: fairy tale archetypes in eight horror and suspense films|year=2007|publisher=McFarland & Co|location=Jefferson, NC|isbn=978-0-7864-3174-8}}</ref>

Some of the most powerful and long-lasting stories are the foundation stories, also called [[myth of origin|origin]] or [[creation myth]]s such as the [[the Dreaming|Dreamtime]] myths of the [[Aboriginal Australians]], the Mesopotamian ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]'',<ref>{{cite book|title=The epic of Gilgamesh: the Babylonian epic poem and other texts in Akkadian and Sumerian (English – translated from Akkadian and Sumerian by Andrew George)|year=1999|publisher=Allen Lane|location=London|isbn=978-0-7139-9196-3}}</ref> or the Hawaiian stories of the origin of the world.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Vivian Laubach|title=Hawaiian Myths of Earth, Sea, and Sky|year=1966|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-1171-6|author2=Kahalewai, Marilyn}}</ref> These too are developed into books, films, music and games in a way that increases their longevity and enhances their entertainment value.

<gallery class="center" caption="Telling stories" widths="180" heights="150">
File:William Blake - Canterbury Pilgrims Picture.jpg|[[William Blake]]'s painting of the pilgrims in ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]''
File:Sultan Pardons Scheherazade.jpg|[[Scheherazade]] telling her stories to King [[Shahrayar|Shahryar]] in ''[[The Arabian Nights]]''
File:Wayang golek SF Asian Art Museum.JPG|Telling stories via [[Wayang]] golek puppets in Java
File:Tosa Mitsuoki—Portrait of Murasaki Shikibu.jpg|[[Tosa Mitsuoki]] illustrating her ''[[The Tale of Genji|Tale of Genji]]''
</gallery>

==== Theatre ====
{{Main|Theatre}}
[[File:G Durand Saturday Night at the Victoria Theatre VA.jpg|thumb|Saturday night audience at the [[Victoria Palace Theatre|Victoria Theatre]], London (1872)]]
Theatre performances, typically dramatic or musical, are presented on a stage for an audience and have a history that goes back to [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic times]] when "leading musicians and actors" performed widely at "poetical competitions", for example at "[[Delphi]], [[Delos]], [[Ephesus]]".<ref>{{cite book|ref=CITEREFMcDonald_Walton2007|title=The Cambridge companion to Greek and Roman theatre|year=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge; New York|isbn=978-0-521-83456-8|editor=McDonald, Marianne |editor2=Walton, J. Michael |page=26}}</ref> [[Aristotle]] and his teacher [[Plato]] both wrote on the theory and purpose of theatre. Aristotle posed questions such as "What is the function of the arts in shaping character? Should a member of the ruling class merely watch performances or be a participant and perform? What kind of entertainment should be provided for those who do not belong to the elite?"{{sfnp|ref=CITEREFMcDonald_Walton2007|McDonald & Walton|2007|p=93}} The "Ptolemys in Egypt, the [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucids]] in [[Pergamon|Pergamum]]" also had a strong theatrical tradition and later, wealthy patrons in Rome staged "far more lavish productions".{{sfnp|ref=CITEREFMcDonald_Walton2007|McDonald & Walton|2007|p=26}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The Cambridge History of British Theatre|year=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press (3 volumes)|isbn=978-0-521-82790-4|editor1=Milling, Jane |editor2=Donohue, Joseph W. |editor3=Thomson, Peter }}</ref>

Expectations about the performance and their engagement with it have changed over time.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kenrick|first=John|title=Musical theatre: a history|year=2008|publisher=Continuum|location=London|isbn=978-0-8264-2860-8}}</ref> For example, in England during the 18th century, "the prejudice against actresses had faded"<ref>{{cite book|last=Ackroyd|first=Peter|title=London: The Biography|year=2000|publisher=Anchor Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0-385-49771-8}} p. 620.</ref> and in Europe generally, going to the theatre, once a socially dubious activity, became "a more respectable middle-class pastime"<ref>{{cite book|last=Frame|first=Murray|title=The St. Petersburg Imperial Theaters: Stage and State in Revolutionary Russia, 1900–1920|year=2000|publisher=McFarland & Co, Inc. Publishers|isbn=978-0-7864-4330-7}} pp.&nbsp;65–66.</ref> in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the variety of popular entertainments increased. [[Operetta]] and music halls became available, and new drama theatres such as the [[Moscow Art Theatre]] and the [[Aleksey Suvorin#Suvorin Theatre|Suvorin Theatre]] in Russia opened.{{sfnp|Frame|2000}} At the same time, commercial newspapers "began to carry theatre columns and reviews" that helped make theatre "a legitimate subject of intellectual debate" in general discussions about art and culture.{{sfnp|Frame|2000}} Audiences began to gather to "appreciate creative achievement, to marvel at, and be entertained by, the prominent 'stars'."{{sfnp|Frame|2000}} [[Vaudeville]] and music halls, popular at this time in the United States, England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, were themselves eventually superseded.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bailey|first=Peter|title=Popular Culture and Performance in the Victorian City|year=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-57417-4}}</ref>

Plays,<ref>{{cite book|last=Mordden|first=Ethan|title=All that glittered: the golden age of drama on Broadway|year=2007|publisher=St. Martin's Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-312-33898-5|url=https://archive.org/details/allthatglittered00mord}}</ref> musicals,<ref>{{cite book|last=Stempel|first=Larry|title=Showtime: a history of the Broadway musical theater|year= 2010|publisher=W.W. Norton & Co.|location=New York|isbn=978-0-393-06715-6}}</ref> [[monologue]]s, [[pantomime]]s, and [[performance poetry]] are part of the very long history of theatre, which is also the venue for the type of performance known as comedy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Peter M.|title=The dance of the comedians: the people, the president, and the performance of political standup comedy in America|year=2010|publisher=University of Massachusetts Press|location=Amherst|isbn=978-1-55849-733-7}}</ref> In the 20th century, radio and television, often broadcast live, extended the theatrical tradition that continued to exist alongside the new forms.

