Chicago’s favorite clown Bozo gets 3-day celebration at Madame Zuzu’s in Highland Park

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. – A Highland Park restaurant will transform into Bozo’s Circus for three days.

Billy Corgan, The Smashing Pumpkins front man and cofounder of Madame Zuzu’s, is hosting a three-day celebration of Chicago’s favorite clown, Bozo.

Corgan is a superfan and even performed at Bozo’s final taping at WGN.

“I think Bozo remains very close to people’s hearts,” Corgan said during an appearance on Daytime Chicago.

For three days, Madame Zuzu’s will transform into Bozo’s Circus, filled with vintage carnival games and activities.

If you come across superfans of Bozo the Clown, you are likely to hear a story of a child rushing home on their bike during their lunch hour.

“So I could at least catch the last part of the Grand Prize Game…it was part of growing up in the Chicago area,” Bozo fan Kevin Apney said.

On Friday, many of those children – now adults – headed inside Madame Zuzu’s, sitting not in front of a TV, but a live panel.

Friday’s event “Evening with the Stars” started at 6 p.m. and was hosted by WGN’s very own Dean Richards.

The panel also included actor Joey D’Auria, who played Bozo for 17 years.

“One day, my wife and I are in a restaurant and she said something funny. I went (laughs) and my wife said you can’t see it but 10 kids just stood on their chairs,” D’Auria said.

“Scream” actor David Arquette also made an appearance. Arquette is a lifelong fan and even purchased the rights to the character in 2021. He spoke on the effort of bringing the show back to a new audience.

“I would love to talk to you about bringing the show back to Chicago,” Arquette said. “We’re developing a movie at the moment, Bozo’s sort of origin story.”

The show has been off-air since 2001, but Friday’s gathering delivered a reunion worth waiting for.

“I thought it was so special. I thought it was a great energy in the audience to reminisce and go back to that childhood memory,” Bozo fan Sidney Martinez said.

More information on this weekend’s Bozo-themed events can be found here , while information on tickets can be found here .

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