Step into a world built differently at Showtown’s perspective-shifting exhibition
Showtown, Blackpool’s award-winning museum of fun and entertainment, is proud to announce a powerful new community-led temporary exhibition - Through Our Eyes: Little People Beyond the Circus, opening on 12 February and running until 12 April 2026.
The exhibition forms part of a major project supported by the Collections Fund, delivered by the Museums Association, through which Blackpool was awarded the largest grant the fund had ever made at the time. This investment has enabled Showtown to undertake ambitious co-production, new research and significant national loans.
This thought-provoking exhibition explores the history of little people in Blackpool, placing their lived experience and perspectives at the centre of the story. Developed through a six-month co-production project with people of short stature and their families, the exhibition draws on Showtown’s internationally significant Blackpool Tower Circus Collection, national archive loans from Sheffield’s National Fairground and Circus Archive, and unseen film footage from North West Film Archive and British Pathé. Visitors will also encounter Blackpool collection objects never before exhibited to the public.
Through Our Eyes goes beyond traditional museum interpretation. The gallery has been designed at the height of little people, with display cases, interactives and sightlines lowered to challenge assumptions about accessibility and to highlight how the world is usually built for people of average height. By physically changing the environment, the exhibition invites average height visitors to consider the inaccessibility of everyday spaces for little people.
The project creates a safe and respectful space to explore complex and sensitive historical narratives around exploitation, identity, and representation. Advance content notices are displayed throughout the exhibition, and visitors are encouraged to speak to any member of the Showtown team for guidance or support.
Historically, some stories have been underrepresented or considered too challenging to interpret within museum settings. At Showtown, we are committed to presenting a fuller picture of the past. Little people deserve to have their experiences recognised, shared and celebrated. This exhibition reflects Showtown’s core values: to be for the people, for everyone, and to ensure all voices are heard.
Through Our Eyes: Little People Beyond the Circus opens on 12 February and runs until 12 April 2026. The exhibition is open on all days that Showtown is open and is included in the price of admission (free with a Showtown ticket).
Rebecca Nuttall, Charity Administrator at Little People UK said:
“On behalf of Little People UK, I am proud to be involved in the development of this exhibition with Showtown, helping highlight the history of little people in entertainment. This exhibition is about celebrating little people’s contribution to Blackpool’s history, while also providing vital context around representation, opportunity and language often used. By working together, we hope the exhibition will challenge assumptions, start conversation and importantly ensure that the voices of little people are central to how our history is presented.”