The stage and the spaces set out in front of it for an audience create a theatre. All types of stage are used with all types of seating for the audience, including the impromptu or improvised; the temporary; the elaborate; or the traditional and permanent. They are erected indoors or outdoors. The skill of managing, organising and preparing the stage for a performance is known as [[stagecraft]]. The audience's experience of the entertainment is affected by their expectations, the stagecraft, the type of stage, and the type and standard of seating provided.

<gallery class="center" caption="Theatrical entertainment – stages, staging and stagecraft" widths="180" heights="150">
File:Isaac Cruikshank King John's first appearance at the New Theatre Covent Garden 1809.jpg| Satirical representation of audience reaction (1809)
File:Öffentlich durchgeführte medizinische Behandlung auf einem französischen Jahrmarkt.jpg| Improvised stage for a public performance at a [[fair]] (1642)
File:The stage.jpg| Improvised stage for domestic theatre
File:Dalhalla stage before show.JPG| Outdoor stage before a show
File:Troldsalen-inne03.jpg| Concert theatre ready for solo instrumentalist
File:PipesAndDrums.jpg| Outdoor theatre created from [[Edinburgh castle]] forecourt
File:Noh stage Miyajima Sep2008.jpg| Traditional stage for Japanese [[Noh]] theatre
File:Music Circus Stage 2011.jpg| Stage for [[theatre in the round]]
File:Colon-interior-escenario-TM.jpg| [[Teatro Colón]], a highly decorative, horseshoe theatre
File:SWHS locking rail.jpg| Stagecraft{{snd}} a [[Fly system|locking rail]] backstage
</gallery>

==== Cinema and film ====
[[File:Munken kino (kinolerret).jpg|thumb|Film audiences are typically seated in comfortable chairs arranged in close rows before a projection screen. Norway (2005)]]

[[Film|Films]] are a major form of entertainment, although not all films have entertainment as their primary purpose: documentary film, for example, aims to create a record or inform,<ref>{{cite book|last=Wyver|first=John|title=The Moving Image: An International History of Film, Television, and Video|year=1989|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Limited|isbn=978-0-631-16821-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/movingimageinter0000wyve}}</ref> although the two purposes often work together. The medium was a global business from the beginning: "The [[Auguste and Louis Lumière|Lumière brothers]] were the first to send cameramen throughout the world, instructing them to film everything which could be of interest for the public."<ref name=Paris>{{cite book|ref=CITEREFParis1999|title=The First World War and popular Cinema|year=1999|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|location=Edinburgh|isbn=978-0-8135-2824-3|editor=Paris, Michael}} p. 9.</ref> In 1908, [[Pathé]] launched and distributed [[Pathé News|newsreels]]<ref name=Paris /> and by [[World War I]], films were meeting an enormous need for mass entertainment. "In the first decade of the [20th] century cinematic programmes combined, at random, fictions and newsfilms."<ref name=Paris /> The Americans first "contrived a way of producing an illusion of motion through successive images," but "the French were able to transform a scientific principle into a commercially lucrative spectacle".{{sfnp|Paris|1999|p=115}} Film therefore became a part of the entertainment industry from its early days. Increasingly sophisticated techniques have been used in the film medium to delight and entertain audiences. Animation, for example, which involves the display of rapid movement in an art work, is one of these techniques that particularly appeals to younger audiences.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cavalier|first=Stephen|title=The world history of animation|year= 2011|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=978-0-520-26112-9}}</ref> The advent of [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI) in the 21st century made it "possible to do spectacle" more cheaply and "on a scale never dreamed of" by [[Cecil B. DeMille]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Byrnes|first=Paul|title=Pompeii, Noah and Exodus: The sword giveth again|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/pompeii-noah-and-exodus-the-sword-giveth-again-20140327-35jm4.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=30 March 2014|date=28 March 2014|archive-date=30 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330015918/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/pompeii-noah-and-exodus-the-sword-giveth-again-20140327-35jm4.html|url-status=live}}</ref> From the 1930s to 1950s, movies and radio were the "only mass entertainment" but by the second decade of the 21st century, technological changes, economic decisions, risk aversion and globalisation reduced both the quality and range of films being produced.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Losing the plot|last = Byrnes|first = Paul|date = 12 December 2015|work = The Sydney Morning Herald|pages = 12–13}}</ref> Sophisticated [[visual effects]] and CGI techniques, for example, rather than humans, were used not only to create realistic images of people, landscapes and events (both real and [[Fantasy|fantastic]]) but also to animate non-living items such as [[Lego]] normally used as entertainment as a game in physical form.<ref name=Maddox>{{cite news|last=Maddox|first=Garry|title=The Lego Movie: Hit off the old block|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/the-lego-movie-hit-off-the-old-block-20140327-35jek.html|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=30 March 2014|date=28 March 2014|archive-date=30 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330015903/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/the-lego-movie-hit-off-the-old-block-20140327-35jek.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Creators of ''[[The Lego Movie]]'' "wanted the audience to believe they were looking at actual Lego bricks on a tabletop that were shot with a real camera, not what we actually did, which was create vast environments with digital bricks inside the computer."<ref name=Maddox /> The convergence of computers and film has allowed entertainment to be presented in a new way and the technology has also allowed for those with the personal resources to screen films in a [[home cinema|home theatre]], recreating in a private venue the quality and experience of a public theatre. This is similar to the way that the nobility in earlier times could stage private musical performances or the use of domestic theatres in large homes to perform private plays in earlier centuries.

