The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay “A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!” Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker

May 2014 issue

by Per-Olof Stoltz

It’s always been there, the Tivoli. The one that came to my suburban neighbourhood once a year caused great excitement as expectations rose during the week it took to build it up. There where kids everywhere, following every step. Most of the attractions were familiar, but once in a while there was a new one. Speculations ran wild about the possibilities of the new attraction. What was it going to do? Was it something with speed? Maybe even a bit dangerous? And if so, would it make you sick? Heaven! That weekend, hard earned money was spent on everything that spinned, was elevated or moved in all unexpected ways. And on airgun shooting galleries. The lotteries were dismissed though. All you could win were geeky plastic toys that hardly even amused my younger siblings. But the Whirlwind, that was another story. It turned and spinned in the most unpleasant ways. Lovely! And soon we learned that the effect depended on who was running it. The best ones could keep you turning for the whole ride. Then the years passed and soon enough I got my first apartment, with a large grassfield in front of my balcony. Space, air and silence. Until the first midsummer weekend came. Some days before the weekend, a familiar construction start to rise. A carousell, and then some more. The Tivoli had arrived. Great I thought. Until opening day. Suddenly, the noise and music that I’d loved so much during my boyhood days, wasn’t such fun. But as I stood there on my balcony and watched neighbours and others enjoy themselves, my fascination with and questions about the Tivoli grew. Who are these people that travel the roads to amuse us? What kind of lives do they lead? It would take another 20 years, and some failed attempts to tell the story, before I found MAX Tivoli. A Tivoli just like the ones in my childhood; not too big or too fancy. Built by a family with its roots in a European Tivoli tradition. A Tivoli that would never exist without the odd workforce of people who had found a sanctuary in that world. No questions asked. ”-Just do the work and stay sober during work hours”, was the deal with Max Eggers, founder and owner. And then there are the polish season workers. Working for low wages but still way over what they could make at home. It’s like a circus without the stars in the centre. Just these people travelling the countryside all summer. This is their story through my eyes.