Contortionists to tie themselves up in knots as swimmers limber up for Lee challenge

Ireland’s largest free summer show rolls into Cork this weekend with a lizardman, contortionists, magicians and some of the world’s top street performers set to enthrall thousands of visitors.

The 11th Laya City Spectacular festival will take over the city’s Fitzgerald’s Park from 12pm to 8pm today and tomorrow, featuring the best in international street performance, interactive family activations and workshops, as well as an artisan food market with fare from 15 countries around the world.

This year’s festival will include reptile-tattooed sideshow superstar and self-proclaimed freak, The Lizardman who has spent an estimated 700 hours on tattooing and other body modifications, Irish puppet legend Bosco, Bruce Springsteen’s favourite street performer, contortionist Alakazam — The human knot, and the larger-than-life eight foot tall fully-animated Titan the Robot.