Films also re-imagine entertainment from other forms, turning stories, books and plays, for example, into new entertainments.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rothwell|first=Kenneth S.|title=A History of Shakespeare on Screen: A Century of Film and Television|year=1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge; New York|isbn=978-0-521-59404-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofshakesp0000roth_t4d6}}</ref> ''[[The Story of Film: An Odyssey|The Story of Film]]'', a documentary about the [[history of film]], gives a survey of global achievements and innovations in the medium, as well as changes in the conception of film-making. It demonstrates that while some films, particularly those in the [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] tradition that combines "realism and [[melodrama]]tic romanticism",{{sfnp|Paris|1999|p=17}} are intended as a form of [[escapism]], others require a deeper engagement or more thoughtful response from their audiences. For example, the award-winning Senegalese film ''[[Xala]]'' takes government corruption as its theme. [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s film ''[[The Great Dictator]]'' was a brave and innovative parody, also on a political theme. Stories that are thousands of years old, such as [[Noah (2014 film)|''Noah'']], have been re-interpreted in film, applying familiar [[literary devices]] such as allegory and [[personification]] with new techniques such as CGI to explore big themes such as "human folly", good and evil, courage and despair, love, faith, and death{{snd}} themes that have been a main-stay of entertainment across all its forms.<ref>{{cite web|last=Byrnes|first=Paul|title=Noah review: Moments of brilliance but can't shake sinking feeling|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/noah-review-moments-of-brilliance-but-cant-shake-sinking-feeling-20140327-35jm3.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=30 March 2014|date=27 March 2014|archive-date=30 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330213729/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/noah-review-moments-of-brilliance-but-cant-shake-sinking-feeling-20140327-35jm3.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

As in other media, excellence and achievement in films is recognised through a range of awards, including ones from the American [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]], the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]], the [[Cannes International Film Festival]] in France and the [[Asia Pacific Screen Awards]].

==== Dance ====
{{Main|Dance}}
[[File:Peterborough Snow Ball 2008 silent video.ogg|left|thumb|[[Contra dance]]rs at a ball in New Hampshire, United States (silent video)]]
The many forms of dance provide entertainment for all age groups and cultures. Dance can be serious in tone, such as when it is used to express a culture's history or important stories; it may be provocative; or it may put in the service of comedy. Since it combines many forms of entertainment{{snd}} music, movement, storytelling, theatre{{snd}} it provides a good example of the various ways that these forms can be combined to create entertainment for different purposes and audiences.

Dance is "a form of cultural representation" that involves not just dancers, but "[[Choreography (dance)|choreographers]], audience members, [[Patronage|patrons]] and [[impresario]]s&nbsp;... coming from all over the globe and from vastly varied time periods."<ref>{{cite book|ref=CITEREFDilsAlbright2001|title=Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader|year=2001|publisher=Wesleyan University Press|location=Durham, NC|isbn=978-0-8195-6412-2|author=Albright, Ann Cooper|editor=Dils, Ann}} p. xviii.</ref> Whether from Africa, Asia or Europe, dance is constantly negotiating the realms of political, social, spiritual and artistic influence."{{sfnp|Dils|Albright|2001|p=96}} Even though dance traditions may be limited to one cultural group, they all develop. For example, in Africa, there are "[[Dahomey|Dahomean]] dances, [[Hausa people|Hausa]] dances, [[Maasai people|Masai]] dances and so forth."{{sfnp|Dils|Albright|2001|p=34}} Ballet is an example of a highly developed Western form of dance that moved to the theatres from the French court during the time of [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], the dancers becoming professional theatrical performers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Mary|title=The history of dance|year=1981|publisher=Crown Publishers|location=New York|isbn=978-0-517-54282-8|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofdance0000clar}} p. 98.</ref> Some dances, such as the [[quadrille]], a square dance that "emerged during the [[Napoleonic era|Napoleonic years]] in France"{{sfnp|Clarke|1981|p=97}} and other [[country dance]]s<ref>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Thomas|title=An Analysis of Country Dancing|date=1808|publisher=W. Calvert}}</ref> were once popular at social gatherings like [[Ball (dance)|balls]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Fullerton|first=Susannah|title=A Dance with Jane Austen: How a Novelist and Her Characters Went to the Ball|year=2012|publisher=Pgw|isbn=978-0-7112-3245-7|author2=Le Faye, Deirdre|title-link=Jane Austen}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Thomas|title=The Treasures of Terpsichore: or, A Companion for the Ball-Room|date=1816|publisher=Sherwood, Neely and Jones|location=London}}</ref> but are now rarely performed. On the other hand, many [[folk dance]]s (such as [[Scottish highland dance|Scottish Highland dancing]] and [[Irish dance|Irish dancing]]), have evolved into competitions, which by adding to their audiences, has increased their entertainment value. "Irish dance theatre, which sometimes features traditional Irish steps and music, has developed into a major dance form with an international reputation."<ref name="Wulff">{{cite book|last=Wulff|first=Helena|title=Dancing at the Crossroads: Memory and Mobility in Ireland|year=2007|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-1-84545-328-2|page=137}}</ref>

Since dance is often "associated with the female body and women's experiences",{{sfnp|Dils|Albright|2001|p=96}} female dancers, who dance to entertain, have in some cases been regarded as distinct from "decent" women because they "use their bodies to make a living instead of hiding them as much as possible".{{sfnp|Dils|Albright|2001|p=142}} Society's attitudes to female dancers depend on the culture, its history and the entertainment industry itself. For example, while some cultures regard any dancing by women as "the most shameful form of entertainment",<ref>van Nieuwkerk, Karin. "Changing Images and Shifting Identities: Female Performers in Egypt" in Dils & Albright (2001). p. 141.</ref> other cultures have established venues such as [[strip clubs]] where deliberately erotic or sexually provocative dances such as [[striptease]] are performed in public by professional women dancers for mostly male audiences.

Various political regimes have sought to control or ban dancing or specific types of dancing, sometimes because of disapproval of the music or clothes associated with it. Nationalism, authoritarianism and racism have played a part in banning dances or dancing. For example, during the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] regime, American dances such as [[Swing (dance)|swing]], regarded as "completely un-German", had "become a public offense and needed to be banned".<ref>{{cite book|last=Karina|first=Lilian|title=Hitler's Dancers: German Modern Dance and the Third Reich|year=1999|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-1-57181-300-8|page=174|edition=English|others=Translated by Jonathan Steinberg|author2=Kant, Marion}}</ref> Similarly, in Shanghai, China, in the 1930s, "dancing and nightclubs had come to symbolise the excess that plagued Chinese society" and officials wondered if "other forms of entertainment such as [[brothel]]s" should also be banned. Banning had the effect of making "the dance craze" even greater.<ref>{{cite book |last=Field |first=Andrew David |title=Shanghai's Dancing World: Cabaret Culture and Urban Politics, 1919–1954 |year=2010 |publisher=The Chinese University of Hong Kong |location=Sha Tin, Hong Kong |isbn=978-962-996-373-6 |page=169}}</ref> In Ireland, the Public Dance Hall Act of 1935 "banned{{snd}} but did not stop{{snd}} dancing at the crossroads and other popular dance forms such as house and [[barn dance]]s."<ref name="Wulff" /> In the US, various dances were once banned, either because like [[burlesque]], they were suggestive,<ref>{{cite book|last=Butters|first=Gerald R.|title=Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915–1966|year=2007|publisher=University of Missouri Press|location=Columbia|isbn=978-0-8262-1749-3|page=230}}</ref> or because, like the [[Twist (dance)|Twist]], they were associated with African Americans.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pruter|first=Robert|title=Chicago Soul|year=1991|publisher=University of Illinois|isbn=978-0-252-06259-9|page=191}}</ref> "African American dancers were typically banned from performing in [[minstrel show]]s until after the [[American Civil War]]."<ref>{{cite book|last=Hill|first=Constance Valis|title=Tap Dancing America: A Cultural History|year=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-539082-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/tapdancingameric0000hill/page/12 12]|url=https://archive.org/details/tapdancingameric0000hill/page/12}}</ref>

Dances can be performed [[Solo (dance)|solo]], in pairs, in groups, or by massed performers. They might be improvised or highly choreographed; spontaneous for personal entertainment (such as when children begin dancing for themselves); a private audience, a paying audience, a world audience, or an audience interested in a particular dance genre. They might be a part of a celebration, such as a wedding or New Year, or a cultural ritual with a specific purpose, such as a dance by [[warrior]]s like a [[haka]]. Some dances, such as traditional dance and ballet, need a very high level of skill and training; others, such as the [[can-can]], require a very high level of energy and physical fitness. Entertaining the audience is a normal part of dance but its physicality often also produces joy for the dancers themselves.

<gallery class="center" caption="Dance across cultures" widths="180" heights="150">
File:Korea-Andong-Hahoe Folk Village-Thai dancer-01.jpg| Traditional dancer (Thailand)
File:Harlekin Columbine Tivoli Denmark.jpg| [[Harlequinade|Harlequin and Columbine]] (Denmark)
File:Ballroom dance exhibition.jpg| [[Ballroom dance|Ballroom dancing]] (Czech Republic)
File:Belly dancer dancing in Morocco.jpg| [[Belly dance]]r (Morocco)
File:Morris dancing at Berwick St John - geograph.org.uk - 903611.jpg| [[Morris dance|Morris dancing]] (England)
File:Allan-highlandwedding1780.jpg| [[Scottish Highlands|Highland]] wedding (Scotland, 1780)
File:Mt Hagen Cultural Show PNG 2008.jpg| Warrior dancers (Papua New Guinea)
File:Fire Dragon dance.jpg| Fire Dragon dance for [[Chinese New Year]]
File:Bhangra 1.jpg| [[Bhangra (dance)|Bhangra dancers]] at the [[International Children's Festival]]
File:Arirang Mass Games, Pyongyang, North Korea-1.jpg| Children in [[Mass Games]] (North Korea)
</gallery>

==== Animals ====
Animals have been used for the purposes of entertainment for millennia. They have been hunted for entertainment (as opposed to hunted for food); displayed while they hunt for prey; watched when they compete with each other; and watched while they perform a trained routine for human amusement. The Romans, for example, were entertained both by competitions involving wild animals and acts performed by trained animals. They watched as "lions and bears danced to the music of pipes and [[cymbal]]s; horses were trained to kneel, bow, dance and prance&nbsp;... acrobats turning handsprings over wild lions and vaulting over wild leopards." There were "violent confrontations with wild beasts" and "performances over time became more brutal and bloodier".<ref>{{cite book|last=St Leon|first=Mark|title=Circus: the Australian story|year=2011|publisher=Melbourne Books|location=Melbourne|isbn=978-1-877096-50-1|page=3}}</ref>

Animals that perform trained routines or "acts" for human entertainment include fleas in [[flea circus]]es, dolphins in [[Dolphinarium|dolphinaria]], and monkeys doing tricks for an audience on behalf of the player of a [[street organ]]. Animals kept in [[zoo]]s in ancient times were often kept there for later use in the arena as entertainment or for their entertainment value as exotica.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hancocks|first=David|title=A different nature: the paradoxical world of zoos and their uncertain future|url=https://archive.org/details/differentnaturep0000hanc|url-access=registration|year=2001|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=978-0-520-23676-9}}</ref>

Many contests between animals are now regarded as sports{{snd}} for example, [[horse racing]] is regarded as both a sport and an important source of entertainment. Its economic impact means that it is also considered a global industry, one in which horses are carefully transported around the world to compete in races. In Australia, the horse race run on [[Melbourne Cup]] Day is a public holiday and the public regards the race as an important annual event. Like horse racing, [[camel racing]] requires human riders, while [[greyhound racing]] does not. People find it entertaining to watch animals race competitively, whether they are trained, like horses, camels or dogs, or untrained, like [[Cockroach racing|cockroaches]].

The use of animals for entertainment is sometimes controversial, especially the hunting of wild animals. Some contests between animals, once popular entertainment for the public, have become illegal because of the cruelty involved. Among these are [[blood sport]]s such as [[bear-baiting]], [[dog fighting]] and [[cockfighting]]. Other contests involving animals remain controversial and have both supporters and detractors. For example, the conflict between opponents of pigeon shooting who view it as "a cruel and moronic exercise in marksmanship, and proponents, who view it as entertainment" has been tested in a court of law.<ref>An extensive discussion of the legal and cultural issues can be found in {{cite book|last=Bronner|first=Simon J.|title=Killing Tradition: Inside Hunting and Animal Rights Controversies|year=2008|publisher=The University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0-8131-2528-2}}</ref> [[Fox hunting]], which involves the use of horses as well as hounds, and [[bullfighting]], which has a strong theatrical component, are two entertainments that have a long and significant cultural history. They both involve animals and are variously regarded as sport, entertainment or cultural tradition<!--don't use 'either' nor 'and/or' in this sentence; 'variously' is used in conjunction with 'or' to mean they're regarded as one, two or three of these things-->. Among the organisations set up to advocate for the rights of animals are some whose concerns include the use of animals for entertainment.<ref>Examples include: [http://www.league.org.uk/ The League against Cruel Sports, UK] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208154852/http://www.league.org.uk/ |date=8 February 2011 }}; [http://www.peta.org/ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), multinational] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609035342/http://www.peta.org/ |date=9 June 2015 }}; and [http://www.sharkonline.org/ Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), US] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102032707/http://sharkonline.org/ |date=2 January 2014 }}.</ref> However, "in many cases of animal advocacy groups versus organisations accused of animal abuse, both sides have cultural claims."{{sfn|Bronner|2008}}

<gallery class="center" widths="180" heights="150" caption="Animals used for entertainment">
File:Ala-uddin and Mahima hunting.JPG|'[[Alauddin Khalji|Ala'ud-Din]] and Mahima Dharma [[Tiger hunting|hunting]] a tiger while in an intimate relationship, [[Punjab Hills]], India, 1790
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Arabische man met twee gedresseerde aapjes aan de ketting TMnr 60020423.jpg|Trained monkey performing for an audience of children (1900–20)
File:Pharlap1930melbournecup.jpg|Crowd watches [[Pharlap]] win the [[Melbourne Cup]] in Australia, 1930.
File:San marcos bullfight 04.jpg|Crowd watches a [[Bullfighting|bullfight]] in Mexico, 2010.
</gallery>

==== Circus ====
{{Main|Circus}}
[[File:Cirque Soleil Stilt 1.jpg|thumb|Children entertained by a [[stilts|stilt]] walker performing in a circus act]]

A [[circus]], described as "one of the most brazen of entertainment forms",<ref name=Stoddart>{{cite book|last=Stoddart|first=Helen|title=Rings of Desire: Circus History and Representation|year=2000|publisher=Manchester University Press|location=Manchester, UK & New York|page=13|isbn=978-0-7190-5233-0}}</ref> is a special type of theatrical performance, involving a variety of physical skills such as [[acrobatics]] and [[juggling]] and sometimes performing animals. Usually thought of as a travelling show performed in a [[wikt:big top|big top]], circus was first performed in permanent venues. [[Philip Astley]] is regarded as the founder of the modern circus in the second half of the 18th century and [[Jules Léotard]] is the French performer credited with developing the art of the [[trapeze]], considered synonymous with circuses.<ref>{{cite book|last=Diamond|first=Michael|title=Victorian sensation, or, The spectacular, the shocking, and the scandalous in nineteenth-century Britain|year=2003|publisher=Anthem Press|location=London|isbn=978-1-84331-076-1}}</ref> Astley brought together performances that were generally familiar in traditional British fairs "at least since the beginning of the 17th century": "tumbling, rope-dancing, juggling, animal tricks and so on".<ref name=Stoddart /> It has been claimed that "there is no direct link between the Roman circus and the circus of modern times.&nbsp;... Between the demise of the Roman 'circus' and the foundation of Astley's Amphitheatre in London some 1300 years later, the nearest thing to a circus ring was the rough circle formed by the curious onlookers who gathered around the itinerant tumbler or juggler on a [[village green]]."{{sfnp|St Leon|2011}}

==== Magic ====
{{Main|Magic (illusion)}}
The form of entertainment known as [[Magic (illusion)|stage magic]] or conjuring and recognisable as performance, is based on traditions and texts of magical rites and dogmas that have been a part of most cultural traditions since ancient times. (References to magic, for example, can be found in the Bible, in [[Hermeticism]], in [[Zoroastrianism]], in the [[Kabbalah|Kabbalistic]] tradition, in [[mysticism]] and in the sources of [[Freemasonry]].)<ref>{{cite book|last=Lévi|first=Éliphas|title=The History of Magic ''(originally published in 1860 as'' Histoire de la Magie ''English edition, translated by A.E. Waite in 1913)''|year=2001|publisher=Red Wheel/Weiser|location=Boston, MA|isbn=978-0-87728-929-6}}</ref>

Stage magic is performed for an audience in a variety of media and locations: on stage, on television, in the street, and live at parties or events. It is often combined with other forms of entertainment, such as comedy or music and [[showmanship (performing)|showmanship]] is often an essential part of magic performances. Performance magic relies on deception, [[psychological manipulation]], sleight of hand and other forms of trickery to give an audience the illusion that a performer can achieve the impossible. Audiences amazed at the [[stunt performer|stunt performances]] and [[Escapology|escape acts]] of [[Harry Houdini]], for example, regarded him as a [[Magic (illusion)|magician]].<ref>{{Citation | title=Houdini: the man who walked through walls | author1=Gresham, William Lindsay | year=1959 | publisher=Holt}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title=The Great Houdini: magician extraordinary | author1=Epstein, Beryl| author2=Epstein, Sam | year=1971 | location = Folkestone| publisher=Bailey Brothers and Swinfen (Reprint. Originally published: New York : Dutton, c. 1920)|isbn=978-0-561-00094-7 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title=Miracle mongers and their methods: a complete exposé | author1=Houdini, Harry | year=1981 | location = Buffalo, NY|publisher=Prometheus Books|isbn = 978-0-87975-143-2 }} (Reprint. Originally published: New York: Dutton, c1920)</ref>

[[Magician (fantasy)|Fantasy magicians]] have held an important place in literature for centuries, offering entertainment to millions of readers. Famous wizards such as [[Merlin]] in the [[Arthurian legends]] have been written about since the 5th and 6th centuries, while in the 21st century, the young wizard [[Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter]] became a global entertainment phenomenon when the book series about him sold about 450 million copies (as at June 2011), making it the [[List of book series|best-selling book series in history]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Rowling 'makes £5 every second'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7649962.stm|publisher=BBC News|access-date=27 February 2013|date=3 October 2008|archive-date=11 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311003331/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7649962.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Harry Potter series to be sold as e-books|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13889578|publisher=BBC News|access-date=27 February 2013|date=23 June 2011|archive-date=19 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719004955/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13889578|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Street performance ====
[[File:Didgeridoo street player.jpg|thumb|[[Didgeridoo]] player entertaining passers by in the street]]

Street entertainment, [[street performance]], or "busking" are forms of performance that have been meeting the public's need for entertainment for centuries.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cohen|first=David|title=The buskers: a history of street entertainment|year= 1981|publisher=David & Charles|location=Newton Abbot; North Pomfret, Vermont|isbn=978-0-7153-8026-0|author2=Greenwood, Ben}}</ref> It was "an integral aspect of London's life", for example, when the city in the early 19th century was "filled with spectacle and diversion".{{sfnp|Ackroyd|2000|p=346 (caption to plate following text pages)}} [[Minstrel]]s or [[troubadour]]s are part of the tradition. The art and practice of busking is still celebrated at annual busking festivals.<ref>For example, [http://www.coffsharbourbuskers.com/ 2012 Coffs Harbour International Buskers and Comedy Festival] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207225200/http://www.coffsharbourbuskers.com/ |date=7 February 2007 }}.</ref>

There are three basic forms of contemporary street performance. The first form is the "circle show". It tends to gather a crowd, usually has a distinct beginning and end, and is done in conjunction with [[street theatre]], [[puppeteer]]ing, [[magic (illusion)|magicians]], comedians, acrobats, [[juggling|jugglers]] and sometimes musicians. This type has the potential to be the most lucrative for the performer because there are likely to be more donations from larger audiences if they are entertained by the act. Good buskers control the crowd so patrons do not obstruct foot traffic. The second form, the ''walk-by act'', has no distinct beginning or end. Typically, the busker provides an entertaining ambience, often with an unusual instrument, and the audience may not stop to watch or form a crowd. Sometimes a walk-by act spontaneously turns into a circle show. The third form, ''café busking'', is performed mostly in restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés. This type of act occasionally uses public transport as a venue.

==== Parades ====
{{Main|Parade}}
[[Parade]]s are held for a range of purposes, often more than one. Whether their mood is sombre or festive, being public events that are designed to attract attention and activities that necessarily divert normal traffic, parades have a clear entertainment value to their audiences. [[Cavalcade]]s and the modern variant, the [[motorcade]], are examples of public processions. Some people watching the parade or procession may have made a special effort to attend, while others become part of the audience by happenstance. Whatever their mood or primary purpose, parades attract and entertain people who watch them pass by. Occasionally, a parade takes place in an improvised theatre space (such as the [[Trooping the Colour]] in ) and tickets are sold to the physical audience while the global audience participates via broadcast.

One of the earliest forms of parade were "[[Roman triumph|triumphs]]"{{snd}} grand and sensational displays of foreign treasures and spoils, given by triumphant Roman generals to celebrate their victories. They presented conquered peoples and nations that exalted the prestige of the victor. "In the summer of 46&nbsp;[[Before common era|BCE]] [[Julius Caesar]] chose to celebrate four triumphs held on different days extending for about one month."<ref>{{cite book|last=Gurval|first=Robert Alan|title=Actium and Augustus: The Politics and Emotions of Civil War|year=1995|publisher=University of Michigan|isbn=978-0-472-10590-8|page=20}}</ref> In Europe from the Middle Ages to the [[Baroque]] the [[Royal Entry]] celebrated the formal visit of the monarch to the city with a parade through elaborately decorated streets, passing various shows and displays. The annual [[Lord Mayor's Show]] in London is an example of a civic parade that has survived since medieval times.

Many religious festivals (especially those that incorporate [[processions]], such as [[Holy Week procession]]s or the Indian festival of [[Holi]]) have some entertainment appeal in addition to their serious purpose. Sometimes, religious rituals have been adapted or evolved into secular entertainments, or like the [[Festa del Redentore]] in Venice, have managed to grow in popularity while holding both secular and sacred purposes in balance. However, [[pilgrimage]]s, such as the Roman Catholic pilgrimage of the [[Way of St. James]], the Muslim [[Hajj]] and the Hindu [[Kumbh Mela]], which may appear to the outsider as an entertaining parade or procession, are not intended as entertainment: they are instead about an individual's spiritual journey. Hence, the relationship between spectator and participant, unlike entertainments proper, is different. The manner in which the Kumbh Mela, for example, "is divorced from its cultural context and repackaged for Western consumption{{snd}} renders the presence of [[Voyeurism|voyeurs]] deeply problematic."<ref>{{cite book|last=Maclean|first=Kama|title=Pilgrimage and Power: The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, 1765–1954|year=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-533894-2|page=52}}</ref>

Parades generally impress and delight often by including unusual, colourful costumes. Sometimes they also commemorate or celebrate. Sometimes they have a serious purpose, such as when the context is military, when the intention is sometimes to intimidate; or religious, when the audience might participate or have a role to play. Even if a parade uses new technology and is some distance away, it is likely to have a strong appeal, draw the attention of onlookers and entertain them.
<gallery class="center" widths="180" heights="150" caption="Parades across cultures">
File:Triunphus Caesaris plate 6 - Andreani.jpg| Triumph of Caesar, Andreani (1588/9)
File:Alfred Jacob Miller - Cavalcade - Walters 371940199.jpg| [[Alfred Jacob Miller]] ''Cavalcade'' by the [[Snake Indians]] (1858–60)
File:Edmund Blair Leighton - 1816.jpg| Parade from the onlooker perspective (1816)
File:William McKinley 1901 inauguration.ogv| [[United States presidential inauguration|Inauguration]] parade of US President [[William McKinley|McKinley]] (1897)
File:1945 Eelde Canadezen.jpg| Respectful crowd at [[motorcade]] in Canada (1945)
File:Anant Chaturdashi.jpg| [[Ganesh Visarjan]], Mumbai (2007)
File:West Indian Day Parade 2008-09-01 man in costume.jpg| Costumes in West Indian Day parade (2008)
File:Trooping the Colour March on.JPG| Celebratory parade in London before seated audience (2008)
File:Red Arrows over the Mall.JPG| [[Flypast]] (2012)
File:Desfile Portela 2014 (906185).jpg| [[Rio Carnival|Festive parade in Brazil]] (2014)
</gallery>

==== Fireworks ====
{{Main|Fireworks}}
[[File:Medellín-Juegos pirotécnicos bicentenario-11.jpg|thumb|Spectators at Bicentennial [[fireworks]] in Colombia]]

[[Fireworks]] are a part of many public entertainments and have retained an enduring popularity since they became a "crowning feature of elaborate celebrations" in the 17th century. First used in China, classical antiquity and Europe for military purposes, fireworks were most popular in the 18th century and high prices were paid for [[Pyrotechnics|pyrotechnists]], especially the skilled Italian ones, who were summoned to other countries to organise displays.<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Giacomo Casanova|last=Casanova|first=Giacomo Chevalier de Seingalt|title=History of My Life, Volumes 9–10 Vol 10|year=1997|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore, MD; London|isbn=978-0-8018-5666-2|page=333|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Kelly|first=Jack|title=Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World|year=2005|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0-465-03722-3}}</ref> Fire and water were important aspects of court spectacles because the displays "inspired by means of fire, sudden noise, smoke and general magnificence the sentiments thought fitting for the subject to entertain of his sovereign: awe fear and a vicarious sense of glory in his might. Birthdays, name-days, weddings and anniversaries provided the occasion for celebration."<ref>{{cite book|last=Sagarra|first=Eda|title=A Social History of Germany 1648–1914|year=2003|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-0-7658-0982-7|page=31}}</ref> One of the most famous courtly uses of fireworks was one used to celebrate the end of the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] and while the fireworks themselves caused a fire,<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Christopher Hogwood|last=Hogwood|first=Christopher|title=Handel: Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks|year=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-83636-4|page=80}}</ref> the accompanying [[Music for the Royal Fireworks]] written by [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]] has been popular ever since. Aside from their contribution to entertainments related to military successes, courtly displays and personal celebrations, fireworks are also used as part of religious ceremony. For example, during the Indian [[Dashavatar]]a Kala of Gomantaka "the temple deity is taken around in a procession with a lot of singing, dancing and display of fireworks".<ref>{{cite book|last=Varadpande|first=Manohar Laxman|title=History of Indian Theatre (vol. 2)|year=1992|publisher=Shakti Malik Abhinav Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-81-7017-278-9|page=286}}</ref>

The "fire, sudden noise and smoke" of fireworks is still a significant part of public celebration and entertainment. For example, fireworks were one of the primary forms of display chosen to celebrate the turn of the [[millennium]] around the world. As the clock struck midnight and 1999 became 2000, firework displays and open-air parties greeted the New Year as the [[time zone]]s changed over to the next century. Fireworks, carefully planned and choreographed, were let off against the backdrop of many of the world's most famous buildings, including the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]], the [[Giza Necropolis|Pyramids of Giza]] in Egypt, the [[Acropolis]] in Athens, [[Red Square (disambiguation)|Red Square]] in Moscow, [[Vatican City]] in Rome, the [[Brandenburg Gate]] in Berlin, the [[Eiffel Tower]] in Paris, and [[Elizabeth Tower]] in London.

=== Sport ===
{{Main|Sport}}
[[File:Tifosi fiorentina.jpg|thumb|Audience engagement from a crowd of Italian sport fans]]
[[File:2010 FIFA World Cup Fans.jpg|thumb|Audience engagement by individual South African fans at the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]] ]]

[[Sports|Sporting]] competitions have always provided entertainment for crowds. To distinguish the players from the audience, the latter are often known as spectators. Developments in stadium and [[auditorium]] design, as well as in recording and broadcast technology, have allowed off-site spectators to watch sport, with the result that the size of the audience has grown ever larger and [[spectator sport]] has become increasingly popular. Two of the most popular sports with global appeal are association football and [[cricket]]. Their ultimate international competitions, the [[FIFA World Cup]] and the [[Cricket World Cup]], are broadcast around the world. Beyond the very large numbers involved in playing these sports, they are notable for being a major source of entertainment for many millions of non-players worldwide.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sport Marketing|year=2007|publisher=Human Kinetics|isbn=978-0-7360-6052-3|author1=Hardy, Stephen|author2=Sutton, William Anthony|editor=Mullin, Bernard James|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/sportmarketing0000mull_n0q5}}</ref> A comparable multi-stage, long-form sport with global appeal is the [[Tour de France]], unusual in that it takes place outside of special stadia, being run instead in the countryside.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Christopher S.|title=The Tour de France: A Cultural History|year=2008|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley & Los Angeles; London|isbn=978-0-520-25630-9}}</ref>

Aside from sports that have worldwide appeal and competitions, such as the [[Olympic Games]], the entertainment value of a sport depends on the culture and country where people play it. For example, in the United States, baseball and basketball games are popular forms of entertainment; in Bhutan, the national sport is archery; in New Zealand, it is [[rugby union]]; in Iran, it is [[freestyle wrestling]]. Japan's unique [[sumo]] wrestling contains ritual elements that derive from its long history.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kubota|first=Makoto|title=Sumo|year=1999|publisher=Chronicle Books Llc|isbn=978-0-8118-2548-1}}</ref> In some cases, such as the international running group [[Hash House Harriers]], participants create a blend of sport and entertainment for themselves, largely independent of spectator involvement, where the social component is more important than the competitive.

The evolution of an activity into a sport and then an entertainment is also affected by the local climate and conditions. For example, the modern sport of [[History of surfing|surfing]] is associated with Hawaii and that of [[History of skiing|snow skiing]] probably evolved in Scandinavia. While these sports and the entertainment they offer to spectators have spread around the world, people in the two originating countries remain well known for their prowess. Sometimes the climate offers a chance to adapt another sport such as in the case of [[ice hockey]]{{snd}}an important entertainment in Canada.

=== Fairs, expositions, shopping ===
{{Main|Fair|World's fair}}
[[Fair]]s and exhibitions have existed since ancient and medieval times, displaying wealth, innovations and objects for trade and offering specific entertainments as well as being places of entertainment in themselves.<ref name=Wilson>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Robert|title=Great Exhibitions: The World Fairs 1851–1937|year=2007|publisher=National Gallery of Victoria|isbn=978-0-7241-0284-6|pages=10–11}}</ref> Whether in a medieval market or a small shop, "shopping always offered forms of exhilaration that took one away from the everyday".<ref name=Moss>{{cite book|last=Moss|first=Mark Howard|title=Shopping as an Entertainment Experience|year=2007|publisher=Lexington Books|location=Lanham, Maryland; Plymouth, UK|page=3|isbn=978-0-7391-1680-7}}</ref> However, in the modern world, "merchandising has become entertainment: spinning signs, flashing signs, thumping music&nbsp;... video screens, interactive computer kiosks, day care .. cafés".<ref name=Moss />

By the 19th century, "expos" that encouraged arts, manufactures and commerce had become international. They were not only hugely popular but affected international ideas. For example, the [[Exposition Universelle (1878)|1878 Paris Exposition]] facilitated international cooperation about ideas, innovations and standards. From London 1851 to Paris 1900, "in excess of 200 million visitors had entered the turnstiles in London, Paris, Vienna, Philadelphia, Chicago and a myriad of smaller shows around the world."<ref name=Wilson /><ref>{{cite web|title=World's Colombian Exposition of 1893|url=http://columbus.gl.iit.edu/|publisher=Chicago Illinois Institute of Technology|access-date=15 November 2012|archive-date=10 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110033144/http://columbus.gl.iit.edu/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since [[World War II]] "well over 500&nbsp;million visits have been recorded through world expo turnstiles".<ref name=Boisseau>{{cite book|title=Gendering the Fair: Histories of Women and Gender at World's Fairs|year=2010|publisher=University of Illinois|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0-252-03558-6|author1=Rydell, Robert |author2=Boisseau, T.J. |author3=Markwyn, Abigail M. |author4=Rydell, Robert W. |editor=Boisseau, T.J.|page=viii}}</ref> As a form of spectacle and entertainment, expositions influenced "everything from architecture, to patterns of globalisation, to fundamental matters of human identity"<ref name=Boisseau /> and in the process established the close relationship between "fairs, the rise of department stores and art museums",<ref>{{cite book|last=Rydell|first=Robert W.|title=World of Fairs: The Century-of-Progress Expositions|year=1993|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0-226-73236-7|page=15}}</ref> the modern world of mass consumption and the entertainment industry.

<gallery class="center" caption="Entertainment in expositions and shops" widths="180" heights="150">
File:Paris 1889 plakat.jpg|Advertisement for 1889 Paris Universal Exposition
File:Qatar's Pavillion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.jpg|Audience queuing for Qatar's World Exposition Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo
File:Ballpit.jpg|[[Ball pit]] of the type provided for children's entertainment in shopping malls
</gallery>